1 EAGLETON NOTES: This and That

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Wednesday 18 August 2010

This and That

When commenting on a friend of mine who renews his BMW car and motorbike every few years, his new lady-friend said “Yes, he does come with a few nice add-ons.”   Mind you, so does she!  Ah well I’m afraid with me it’s a question of love me, love my Nighthawk and my Handbag.  That’s about the best I can do….. Unless you play croquet.

Am I being unreasonable?  When I fly to and from New Zealand I often have to go via Los Angeles.  I much prefer going via Hong Kong because when you arrive you are welcomed straight into the airport with no queues and you can have a change of clothes and shower.  There is no hassle and the airport is comfortable and the break of journey is a pleasure.  Going via LA the plane just stops for two hours to re-fuel and change crew.  For the passengers it’s two hours of something approaching travellers’ hell.  Firstly you decant from the plane into a corridor.  If you sit at the back of the plane (I only made that mistake once!) it can take you most of that 2 hours standing in a queue to get through immigration control into the transit lounge (whilst you watch passengers getting back onto the plane) where, in law, you are still on New Zealand soil (I travel with Air New Zealand and from the start of my journey until I arrive in NZ under International Law whilst I am in a transit lounge I am on NZ soil wherever the plane stops to refuel).  Does the US recognise this?  No.  What has just prompted my irritation at this moment is that I have just had to pay £25 ($40 US) for the privilege of being allowed to stand in that queue so that the CBP (Border Security) can consider whether he is going to allow me into the Transit Lounge.  Humph.

This morning I was up before 0600 and fed the birds.  It was cool and crisp and the midges hadn’t woken up.  Withing the hour they were swarming outside the Study window.  Capturing midges in flight on camera is not easy:

DSC03183 DSC03194

Nevertheless I tried and those that are in focus have shown up.  There were thousand’s more which didn’t show!

A friend (I think he ought to be nameless because I wouldn’t want anyone to know this if it were me) loves sandwiches with a filling of salad cream and honey.  How gross is that?  Oh.  Go one.  Don’t tell me there’s someone else out there who could eat that.

We were also talking about rice pudding.  My Mum made wonderful rice pud.  As the most senior member of the family in our house at the time Dad was entitled to the skin of the rice pudding which Mum always made quite crispy.  Thank heaven.  I’ll eat almost anything but the idea of eating the skin off the custard (sorry Dave) or rice pudding just revolts me.

On that subject and with Scriptor’s family sayings in mind, Dad always used to say of someone who merited it that they couldn’t knock the skin off a rice pudding.

3 comments:

  1. *No, a special fee for standing in queue while the plane is getting re-fueled does not seem reasonable!
    *A view that I do not envy you is that of the midges. (Photographic challenge though they may be!)
    *Salad cream and honey?! Never tried, and not tempted...!
    *I think it would be a mistake to judge you so(u)lely by your cars.

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  2. Are they bitey-type midges Geeb?
    Dublin is a bit of a pain too... We were on Ryanair Aberdeen - Dublin - Pisa and queued for simply HOURS.
    My Dad loved the skin too.

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  3. Monica. Thanks for the last comment. Good job really. On second thoughts....

    Katherine: Ohhh yes! They are very very bitey midges. And they get in your hair, eyes and ears and everything. Even the hardened, macho roadmen wear midge-protection suits nowadays. I fed the birds one morning this week (still in my dressing gown I confess) and received 18 bites in, perhaps, 90 seconds. Thank heaven for Benadryl Cream and the fact that I don't react too badly.

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