As I write this, I am sitting on my couch in West Hampstead, having coffee and a peanut butter sandwich and happy to be home. I'm exhausted, of course, but I've still been running around and unpacking and watering orchids and starting laundry and cleaning bathrooms. (Dave's housekeeping isn't quite up to my exacting standards, and of course I say that with love and I think he'll laugh when he reads it. I think.)
I saw Olga only briefly before she went out with her dog walker, so she and I have yet to catch up.
The flight home was uneventful. The overseas leg was just as empty as my flight to Florida two weeks ago, so again, I had plenty of space to spread out. I think I was even in a premium economy seat, which I didn't ask for -- I guess British Airways is taking care of me since I'm a frequent flier. (Or was before the pandemic!)
I landed in England about 10:10 a.m. and cleared passport control and customs quickly. The airlines checked my Covid test results and UK passenger locator form (which tells the government where I'll be quarantining and where I sat on my flight) before I boarded the plane, but I was surprised that none of that happened again at the border. I just sailed through.
And yes, I do now have to quarantine, though apparently not for the full ten days. The UK is changing the rules for so-called amber list countries (which have some risk of Covid but not a huge risk -- the USA is on the amber list). As of Monday quarantining is no longer necessary. So I guess I just have to quarantine until then. I do, however, have to take two Covid PCR tests, on day two (tomorrow?) and day 8.
Holy cow -- the GARDEN! It is a veritable wall of green. I can't believe how much it's grown in my absence. I'll share photos tomorrow.
Today you're seeing an old photo that I took in downtown Tampa back in the mid-1980s. I shot a roll of film while walking around the city, and then at some point I threw out all the negatives and I no longer have the prints, either. I thought they'd all been lost. I was happy to find this print at my brother's -- I guess I gave him a copy at some point. Preserved for posterity! Kind of a shoddy masonry job, wouldn't you agree?
And speaking of masonry, which reminds me of Freemasons, here's a dollar bill I got in my change while in the states. The pyramid with the eye -- often considered a Masonic symbol -- has sometimes been seen as a sign of political conspiracy. I guess that's what this person was thinking. I wonder if he/she (probably he) writes this on all his/her dollar bills? That must be fatiguing.
35 comments:
I'm glad to hear that your trip home was uneventful. That photo of the brick wall is quite interesting. Get some rest and have a super day. Hugs, Edna B.
Welcome Home
Isn't it against the law to write on currency?
If things don't change, the US won't be amber much longer. I live in Arkansas and it's disheartening to know we have the biggest increase in Covid cases (hospitalizations?) in the country. I was surprised and disappointed to learn we're only 35% vaccinated. (and my county is only 26%!) Shameful.
Glad you're home and settling back in!
Happy that you had a mostly empty plane and a good trip. Your photos have been interesting.
You must be exhausted, Olga will be so pleased to snuggle up next to you , cup of tea and a scritch on the head. I love how
Dave cleans, he's the man! How I clean is that I don't, hazmat suits required.
Oh, and mind the lizard people, they prefer London, we are told. Great thing that your trip was a success, without a hitch really. You made your mother laugh , so much love.
Welcome home, Steve! So glad the trip was easy. Yay!!
Looking forward to pics of the garden and of course Olga.
I'm glad you are home, it sounds like you had a good time.I had to laugh at that photo of the masonry. I wonder what the story was on that? A do it yourself job? Anyway, the world sure is an interesting place.
Welcome home! Your trip sounded great - you're a good traveler and it was fun to be along for the ride. So glad you and your mom connected; whether or not she remembers your visit, she sure enjoyed it at the time. Quarantine sounds like a good opportunity to get over jet lag and re-enter 'normal' life.
Chris from Boise (on Mike's computer again)
Happy to be home.
I'm glad you made it back without any trouble. Maybe I should start thinking about a trip to London while the airlines have fewer passengers. That sardine can seating is what I dread the most on trips to Europe. Have fun catching up with Olga and Dave.
On behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, her government and all of her subjects may I formally welcome you home to England.
"WAKE UP PEOPLE"? Why should I even consider waking people up if they are sleeping contentedly? And what's with "IN GOD WE TRUST"? It's rather like saying, "IN FAIRIES WE TRUST".
Feels good to be home, I am sure.
As one whose father taught her how to mix cement and lay brick at the age of 14, I gotta say, if I had ever done that bad a job, my father would have made the start all over again...after I had taken down each brick and cleaned off any cement remnants. That doesn't even get a pass as art.
Just a reminder, folks, Steve gets out of the usual longer UK quarantine only because he is a resident of the UK. US citizens who are visitors must still meet the 10 day quarantine (or 5 day, if paying for an extra Covid test), as well as repeating the tests on day 2 and day 8. Not cheap by any means.
Glad you made it home safely.
Always nice to arrive home and have your own things around you. Generally it was a very good trip away by my reading.
Now the message on the bill would certainly attract my attention. Good that you got back home and had a good trip.
I slept well!
Thank you!
Yeah, I think it is against the law to deface currency, but that never seems to stop people. When I was in Florida, Jacksonville was a Covid hot spot, too.
Thanks, E!
Olga is snuggled next to me as I type this!
Yep -- back to our regularly scheduled programming, as they say. :)
It's such a strange wall. As I recall a building next to it had been torn down, revealing this haphazard construction.
Hello Chris pretending to be Mike -- yes, I'm so glad I got that time with my mom. It made a huge difference to me, and I think to her as well.
Indeed!
Now may be a good time to fly, but I'd think twice about coming to England -- we're experiencing a Covid surge and there's quite a substantial quarantine period for visitors. (Ten days, mandatory, in addition to testing.)
"In God We Trust" is on all our money. Don't ask me why. Maybe it's meant to highlight our reverence for capitalism?
Yes, good point -- visitors still have to quarantine. In fact, I talked to a woman on the plane who's visiting family and she was annoyed to learn on her arrival that she has to spend her entire 10-day visit in quarantine! I don't know scientifically why the rules for visitors should be different from those for residents, but apparently they are.
Thanks! It's good to be back.
It was indeed a good trip, but I'm glad to be home!
Isn't that funny? It caught my eye right away!
Home safe!
The garden never seems to grow fast until you turn your back!!
Welcome home! You know what is ratifying? Listening to these crazy conspiracy theories day after day after day. Not once do they stop to ponder the last conspiracy theory had a smidgen of truth to it. They just march out something new.
Ratifying????? It was supposed to be fatiguing.
Hey, Steve! We just got home about an hour ago. I haven't unpacked a thing yet but have started a load of wash and been out to the garden and to see and feed and water the chickens. It's GOOD to be home. So good.
Freemasonry conspiracies have been around forever. I knew a couple of Masons, one was my dad and one years later was my landlord. I went to his funeral which was a comedy of silliness (to my skeptical eyes.)
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