Tan While You Sleep

I woke up this morning with two nice pink arms despite hardly spending a moment in the sun after our arrival yesterday. It would appear that the bleeding huge hole in the ozone layer above Australia extends to New Zealand. That's fine because even sitting in the sun after that trip would take more effort than I was capable of.

Departure from home was marred by two dirty letters from the Gardai informing me that I had caught speeding on my way to and from the shop last week. That's right, two point on the way to the shop for a sandwich, and two points on the way back to the office afterwards. And a hundred and sixty euro fine. I recommend people avoid Blarney for their own sakes in cars or otherwise. So that pissed me off rightly and as we left Cork I didn't bother looking back. To hell with the land of speed cameras.

The plane rides were tolerable enough. After London it was a case of head down and wait for the light at the end of the tunnel. The only issue was the ten hour flight from Kuala Lumpur, where we had the pleasure of a bunch of wealthy schoolkids sharing our flight; one of whom decided to play smash the back of her seat into the guy behind her. I hate people that smash their seats into me. There was tit for tat exchanges, though ultimately I was chuffed to see her buddy pulled over by passport control at Auckland and much distress for my nemesis. Petty? Yes. Childish? Yes. Satisfying? Definitely.

I'd recommend 50/50 if you're looking for a flick in the next while actually. I was blubbing away on the plane, though I'm not sure if that was the bittersweet cancer movie or the fact that I had slept for all of an hour over two days. Anyway...

We were picked up at the airport by the most excellent Russell crew and are staying at one of the funkiest houses I've ever had the pleasure of being a guest in. We were welcomed with a spread of salad and beer and a fine family gathering. Reckon I held my own until around 6pm local time (about 5 am back home), at which point I just started dozing off mid-conversation. Nothing new there then.

Irene is the mammy of the Russell clan and this is Terry, her partners, place. Indoor stone gardens, band room, barbecue station, an amazing view. It's awesome.

Before I continue onto the next post, I just want to say I'm keeping this blog because I found the India one really did help keep the memory of that trip fresh for me. I was mulling over this morning should I bother, but I think it's a worthwhile thing to do. A few people enjoyed the last one so hope I can live up to the standards previously set. Thanks.