En route:

Neil and I both took our leave from Brisbane on Monday, after a final day of fine hospitality from Chris and Leyla. I was sad to leave - it had been great to be around C&L again for a while; I'd just started to appreciate the pastoral side of the country, and even though I woke up every morning in a portable nylon sauna drenched in my own sweat, the weather was starting to agree with me.

The flights to Heathrow were mercifully quiet, and I tried to stay awake as long as possible on the flight to Kuala Lumpur and then get some sleep on the second leg to Heathrow. Once the sun was down and the lights out, I stretched out on the row of empty seats and shook out my blanket. Hundreds of little sparks of static discharge lit up the blanket as I unfolded it - rather a pretty spectacle in the circumstances, 35,000 feet up in the pitch black with the odd accompanying flash lighting up storm clouds outside the plane...

I met up with Ash in Gatwick (a bit of a crappy airport, but a welcome reunion just the same!) and we left again for Memphis the next day. We were flying with Northwest Airlines, or NWA. Oh yes. I was this close to asking the stewardess if I could have an Ice Cube in my water. She was very stern, and I did not. I think she would handed me my white bitch ass had I done so.

Instead I mused on the fact that incidences of turbulence occur exactly when there is a cup of scalding hot coffee placed on a tray inches from one's lap, and additionally whenever some sleep is in order.

Anyway, we have arrived. Next up: we hit Memphis, and set phasers to tourist.