the one with the family holiday

I'm back after a rather pleasant (for me, anyway) holiday with my mum and sis. Listing all the interesting things that happened is going to take nearly forever, so I'm just going to plonk down some of the more interesting events. If they don't seem that interesting to you, then you're more than welcome to crawl back into your dark slimy hole in the icy wastes of uranus.

so, what was interesting about the trip:

-the british transport system. After 3 years, I'm still surprised at how inefficient it is. Or maybe I'm just unlucky. We met with tube delays, rail engineering works and a coach that went MIA. Thank goodness nothing happened to the planes we took.

-speaking of planes, this was the first time I've ever experienced an evacuation of an airport. Thanks to a fire alarm at gatwick, we spent around 10 minutes strolling to one of the emergency exits, and another 10 milling around listening to exasperated security personnel hollering 'smoking is not allowed on the runway!' at bored passengers who've obviously never had a close encounter with burning kerosene.

-and while we're on the topic, this was also the first time I've ever taken a brand-new easyJet plane. Most of the time they tend to be worn-out jalopies that look like they were cobbled together exclusively from parts scavenged from third-world junkyards. But the plane we took to inverness was so new that the white was in fact white, and there was actuallly a coherent colour scheme (instead of the usual gaudi-esque visual riots). Not bad for a budget airline that's supposedly in financial trouble.

-touring cambridge. We had a really great daytrip, thanks to our two tour guides, who - occasional factual inaccuracies notwithstanding - did a fantastic job. Personally I've always liked cambridge (if you've read my blog for a while now, you'll know), and after this trip, I'm not the only one in my family who does. Thanks once again are due to the two of you, for your time and effort. =P

-having afternoon tea in cambridge. That in itself was a, erm, tasty experience. But seeing one of my course tutors walk into the cafe made it amazingly surreal.

-my course in Basic Canine Identification. Having someone around who constantly spots and identifies all manner of dogs has made me realize the difference between, say, a labrador and a cocker spaniel. And by the way, I've found out that the breed I like best is called the west highland terrier, or westie.

-having a laid-back couple of days in skye, walking, sitting around, and watching the gulls, people, and amazing scenery.

-watching 'phantom of the opera' last night. Third time, and still good, even though it wasn't the best I've seen. Extra entertainment came in the form of the (suspiciously s'porean) little boy in the row behind who provided helpful commentary, pointing out that, for example, the guy in the hood in the last act was in fact the phantom in disguise. Atta boy, Sherlock.

well that's it. Now it's back to packing and settling all the stuff that still needs to be settled. Two more weeks to go..