11-12 March 2013 What a journey to remember!

Well  we started the day with snow Mary thought we better clear the drive because an uncleared drive would rather give the game away (no one home).
so we cleared the snow from the front. Then a phone call, the Taxi was going to be late, traffic hold up through Thurmaston, taxi arrived about 9:40. the traffic news said there were accidents and holdups on the M6 and M1 etc. So our driver decided to avoid them by taking the M69 and around Coventry to Birmingham airport. But as we progressed we encountered hold ups on the M69 near Coventry and the by pass around Coventry the whole journey we would go from Blizzard to bright sunshine and back again, finally we arrived at the airport at about 11:20am. we went strait through baggage check in, having previously checked in on line, then security. Then once on the departure floor we were able to buy a Telegraph and get a free bottle of water to take on the plane. After we boarded the plane the weather kept changing from bright sunshine to blizzard and back so we were held up for 20 mins while they deiced the plane, after taxiing to the runway a blizzard blew up again, and then off we went. It was great to leave the ground and leave the snow behind, as we started our seven hour flight to Dubai.

Dubai was interesting, the first thing as you come off the plane was a long walk to security. What we could have got on the plane that we should not have, I don't know but that is the first stop. Bags through the Ex ray, walkthrough the scanner, where I set off the alarm with some forgotten coins in my pocket. Then we are let loose in the airport, so we set off for our next departure gate.  A short walk, then up an escalator, a longer walk on the next floor following signs for  gates "A", we wanted A15. Down two long, steep, escalators, another walk, a queue - a ride on a train! A short walk and up in a lift in preference to the two long, steep, fast escalators. and finally a fairly long walk to gate A15, which was open by then, all bottled drinks were disallowed, duty free had to be labelled sealed and put in the hold, the bottles of water we had brought through the first flight were confiscated, though we were allowed to drink as much as we wanted before they took them from us. Then a short wait and board the plane.

Finally after a ten hour flight we arrive in Perth. Through immigration and quarantine where we declare our Drugs, (prescription medication) my wooden walking stick and animal products (our leather goods), collect our baggage and go. Ruth, Martin and Hannah were here to meet us. The temperature when we arrived was about 27c. We are really ready for a bit of sunshine, after the weather of the last 12 months at home.