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| Burns night at Solihull Mountaineering Club and Rob makes a speech about the origins of Burns night in the club |
Friday was Burns night with Alex acting as master of ceremonies, with a beautiful handmade furry haggis. Not allowed to stab the real one anymore, we might all die of food poisoning ! The real one did taste good though. It was lovely to catch up with old members of SMC, though having calmed down a bit about India talking to Mike and Ed didn’t help any!
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| The Haggis, beautifully made (sorry caught) by Alex |
Saturday was a train journey to Bournville to the Attic brewery for Sunday tea club, though very confusing to meet Jan and Paul (though we knew they were going to be there) but they were sitting with some people we knew from years ago from the diving club in Bromsgrove. It’s always hard when you see people out of context though to work out who they are! On to our booked table at 20.00 at Patiala to find a very busy restaurant. Helen had to get menus for us, and we virtually had to rugby tackle someone to take an order. We did get popadums, but at 21.30 had to threaten to leave if we didn’t get starters in the next 5 minutes. We did have a nice time with good company, but it does take the edge off!
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| And what does Alex do? She stabs it! |
As if we haven’t got enough on Brian then started looking at via ferrata in the Dolomites for a trip in July with Simon and Diane. Diane is doing the painful bit of trying to book accommodation, and spreadsheets of days and routes, although they are about to jet off to Finland….. we’ve all booked our flights though, so that’s happening too!
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| Another night and here we are in the Attic Brewery in Stirchley for a pre curry drink. LtoR: Brian, Reuben, Crystal (Ming), Helen, Corinne, Ian and Jackie (Manu's taking the photo) |
Monday we went round to Alex and Rob bearing blackberry crumble (amazing what you find in the freezer, they were a thank you from Richard and Sue for the logs they got when we had the tree surgeons round!) for another lovely evening.
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| Later in Patialas (or as we know it the carpet shop curry house as it used to be a carpet shop!). Reuben taking the photo this time. LtoR: Corinne, Jackie, Helen, Ian, Brian, Crystal and Manu |
Tuesday we didn’t go walking with John and Brian, checking in seemed important. On a plane that holds 800 people for a 7 hour flight we want to be together.
Wednesday, out for breakfast (only enough cereal for one meal, so make it Thursday) pack, then having ascertained it all fits, unpack and split half and half, just in case only one bag makes it. Read the huge dossier that Ranjeet our contact in India had just sent and round to John’s to hide stuff away and do some printing. Last pint up the pub, because …..
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| Bird table in our house. There's a blue tit about to eat the nuts, a pigeon eating the seed and a staling eating the suet block. Just before I snapped this there was a robin on the table too, but he flew away. Yes, I know the garden looks a mess, that's a job for later this year when we get back from India! |
Thursday was very civilised, cab booked for 10.00 to take us to Birmingham airport and we are off, though obviously I slept atrociously on Wednesday night.
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| This was at Birmingham Airport earlier and thats our double story Airbus A380-800 ready for loading. Three entrances! It's big, how can it possibly fly! |
Currently sitting in Dubai airport with my watch telling me it’s 02.45, and my head being completely confused (23.45?) The flight left Birmingham late, but arrived just about on time, we’ve done the half hour bus journey between terminals, so here’s hoping the luggage does too. Next stop, a very foggy, apparently New Delhi.
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| But fly it did and here it is just lifting off. John copied this from his TV on a live channel of Birmingham Airport that he knows about |
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