Arrival in Ireland

Ominous Weather at Bristol Airport

I was mugged!

I bough a sandwich and a fruit smoothie, and had no money left!

How dare you, Bristol Airport.

The only thing to do was to spend more money drowning my sorrows with an Elderflower Collins and a bowl of delicious smoked almonds at the incredibly over-priced and therefore empty cocktail lounge upstairs.

I do love Bristol Airport. It's small, impossible to get lost in, and very easy to get to, with a shuttle bus running from Temple Meads station every ten minutes. As there isn't enough space in Ryanair's luggage allowance for air, it wasn't much hardship travelling down by train.

I did get a really angry guy on security, though. "Are you wearing a belt?" he asked, only I didn't hear him, so I said "sorry?"

"Am I not saying it right?" he snapped. "Are you wearing a belt?"

Inner reaction: punch him in the face.

External reaction: charm offensive.

"I've had a really long journey," I smiled. "And you are so softly spoken."

He blushed from top to toe.

"Thank you," he replied.

Doesn't take much to shine a little civility on the situation.

All things considered, the cocktail was a justifiable expense.

Martine and Ruairí were there to pick me up at the other end.

Hugs-a-plenty.

Headed off to Dún Laoghaire (dun leary), the suburb of Dublin in which they now live. Martine moved there after their wedding in April. This leg of my Autumn Road Trip is yet another farewell, as they're moving to Laos in a few weeks.

We had a wine-sozzled evening watching House, and an exceedingly lazy morning with a full fry-up courtesy of Ruairí.

Martine also had a present for me. A couple of years ago, I put my friend Daud the Travelling Elephant into retirement. Well, about a month ago, I posted him to Martine. Now he's looking good as new!