Toronto airport again (Mhari)

We are now in the Toronto airport for the 3rd time this year. This time we are heading home; we will be there soon. yeah!!

Mhari says BYE!!

Back to England... and Wales

(John) We flew home to England's East Midlands Airport on Ryan Air, which is arguably the cheapest way to fly, bar making your own hang-glider out of an old used nylon tent. Other than, the airport in Tallinn (which was much like any other albeit smaller), the usual security procedures and the enforced 2 hour check in time, getting on the Ryan Air plane was exactly like getting on a bus. We had to get in a bus queue, we had to wait for the bus to arrive, we had to wait for the passengers to get off the bus and then we got on the bus as quickly as we could to get the best seat. Then when almost everybody was sitting down and the last drunk man had found his bus (boarding) pass the bus sprouted wings, started going very fast and took off. Two and a half hours later we found the road again, the bus stopped and we all got off. At that point it once more started to feel like flying as we entered an airport terminal, were questioned by an immigration official, waited by a luggage carousel and retrieved our bags. Other than the fact, buses don't fly, there were just two differences that differentiated the Ryan Air experience from bus travel. On buses they don't usually sell duty free stuff and you normally are not given the chance to buy lottery tickets. We paid 225 CAD for all 4 of us, this included the extra 100 CAD we paid to have three checked bags. To get a bus that didn't fly and took 36 hours would have cost twice that. I can't say I loved sharing the plane with the two drunk guys in stag parties who were, while harmless, annoying to many passengers and the crew. But I'd rather put up with them for 2 ½ hours than 36. So think of Ryan Air as a bus not a plane and it is hard not to be impressed.

(Lesley) It is August already!!

We have been in the UK for just over a week now and have been enjoying visits with the family. My sister in law, Mary, arranged a camping trip to Wales and managed to scrounge up camping gear for our lot. She got the word out to the extended family and anyone with time and a penchant for camping found their way to Wales to join in the fun. We roasted quite a few marshmallows by the fire and without graham crackers we found that chocolate digestives work as an alternative in smore production.

We went picking and picnicked at the allotment. It has been a dry summer but Ann and Stanley and Aunty Mary still manage to get things growing. My favourite are the berries; especially when they are put on meringue with cream!

We have been able to hook our little laptop up to the TV and show some photos. No fancy slide shows yet but if you pick a country we can usually satisfy with quite a few images.

Here are some pics: The Ryan Air Bus, Mhari with her window seat, Our green two bedroom detached with open kitchen/living room, Adam's borrowed tent which which he was surprisingly unembarrassed,  Our neighbours tent into which they were able to park their two cars, Henry and Nicola's had a mat outside and a fully fitted kitchen and wall to wall carpeting inside!

Mary and David just bought their whole house! And here is the whole crowd having trouble getting serious.

Unlike this young man who was obviously very serious.  His new Land Rover came with a 'camp like a man' kit. NO that fellow with the gun isn't him.  It is a scarecrow from the allotment.  And finally my parents allotment.  Abundant as always.

  

England (Sam)

(Sam) Just a quick note for flatland family. We spent a while in a small cabin near a town called Rouge, then 3 days in the beautiful medieval city of Tallinn. We flew to England on Ryan Air and have been here for 2 weeks hanging out with family. We spent 3 days camping in Wales with some family and spent most of the rest of the time at our grandparents place. Home soon!