It's today!!!!! Awstralia here we come.....

It's only bloody today!! We are here! Me and my Pops are at Heathrow sitting in Departures waiting to take on Awstralia!!! Well I am, he is currently in the toilet but more about that shortly...

For those new to my blogs this is the 4th in the current series, and this time there is a difference.  I am not circumnavigating the globe single handed, but with Pops, my affable and highly irritatingly funny 73 year old Dad.  Welcome to my world, sit back, relax and enjoy ride...

I slept like a small child on Christmas Eve and woke too early, got everything done with too much time to spare, sat fiddling and agitated for too long, then finally told Pops to crank up the computer I was leaving to come and print the boarding passes.....he then informed me it had been warming up since the night before but still required much shaking and banging of the mouse to get it going (the universal way to speed up a computer, it's in Which? magazine and everything....)

Then boarding passes clutched in hand, fully briefed on what tablets get taken when and notes taken, I loaded his amazingly huge new holdall into the back of Charlie's taxi along with my own and we were off.  We battled the hideous weather (well Charlie did, my Pops and I just sat back, I even nodded off) and then, alarmingly early, we arrived at Heathrow.

He looked around, agog at the spectacle of the shiny Terminal 5 and I endeavoured to cover up the fact that even by my standards we were a tad early.  But never fear, there is always a pub to be had at an airport.

Now Pops is not as nifty on his pins as he once was so I had cunningly organised a beep beep assistance wagon to navigate the halls.  But as we sit here 2 hours later we have walked twice as far as the gate to find the office so I don't think we will bother.  I was quite looking forward to that.

So bags dropped we headed for security and with liquid bagged and clutched, we shoved our wordly belongings into large school trays whilst the kind operative spoke to my Pops very slowly and asked if she could x-ray his walking stick......

All I can say is I am glad I went through first.  His coat and shoes needed to be removed, a feat which needed assistance, but still the detector beeped.  Not his hips, they are ceramic, no belt (wearing joggers) no keys or money, what could it be?? Maybe the massive watch on his wrist Sherlock.....

That task complete and shoes returned to feet, the next task was flight stockings.  Let's just say that taking my Pops into the baby changing facilities so I could put them on for him gave us, and those who saw us leave, a laugh!!

Then the obligatory pint and some food before finding a spot to wind away the next hour or so before the flight leaves.  And if anyone has done a long hall flight with small children you will now have sympathy for me.....

All jokes aside my Pops is sooooooo looking forward to his big adventure and I am soooooo pleased that he has taken the brave step to give it a go.  I am sitting next to him now as he sits and watches the world go by, humming contentedly to himself and making the occasional comment.  I am very lucky to be sharing this with him and staying positive that the next 23 hours cooped up with a load of others in a tin can flying 36000 feet in the air goes as well as this bit.....

So the next time I transmit will probably be from Sydney (only a fuel stop in Singapore to break the journey) and my Pops would just like to say 'it's alright this isn't it, it has a Wetherspoons with cheap beer and a burger and lots of places to have a pee.......'

Watch out Sydney we are on our way.....

TTFN