I have recently had the opportunity to spend some time aboard working. It's really the first time that I've done this in the past 7 years other than a brief 3-day visit to Copenhagen. This was a two-week stint in Johannesburg, South Africa. Well - I found that the preparations were familiar to me - but strange things like trying out the modem on the work laptop. Hearing those dial sounds brought back quite distant memories - my oh my haven't we moved on here in the UK. As it turns out I didn't use the modem. But still it was good to check out the laptop. Also intriguing that my personal MacBook doesn't even have a modem.

Anyway, I was to travel out alone and the project manager would join a day later. The main frustration was with our internal company bureaucracy in getting the flights organised and then the hotel. Sometimes I'm sure that the main reason that these departments exist to stop the very things they are meant to do. I was happy to fly business class both ways and with the airline selected (Emirates) it flew from Manchester to Dubai and then a brief stop before another flight onto Jo'burg. Emirates is neat as they include, for business class, free pick up and drop off on each journey. No travelling by train or car and parking. That's such a help and lessens the cost.

Business class has changed a little since my last trips in 2000-2001 - more in-flight entertainment, somewhat better seats. What I did notice is more people travel business class. Other than that - they little else different. And the prices were about half. Though I'm not sure whether that is our company discount levels.

There are much more people using the business lounges - they are filling up. At Dubai I managed to find the showers and grabbed one - thanks to a colleague for suggesting that - a wonderful improvement. After 7.5 hours, though somewhat pampered, to have a shower in the business lounge was a good move.

So how was flying? On these flights it was pretty much as before - there are distractions such as films etc. and food. Even so I didn't expect much difference.

I considered the whole flying thing. When you look at it you see historical continuations from the shipping business - given away in the terms: captain, hostess, steward, purser. Maybe as early flight and even later flight was a rich person's mode of travel that it included such things as food, drink (why serve alcohol that dehydrates in a plane that has an atmosphere that dehydrates and then causes behavioural problems with no escape?) I guess when Virgin get their tourist spacecraft up and working then it'll be similar. I wonder what the difference between business and coach classes will be like on those flights? Comfortable space suits versus one size fits all for coach? It's not how I read most SF books when I was younger. There were lots more individuals flying about (Note to self - good time to re-read the Larry Niven belter series) or very much the commodity stuff.

The main point of this ramble - was to say how much I dislike being in a hotel. I'm sorry to sound very ungrateful - but 15 nights in the same hotel - even though it was 5 star - are mind numbing, soul destroying, and drives me stir-crazy. It was made worse by two facts: 1) the hotel was part of a complex that had two other hotels, a casino complex with several restaurants. 2) for our personal safety we didn't go out or have our own transport. I know a bit like an animal in a zoo - all the food you want, the bed is made, etc. but I want to get out, explore and meet real people - not employees who say Morning Sir!

I'd better stop - as I am sounding very ungrateful. But I was glad to get back home - detox on normal food - like baked beans on toast and fish & chips. It was a good reminder to really enjoy and be thankful of where I live and how I live.

We recently went on a short stint in Scotland where we camped and paddled on the sea. It had been a long time - must be getting over 5 years since we last did anything and even longer that it was fairly significant. Anyway we went on the basis that we were feeling our way back in and would take it easy and carefully. The others were also either older and slowing down or in the same position as we were.

Anyway, the weather was kind - not too windy but cold. It was mainly a N or NE which for Scotland in April with snow on the mountains meant it was cold. We did paddle for a day around an island and then for a short overnight over the last two days of the trip. In between we had a walk and a visit around to some places. We came away relieved that we had been OK and happy to have got back on the water.

We did discover some of the pleasures of old - the views, the flora and fauna, wild camping; some of the pains of old - cold feet, slippery rocky beaches with loaded kayaks. But all in all the level was fine and we were in good company. We all came away saying that we'd repeat this next year but in late April and in a different part of the West Coast of Scotland.

The trip did throw up some equipment issues that we need to sort out before we go out again.

In considering Oslo, we like it a lot. It is so relaxed, friendly and without any signs of hassle about anything. There is only one thing - everything is so expensive. Maybe that is why there are fewer tourists, smaller population and less stress. Oslo has a wonderful integrated public transport system of busses, trams, trains. The city centre is fairly compact that you can just walk around it. They have spent sometime renovating several of the older industrial areas into the usual modern shopping and eating centres. Aker Brygge is very pleasant and we were delighted to spend some time in the D/S Louise restaurant. I can recommend the museums for Fram and the Viking ships. We would recommend buying an Oslo Pass as this gives free entrance to many museums, free public transport and discounts. I was surprised to find that modern Norway is about 100 years old. And then before it even is 50 years - it is invaded and occupied for about 5 years. They clearly have made a mental change to that event and that clearly shapes their outlook and involvement in the rest of the world.

In a personal reflection, it is the events in our lives that shape us, not merely the genetic components that we are dealt with, and at each event, we have choices and consequences to the choices made help perform that molding. I agree that our genetic information is also a factor in our life but the logical conclusion to the statement that we are only what our genetic make up leads us to be, is a statement of irresponsibility for any and all of our actions. This is something that I do not subscribe to.

Well. I thought that Denmark was expensive, but Norway is even more so. Beyond that, then my impression of Oslo is that this is a lovely country with friendly and relaxed people. The city is not crowded, cluttered and not even much building - unusual for a main city nowadays. The public transport is well-integrated and punctual. Oslo, itself, is small and easy to get from one side to the other - and so varied from the dockside with ships, ferries and small boats to the top of the hills overlooking the city with the Ski Jump - it's not flat in many places.

More to come on Oslo. But check the photos.

I've recently travelled to Newcastle (on Tyne) and by train it is unbelievable that the link across the North Pennines is so slow. There are very few cross-Pennine routes and there is a lot of commonality between Carlisle and Newcastle that I'd expected the rail link to be better, faster and much more modern. There are lots of level crossings, small stations and no inter-city class trains. They also don't seem to arrange the timetables well to let people come off the West Coast trains to step onto this line. I spent about an hour each way at Carlisle station. It might have been a a little quicker to go up the east Coast line to Edinburgh and then get a West Coast train back down.

Also I've been looking at getting to Yeovil - I expected to go down maybe change at Bristol and get to Yeovil . The Trainline.com website directs you via London! It even forbids you to go to Exeter and work back. This is crazy - the trip time would be about 8 hours!

We should get grid rid of the hub and spoke model of the railways around London as the major hub.

We took an early break by going to Spain for the very first time.

We took a trip for a few days down to Granada in order to visit the Alhambra. I have uploaded some photos. The Alhambra is fantastic, it is so wonderfully positioned above the city of Granada and the palaces and gardens are kept in wonderful condition. This is even more worthy when you consider the sheer numbers of visitors that come through day by day.

We spent the whole day wandering around, enjoying the architecture, the decoration of the palaces and the planting and structure of the gardens.

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