70 miles to pick up the wife. Worth it in any money and I can now reconcentrate on my core activities-recycling, putting out the rubbish, firewatch and fire creation, washing up (breakfast and lunch only) and more cerebral duties. Golf. Good to be cooked for again as my menu was beginning to come round twice.
Newcastle is a nice wee 'International Airport' Clean, bright and quiet. No flight announcements. You have to read the arrival boards. This I did in search of Flt BA1332-LHR to NCL. I entered the airport with the flight due in in 30 minutes. All other impending arrivals had a guesstimate against the flight no. BA1332 was blank. It remained so for the full duration of a large Latte and a Bacon Buttie (decent grub too, btw) With 15 minutes to the ETA and no news I approached a BA helping lady. Asked why the flight was not notified, She laughed fetchingly and said 'We don't bother with the boards here, not all that reliable' She then tinkled her Key Board in E-minor, peered at her screen and announced that BA 1332 was on time.
It wasn't and the Board suddenly sprung into life : due 1410 (arrival should have been 1350-I have known worse) At 1400 I reached the domestic arrivals Comfort Zone. The Board had moved on to 'On Approach' At 1410 it still said 'on approach'. 1420 Ditto-it must be new environmental friendly fuel saving mode- gliding in silently. At 1440 the wife appeared through the arrival doors with her luggage rescued from the Magic Roundabout. As I hustled off to the short term carpark to save some change from a tenner I noticed the main Arrivals Board. Opposite Flt 1332 was the reassuring message
'On Approach'.
THe BA Help Person had a point.
