Oh noez! American invades Britain!
'Ello from the UK! I have arrived safely and am happily with my partner balto_mike Looking forward to a wonderful two months touring the land.
I got through Atlanta security with no hassles and moved along quite quickly, had a chicken pesto panini at Atlanta Bread then through security and still had an hour and a half to spare at the gate, which I used to talk to Mike before departure.
Flight was alright, dinner left a bit to be desired, like a cheap Banquet TV dinner. At least the beer and wine were complimentary. Breakfast was a little better with a cheese and egg english muffin.
Once we got to London we were put into a hold stack and my position on the plane got me a nice tour of the land at 8000 feet. Landing was a bit rough with all the wind, I noticed the pilots were working the flaps quite mad like, least we landed square on the wheels.
Deboarding the plane was easy as well, went through the maze of corridors at Heathrow to border control and stood in a queue for a bit. The length of my stay prompted some additional questions about where I was staying and if I had a job to go back to in the USA. The border agent was very nice and I had a rather enjoyable chat with her before she stamped my passport and sent me through.
After picking up my luggage (the luggage trolleys are complimentary for use in the airport, something US airports need to learn) I headed through customs, nothing to declare, no inspection. I came out to the pickup area and no sign of Mike. I walked down the area and returned, still no sight. So I stood about for a moment and then I spot Jasper Foxx and along with him Mike. Mike hadnt looked my direction and I quickly slipped behind a column separating the rows of benches as they sat down. Jasper spotted me and did an excellent job of not bringing attention to me, allowing me to sneak up on Mike and fuzzle his hair hehe. He arfed and jumped around, saw me and slung his arms around me, we had a great tight hug and a kiss, I was so happy to finally have my arms around him.
Lunch was a bacon cheese burger at Wetherspoons, dinner consisted of fish n chips. We made a few stops on the way back to Bristol, then got settled in and cuddled... I'll leave you readers there, you'll have to imagine the rest ;-)
Today we didnt do a whole lot, but I will report on the Prime Ministerial debate which we watched. I've been keeping up with it with Mike's help, this being the third and final debate before the General Election. From what I make of it, every time Gordon Brown gets on stage here he talks about how he's been in it for all this time and knows how to run things while at the same time talking down about how bad the other two parties' plans are. After shooting himself in the foot yesterday with his behind the scenes comment calling one of his constituents bigoted after she had a go at him over some issues. I think it gives a clear picture who he really is despite his public face. As for David Cameron, he made some really valid points in the beginning of the debate series, but right now I'm not quite sure what to make of him. Some of the thresholds for tax breaks in his proposal dont make sense for the current economy. Nick Clegg however has consistently impressed me seeming to be that outsider finally getting a chance to talk, and he's the one best poised to actually bring this fresh approach to government he proposes. I also noticed that the other two would always work around questions directed at financial information on what amounts and locations of cuts to be made, yet Clegg seemed to be as direct as he could be, outlining things and talking to the questioners, not at the camera and making a canned bureaucratic response. Thats my take on things anyway...
I'll leave you guys now, as it is bedtime for us. Cheers
I got through Atlanta security with no hassles and moved along quite quickly, had a chicken pesto panini at Atlanta Bread then through security and still had an hour and a half to spare at the gate, which I used to talk to Mike before departure.
Flight was alright, dinner left a bit to be desired, like a cheap Banquet TV dinner. At least the beer and wine were complimentary. Breakfast was a little better with a cheese and egg english muffin.
Once we got to London we were put into a hold stack and my position on the plane got me a nice tour of the land at 8000 feet. Landing was a bit rough with all the wind, I noticed the pilots were working the flaps quite mad like, least we landed square on the wheels.
Deboarding the plane was easy as well, went through the maze of corridors at Heathrow to border control and stood in a queue for a bit. The length of my stay prompted some additional questions about where I was staying and if I had a job to go back to in the USA. The border agent was very nice and I had a rather enjoyable chat with her before she stamped my passport and sent me through.
After picking up my luggage (the luggage trolleys are complimentary for use in the airport, something US airports need to learn) I headed through customs, nothing to declare, no inspection. I came out to the pickup area and no sign of Mike. I walked down the area and returned, still no sight. So I stood about for a moment and then I spot Jasper Foxx and along with him Mike. Mike hadnt looked my direction and I quickly slipped behind a column separating the rows of benches as they sat down. Jasper spotted me and did an excellent job of not bringing attention to me, allowing me to sneak up on Mike and fuzzle his hair hehe. He arfed and jumped around, saw me and slung his arms around me, we had a great tight hug and a kiss, I was so happy to finally have my arms around him.
Lunch was a bacon cheese burger at Wetherspoons, dinner consisted of fish n chips. We made a few stops on the way back to Bristol, then got settled in and cuddled... I'll leave you readers there, you'll have to imagine the rest ;-)
Today we didnt do a whole lot, but I will report on the Prime Ministerial debate which we watched. I've been keeping up with it with Mike's help, this being the third and final debate before the General Election. From what I make of it, every time Gordon Brown gets on stage here he talks about how he's been in it for all this time and knows how to run things while at the same time talking down about how bad the other two parties' plans are. After shooting himself in the foot yesterday with his behind the scenes comment calling one of his constituents bigoted after she had a go at him over some issues. I think it gives a clear picture who he really is despite his public face. As for David Cameron, he made some really valid points in the beginning of the debate series, but right now I'm not quite sure what to make of him. Some of the thresholds for tax breaks in his proposal dont make sense for the current economy. Nick Clegg however has consistently impressed me seeming to be that outsider finally getting a chance to talk, and he's the one best poised to actually bring this fresh approach to government he proposes. I also noticed that the other two would always work around questions directed at financial information on what amounts and locations of cuts to be made, yet Clegg seemed to be as direct as he could be, outlining things and talking to the questioners, not at the camera and making a canned bureaucratic response. Thats my take on things anyway...
I'll leave you guys now, as it is bedtime for us. Cheers