Falcons on board

[We have gone from camels to falcons in just a few hours.]

We noticed a man with a falcon on his arm near the gate we were boarding from. I thought he was an "entertainer" the airport hired, so couldn't believe it when he came into the area to wait! I knew he would be on the flight as I've heard of falcons onboard normal flights, but had never seen it for myself.

More amazing then when the row in front of us was cleared to make way for the two falconers on board to sit together! No idea why they had to be in that row, (we were on the wing) but it gave the opportunity to get some photos. The only time when there was a little concern was during take-off when one of the falcons wanted to fly, and it flapped its wings several times. The close-up shot on the top left is taken by G.

The two-hour wait at Bahrain passed easily enough. The Lego tourist with three cameras caught my eye. It was Bahrain's national day so we were treated to a few national songs every thirty minutes. On to the next leg and the flight seemed endless. Glad we got a few hours sleep, but clearly not enough as I needed to catch up on what I missed when we finally got to the Lodge at midday!

Immigration at Heathrow today took the longest time. So long, that when we got to the luggage, someone had taken the bags off for us and stacked them nearby! :)  Superfast collection of the hire car, and a quick trip to Tesco to get something for dinner... it was GREAT to walk into the Lodge which was warm, and all prepared for us by friends David and Eileen. Eileen even topped up our phones so we really were set right from landing. Having a bright and dry day is the perfect start; nevermind it was 0degC when we landed and never got beyond 4!

All suitcases emptied and put away, but no decorating tackled as yet. It took me a while to get my internet connection sorted. All done so we're set for the next few weeks. :)