An Artists Impression

I was living in East London with Tabitha, getting everything ready to go on a long visit to New York to visit Trotter.

Bags packed, I headed off to the cruise ship dock in North London. While I was in the area, I stopped off at a friends house nearby, and wondered into the back garden to say hello to everyone.

This back garden was about 15 meters long, but the entire industrial workshop from work complete with goods-in loading bay fit comfortably between the house and the shed. One or two of the technicians came out to show be bits of jigs and products I'd asked them to knock up for me and give updates on the project. All loose ends tied up, I turned around and found Tabitha purring loudly behind me - he'd walked half way accross London just to say goodbye - sweet!

Anyway, I don't remember much about the crossing, but the next thing i know I'm running full tilt up a sloping quay side towards the towering skyline of Manhatten. To my right was the biggest cruise ship I've ever seen, and it's flying along right next to the dock side towards me - the bow wave crashing over onto the walk way.

"That'll make an AMAZING blip!" I thought, as I grabbed my camera.

I managed to snap an action photo that was a bit wonky but quite dramatic. Result!

But that's when I realised something was missing... Patting my left pocket my stomach turned. It was empty.

No wallet, no keys, no bag on my back. Nothing.

I was faced with a decision - blag my way through the next 2 weeks and hope Trotter doesn't notice I haven't paid for anything, or turn back now and not take the risk that she eats me alive.

With that, I turned back and headed back to North London on the same cruise ship I arrived on. But before you know it, I was back. Back on the sloping quay side, running up towards Trotter and 2 weeks of New Yoik adventure.

This morning, I woke up full of beans and reached for my phone to have a look how that photo turned out. But of course, there was no photo. There was no holiday in America, and no cruise ship.

I figured that seeing as I took the time out while asleep to blip, I might as well do it properly. Here is an artists impression of the largest cruise liner ever to set sail steaming past in a busy New York port.

I know. It's almost as if you were right there!