Yes! OH Yes!!

I wonder who came up with the idea of having a spa and showers in an airline lounge? When I first heard about this, I thought that it was useless. After all, who would want to get undressed and shower and get back in to the same yucky, smelly clothes when in the middle of a 10 or more hour journey?
I have to say that carrying as much stuff, in my hand luggage, as I already do (stuff for Nikh, stuff for The Ray and stuff that I have managed to grab along the way - newspapers etc) I do not have any inclination to carry a change of clothes for myself.
Also - getting into a shower that umpteen hundreds of people have already been in - and I am sure they all have questionable foot hygiene - just does not turn me on! I would need my flip flops, a spare towel to stand on etc etc. Call me finicky!
But, aside from the shower thing - what about the spa side of things?
Again - the sceptic in me was not too impressed at the thought of shelling out hundreds of pounds on a massage in a strange place with strange people, when I could be in the Duty Free shops stocking up on booze and chocs!
We usually fly emirates or BA, but this last trip to London, we tried Etihad. They have won awards for service etc (fully deserved, I might add). We landed in Abu Dhabi late at night, My Darling was already in London, so just the kids and me. We made it to the lounge. Rhea was very ill and I just couldn't leave her, but I was curious about the rush of people trying to get into the spa. One guy (ultra gorgeous) came out of the shower (fully dressed, I might sadly add!) and looked totally relaxed and ready for the next 14 hour leg of their journey. His wife looked harassed and knackered as she had watched their 3 kids all under 4yrs old! Others were arguing and squabbling about the availability of appointments! Go Figure!
Anyway, I digress! On the return journey, with My Darling accompanying us, we landed and the Lounge was pretty deserted, so I suggested we both book in for a treatment. His immediate response was not to waste money - let's go to the shops! I went to look at the list and the prices. To my eternal amazement the price for every treatment was FREE!!! Yep I will repeat - FREE!
I booked both of us in for a facial, timed one after the other and raced back to tell My Darling to go and relax first. I fed the kids and settled them into the family room (another fantastic idea!) and then read a couple of English papers (bliss!) until My Darling returned looking a little like a ruffled penguin! His hair stuck out at angles, but his face was glowing! He looked great! Off I ran. I emerged after my treatment from a guy named "Oh"! He had magic fingers that eased the tension from my head and neck. Cleansed, toned and a quick face pack later, I was all set!
I immediately booked us in for a foot and leg massage and I went first! Amazingly incredible!
I have to say that this is the first time in all my life that I have landed not feeling like I have been in several train wrecks simultaneously or pushed through a wringer face first - twice!!
I was energised, recharged and raring to go. My jet lag was almost non existent and the body aches from carting so much crap around dust did not make their regular appearance! I also unpacked almost everything on the same day that we landed due to a total lack of lethargy!
I think these massages and treatments should be available ON the aircraft! The up side of that is the kids are strapped into their seats, they are given an endless stream of food, drink and movies. I know they will not go missing, walk away or some of our belongings stolen so I can relax and have endless treatments from here to eternity! Go Etihad!!

Simple Pleasures

I was driving along a lovely English lane, listening to Michael Buble on Smooth FM, thinking about how much I love my home town! I know I wasn't born here, but having lived in London (or rather just outside London) for all but 3 years of my life, I think I am entitled to think of this place as my home!

So I am going to list how I feel about the simple pleasures of my life -
- the sight of magnolia blossoms blooming, the creamy whiteness contrasting with the magenta centres
- blooming daffodils, golden and standing erect with their trumpets blaring a bright farewell to the winter (regardless of the frost on the ground, the hail, sleet and even snow flurries blustering around them!)
- the bright potent palate of other spring flowers bordering our gardens (gosh our gardeners do a damn good job!!)
- spiky bare branches of trees still slumbering
- knotty stubbed twigs on trees trying their hardest to push leaves out through their hard winter bark.
- clean streets - no rubbish, no faeces (animal or human), no spit marks, no stray animals laying any old place
- orderliness - on the pavements, on the roads, in the shops, in the car parks - and all with out 90 year old 'guards' directing people and the cars into almost un-doable positions!!
- sleeping in my own bed, on my own pillow with my quilt up to my ears!
- wearing socks in bed (sexy, huh??!)
- driving along a lane with a wood running on one side of the road and a farm with horses grazing on the other.
- reading The Daily Mail and The Times and a couple of other papers every single day!
- eating any cereal I fancy - having a choice of 9 in the cupboard (no fear of rats, cockroaches, ants, termites, moths and other tiny, brown insects that feast and flourish in your food stores and bite humans - but I don't know what they are called!)
- having a full size oven!
- driving in London - (not Chennai) - where upon approaching a traffic light that is on green it is safe to put your foot down and feel fairly sure that cars, autos, bikes and bullock carts will not come hurtling at you from every direction.
- not seeing autos swerving, driving sideways and backwards
- driving myself!
- shopping without being touched, pushed, queue jumped and pestered!
- buying food that is pre-packed, pre-washed and organic!
- not scanning back and forth, manically, for mosquitoes!
- seeing a pale blue morning sky with only the jet streams slicing the sky with great big white cloudy lines
- playing tennis
- going to The Riverside - our health and leisure club (yup we maintained our membership!)
-watching Nikh and The Ray play tennis with My Darling, in blissful abandonment.
- swimming and sitting in the jacuzzi, knowing that most people are not going in fully dressed and then using the structures as public bathrooms (I hope!)
- stopping in a Starbucks for a frothy hot choc and a luscious melting chocolate cookie
- using bathrooms that are mostly NOT flooded with all kinds of toxic, unhygienic fluids - bodily or otherwise! Even using bathrooms in shops and restaurants, not looking for a 5 star hotel or having to 'hold on' until we get home!
- letting The Ray go to the loo, anywhere - no fear of disease and lack of disinfectant!
- not having some woman in a sari staring at you while you do your best not to let the afore-mentioned fluids come over the top of your open toed sandals and actually make contact with skin!!
- having lunches, dinners and snacks in all kinds of different restaurants, coffee shops, bistros, gastro-pubs and being able to have a choice of beverages - alcoholic or otherwise!
- walking in the park
-walking on the pavements
- going to the post office
- ordering on line and having the stuff arrive almost the next morning!
- wearing my boots - ankle, knee high, - any kind!
- wearing cashmere!
- blowing out freezing fog as we walk along the street!
- watching The Ray;s face go bright red and glowy from the chilly wind!
- watching Sky TV - choosing from 800 channels and watching Oprah an hour, or even two, later just in case I was out shopping when she was on!
- listening to the radio - Magic, Radio 2, Smooth, Heart, Absolute, Capital and more!
- listening to conversations that stimulate and music that simply rejuvenates!
- cooking in MY kitchen
- not purifying anything and everything that I bring into the house!
- spending time with My Darling, Nikh and The Ray without having upwards of three observers moving back and forth around us!
- having private conversations!
- getting a good deal on my mobile phone contract!
- spending time with good old friends
- laughing, laughing and more laughing!!

Finally, in a couple of days I will add how much I enjoy spending time with my parents and my sister, once they come back from their hols.
Meantime - I still miss friends who happen to be all over the World, USA, Canada, India, Europe, South America, Rabat, Cairo, Australia, Africa etc etc etc!

But you know, my simplest pleasure is just coming home.