Setting Off - Blogabond

After 10 weeks back in England, my travelling started again when I picked Angela up from Manchester airport at the ridiculously early time of 6:00. So began a whirlwind tour of England that would take in many of the major sights: Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Cockshutt, Shellingford… Taking full advantage of BA’s online check-in facility, I moved us into the emergency exit seats. For the 13 hour flight to Singapore, I thought this was a genius move. There was concern that this might mean we lost our individual TV screens, but as we later found out, you still get one - it’s just hidden away in your armrest. Phew!

As we were waiting to go through the security checks at Heathrow, I glanced behind and saw a guy that looked a bit like Michael Clarke (Aussie cricketer) a couple of places behind me. Reasoning that the World Cup (which Australia had won) had only just ended in the Caribbean, I thought it couldn’t be - going through London seemed a little like going the long way round. But then Andrew Symonds (another Aussie cricketer, with pretty recognisable dreadlocked hair) came through a side bit right by us. As he walked through, the chap in front of us offered a good-willed ‘congratulations’, only to be sneered at in reply. Slightly baffled by this confrontation, Angela asked whether I knew who that guy was. I told her, and she looked suitably non-plussed. “Oh. I thought he just worked here or something. It seemed a bit strange that someone was congratulating him.“ I tried to impress on her how big a deal this guy was - “he plays for Australia!“ Nothing. “They’ve just won the World Cup!” Then, around the corner came 3 more players, including the captain, Ricky Ponting. Disappointingly, he wasn’t actually carrying the World Cup itself through security. For some reason, I’d always imagined that’s what people would do if they won major things like that. Seeing as our flight was eventually heading to Sydney (though we were getting off when it stopped in Singapore), I’d assumed that they’d be on our plane. Unfortunately not (though I didn’t actually find that out until about 11 hours in to the flight. This hadn’t stopped me from telling the guy next to me that the cricketers were up front in 1st class.)

written by

olliejohnson on May 6, 2007 from London, United Kingdom

from the travel blog: A Brit and a Canuck Down Under

Send a Compliment

What is it with you and sportsmen going through airport checkouts? I take it you failed to get any autographs again?

written by Old man of Cockshutt on May 9, 2007

Looking forward to the BA experience! Love Mum/Sue

written by Sue Johnson on May 9, 2007

Having read this 'exciting' tale of passing cricket players in the airport we immediately checked to see if there was any way you could watch cricket on tv when you get back to Canada Ollie. We actually found a cricket channel but when we clicked on it, this message came on the screen:
Are you serious? No one watches cricket. This isn't a real channel
Guess you'll have to go without.

written by Canuck Mom on May 9, 2007

Happy to see the blog updated. Val was thrilled to see all the pictures. looking forward to more. No more abuse from this end Ollie about the cricketer spottings. I think you've received enough from the 2 Nyhout wpmen.

written by Dad from the other London on May 9, 2007

comment on this...