19.45 GMT Mon 13th

It has been a while since I posted because I haven’t had very much interesting going on this year. You could argue that nothing of what I write taps into a wellspring of entertainment and information, reflecting the gaudy firework display which is my rainbow life. If you did, you’d be a tosser.

Tomorrow I’m leaving the country for the first time since April 2000. Then I flew off to Malaga for a Victorians CC cricket tour and neatly dodged revising for my Finals. To make doubly sure of failure I played League cricket for Shobrooke Park IIs throughout my exams as well.

The wheel is come sort-of-full circle. NZ001 to LAX and then NZ019 to Christchurch – back to back 12 hour 744 rides. Purpose of visit? Cricket tour, work avoidance. Splendid.

Having spent 14 years growing up on Richmond Hill watching the Heathrow traffic coming into land I am strongly fascinated by planes. I know Miros and McIlwaine have both been shocked to find themselves rounding off a hard evening’s roulette at the Gala Piccadilly by being dragged off to the end of LHR’s runway 27 at 5 am, to watch the early morning heavies landing from the US, the Far East, Aus and Africa.

Of course the daily spectacular of life under the flightpath in those days was Concorde. On my bedside table right now is a small grey leather Concorde freebie notebook from that era – largely unused but falling apart – which was a gift from my father. In those days he used to use the plane monthly and would also bring back Droste chocolates when he came to see my brother and I. I have a Concorde bridge set somewhere which may yet make its way onto Ebay. Let’s see how much money we can make out of the New Zealand – West Indies ODIs first, but it’s nice to have something to fall back on.