Summer in London

Yeah that's right I am in London!

But not for a holiday.....looking after my sister as she just had her foot reconstructed.  She was born with flat feet, and being on her feet for the last 49 years plus being a hairdresser and busy working mother, and not wearing proper shoes ( she also found out she had an extra bone in her right foot which made it hard to wear proper support) finally came to a head and she couldn't walk without pain, hence the foot reconstruction, one foot at a time......

I don't know about you but having a sister around when you have had surgery is probably the most important thing........a sister to care for you and cook you nutritious soups and just have that support of someone who knows you, can't beat it.  Which is why  I am here.
I think I enjoy being needed and looking after people, especially people I love, and who would complain about being in  London during summer!

The days leading up to my departure were as always fraught with disasters........ Too much work to clear up in the office ( I have to be online everyday for an hour and do a con call while on holiday!) I was tired, stressed and worried about my sister......
As her operation date was fixed late, I didn't get a very good deal on the ticket and flew Finnair .  Another airline to talk about!  Did you know you had to pay for alcohol on some European airlines!  Well beer and wine with dinner was free but other than that you had to pay for it!  I am so spoilt!
Gluten free food was shit but that's because it came out of Singapore airports catering!  Other than that Finnair was fabulous!  I must say these Scandinavians are a very civilized lot, perfect manners, gorgeous to look at, hard to believe they were blood thirsty Vikings once! Must be evolution!

I was in transit at Helsinki airport for about an hour after which I got on a BA flight to London, all good, no complaints until Albina the Ukranian that lived in Helsinki, sat next to me.
Conversation started innocently enough until she asked where I was from....
"Singapore"
Blank stare.....
"Is that in China"
In went downhill after that.......for an hour, worse thing though was that I couldn't stop looking at her mustache......
"Do you think all the suffering in Asia is because you all aren't Christians, it's a cursed land"
This time I had the blank stare..... She went on and on and the best was
" I am sorry to say but you will burn in hell for not being a Christian"
My retort
" but Albina, if  we are all Gods children why should it matter that I am not a Christian..... And besides I don't believe in heaven or hell so to me I won't burn in your idea of hell"

Not a very comfortable conversation 30,000 feet in the air......

Anyway I got to Heathrow in one piece, God hadn't punished me for my blasphemous views but then my phone didn't work at all, and I couldn't get in touch with my sisters partner via call or text or what's app to let him know I was on the tube on the way as he was supposed to meet me at the station and help me with my bags on the bus and back to their flat.  It's a good thing I remembered the way, so I lugged my 20 kilo bag (not overweight for once) which was full of food things for my sister, through the station, across the road, on the bus, then crossed the road again and up to the flat........then I realized I didn't know what number the flat was so couldn't buzz her partner....... Thank goodness someone let me in and I went up to the flat...... I knew where it was just not the number on the door!

I later realized that I actually had to release the SIM card on my iPhone before going overseas........ And worse still I hadn't done the same thing to my credit card.......

So perhaps Albina the Ukrainian living in Helsinki had a point........I was doomed........ Yeah right!

Anyway I am here for 2 weeks to be mother to my sister, to love her and look after her.  I wish I had been able to take more time off but I know she will be in good hands after I leave,and I get to come back in six months or so when she does the other foot........