Chapter 1 - Jet Who?

Have you ever booked flights with airlines you've never heard of? I didn't think so.  This trip, I 'google flighted' my way to booking and ended up with flights at the right times and to the right places, but with airlines unknown.  I was a little concerned that none of the bookings seem to make mention of obvious things, like for example, a seat, so I had visions of having to perch awkwardly on a wing and hope for the best.  Fortunately, all was well on the first and second flights  - they were expecting me, I had a seat and everything.  Both times I was hoping for a window seat, as one does, albeit with the inevitable clambering over strangers when one needs to, but this was not to be, and I sat happily sandwiched between strangers on both flights.

The first flight transported me seamlessly from Gatwick to JFK, New York, which was the busiest airport I have experienced for decades.  It was rammed with people variously milling, chatting, shopping, snacking and charging their abundance of devices.  I cleared customs, apologising to the immigration officer that I had run out of time to get a haircut and that the wild animal look would have to suffice.  

I then re-checked my trusty orange tortoise who has sat gathering dust on top my wardrobe for nearly 3 years so is very glad of the opportunity to be out, albeit spending the bulk of her time so far in eerie plane holds, rammed with chocolate for nephew and unicorns for my niece.   

After a noisy couple of hours at JFK, I climbed aboard my second Jet Blue flight and slept like a baby for five hours, waking only for a quick cup of tea.   Before I knew it, I was scooping my giant orange tortoise off the baggage carousel and into the back of my awaiting sister's car.

We drove about an hour back to their house and in the morning, my niece and nephew bounced in to greet me with their excitable cries of 'Arnie Helen!!'

After I was introduced to the new family pets - Joey and Sharktooth the amenable cornsnakes, we munched delicious french toast - just the humans, the snakes would have struggled - then headed out to Irvine Regional Park, a quirky expanse of land, trees, a zoo, play-parks and plenty of families having fun.  We hired a 4-person pedal car and pedalled our way around the perimeter - the most exercise I've done for three years - then headed to the on-site zoo where we saw scary bears, cute capybara, majestic peacocks, mountain lions prowling malevolently, prickly porcupine, plus a petting zoo full of goats which the children enjoyed stroking and feeding.  

On the way back, we stopped for sumptuous frozen yoghurt at a self-service place where you build then devour your own unique frozen yoghurt sculpture using every conceivable frozen yoghurt flavour then toppings raising from blueberries to chocolate caramels to chunky watermelon sweets.

After dinner and a dog-walk, variously walking - myself, my sister and the dog - cycling - my niece - and roller-blading - my brother-in-law and nephew - it was time for bed.