Niamh arrives

[ailbhe]

Today is the day Niamh arrives for her Christmas holiday. Our first Christmas in our new house, and Niamh's first Christmas without either of her parents there. She seems to be looking forward to it :)

I started by getting a train to Bristol Temple Meads in plenty time for the bus to the airport, so that Niamh wouldn't have to wait around for me. That was fine; I got my Young Persons Railcard discount and headed off. As we pulle dinto Bristol, the woman opposite me said "Wow, look at the sky!" and so I looked. What I could see between the buildings (prefabs, warehouses, factories and garages, mostly) was spectacular.

It was easy to find the bus stop outside the station, and I met a lady going to Ireland for Christmas. "Going home for Christmas?" I asked her. "No," she said. "I've been in England 40 years and this is my home now." It's lovely to meet someone who says that; so many Irish people abroad seem to spend their time lamenting their exile.

When I reached the airport, I was early for Niamh's flight, so I bought a book (Witch Child, which is actually much better than the title suggests) and a Radio Times and a cup of tea and a croissant. The tea was ok, the croissant was awful.

Niamh's flight got later and later. I finished the book and bought a horrible sandwich. Everywhere in the airport closed at 7 pm (half an hour after her flight was due to arrive) and the check-in/arrivals hall was cold. Oh, and the only smoking section closed at 7 pm too. So it was cold, and boring, and badly lit. Never travel to Bristol airport. I ended up making notes of possible good telly in my Visor, and reading the adverts in the Radio Times.

Eventually, she landed. 90 minutes late. When she finally came through the gates, I almost ran to give her a welcoming hug, and we immediately went outside for coffee and cigarettes. I called Railtrack to find out about travelling home. If the bus was on time, we could get home for about 10:30. Otherwise it'd be after 1 am.

The bus was on time. We got home without much ado, and even the queue for taxis was quite short. Niamh said how lovely the house was as soon as she got in the door, and Rob made us tea and toasted sandwiches. Ahh, recovery!