Sunday, May 29, 2011
Bubbles
Scientist no 1 discovered how fascinating bubbles are to little children
The border collie has beautiful children; clever too
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Gym Ninja
Assume the Ninja position and then hope you don't give the cleaning staff heart failure when the doors open and they are confronted by a crouching wild-haired middle-aged woman.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
I've Googled it and everything
Nope. Not listed as missing. No juicy lack-of-payment scandal.
Sad little Air Angola jet someone has forgotten at OR Tambo. Still there as of last night.
Not a great shot but we were taxiing rather speedily at the time.
Not a great shot but we were taxiing rather speedily at the time.
Cape Town
I took a little walk around Cape Town yesterday morning to get some pictures before going to the conference. These are my favourites
Moonset over Signal Hill, the iPhone really doesn't do justice to the colours
View of the canal next to the CTICC, looking towards Customs House. The colours are clearer in the reflection
I wanted to get a clear shot of Table Mountain for Walter, since he's batty about it, so I took a walk into town.
I took this one near the railway station a few minutes later, around 7h45.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Still dark in Cape Town at 06h45
Just can't get used to how dark it is this late in the morning.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, May 19, 2011
It's still there
I finally took a (bad) photograph of the Air Angola 747 which was still at OR Tambo yesterday. I wonder if they know it's there?
It's the one facing away; riiiiiight at the back.
I know, I need a camera. Still looking.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
It's the one facing away; riiiiiight at the back.
I know, I need a camera. Still looking.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Yet another business trip
I'm sure everyone will be delighted to know that the Angola Airlines B747 is still parked at OR Tambo and yes, it still has all its engines. (Rumour has it ACSA is not above taking an engine in lieu of payment)
General note: there are no ATMs at OR Tambo terminal B once you've gone through security. No, I have no idea why not, particularly since you need cash for the budget airlines. There's also nowhere to buy a camera or a watch. I am still in need of both having "donated" my Tag somewhere in Lower Ditchfield or Melton Mowbray last year and only having the iPhone camera which you can't use in-flight. Obviously. You can however get your shoes polished, buy a full set of gym gear, cheap sunglasses and a collection of perfectly hideous overpriced coins.
Things didn't start well. 1Time introduced us to a new airport game that requires airlines to change the departure gate 3 times before finally announcing the flight will be delayed by an hour. Each new announcement should ideally direct your paying passengers to the other end of the airport. Extra points if they have to use stairs or out-of-order escalators. This is particularly useful for oversold flights as you can rely on losing at least 20% to asthma/heart/child attacks as they sprint to get there before the gates close.
By the time they finally started boarding I had found a seat with a view of the gate and didn't move until the last 2 passengers were ready to get on the bus. Yes, the bus. We had been demoted from the sophisticated tunnel-attached-to-the-aircraft boarding method of the 1st and 2nd gates to the ignominy of the sardines-jammed-into-a-jerking-bus drive across the apron of the 3rd and final gate. How humiliating.
The heavens opened on cue as the bus dropped us at the aircraft, rounding off the perfect pre-flight experience. I boarded from the back, avoiding the crush on the (open) stairs at the front and almost giving the ground crew heart failure by walking too close to the wing tip.
This particular replacement flight is a brand new MD80, piloted by a Yorkshireman (Capt Mike Shorock if I heard correctly) although the cabin attendant swears he's Irish. It's freshly painted (the aircraft, not the cabin attendant) in zebra stripes but then, bizarrely, has a shark grin. Im not sure about the carnivorous zebra look; seems to be missing something. Captain Shorock duly apologized for the delay and mentioned the original aircraft scheduled to take us to Cape Town was "literally nicked from under us" (I'm hoping he meant figuratively, but in Johannesburg it's not impossible) and he proceeded to open the throttle wide as we went around the corner onto runway. None of this namby-pamby lining up for us.
Because there's no ATM this side of security I have no cash on me, and no, they're sorry, they don't take cards, cheques, jewelry, buttons or almost-new picture frames in lieu of. No food or drink. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a free glass of water, for example, if they've delayed you for an hour after setting a new cross-terminal sprinting record. A large bottle of good red wine would be better, of course.
Tip; you definitely shouldn't play "Flying without wings" as the apron Muzak 1Time; it unnerves the survivors.
And I'll be late for pink drinks now.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
General note: there are no ATMs at OR Tambo terminal B once you've gone through security. No, I have no idea why not, particularly since you need cash for the budget airlines. There's also nowhere to buy a camera or a watch. I am still in need of both having "donated" my Tag somewhere in Lower Ditchfield or Melton Mowbray last year and only having the iPhone camera which you can't use in-flight. Obviously. You can however get your shoes polished, buy a full set of gym gear, cheap sunglasses and a collection of perfectly hideous overpriced coins.
Things didn't start well. 1Time introduced us to a new airport game that requires airlines to change the departure gate 3 times before finally announcing the flight will be delayed by an hour. Each new announcement should ideally direct your paying passengers to the other end of the airport. Extra points if they have to use stairs or out-of-order escalators. This is particularly useful for oversold flights as you can rely on losing at least 20% to asthma/heart/child attacks as they sprint to get there before the gates close.
By the time they finally started boarding I had found a seat with a view of the gate and didn't move until the last 2 passengers were ready to get on the bus. Yes, the bus. We had been demoted from the sophisticated tunnel-attached-to-the-aircraft boarding method of the 1st and 2nd gates to the ignominy of the sardines-jammed-into-a-jerking-bus drive across the apron of the 3rd and final gate. How humiliating.
The heavens opened on cue as the bus dropped us at the aircraft, rounding off the perfect pre-flight experience. I boarded from the back, avoiding the crush on the (open) stairs at the front and almost giving the ground crew heart failure by walking too close to the wing tip.
This particular replacement flight is a brand new MD80, piloted by a Yorkshireman (Capt Mike Shorock if I heard correctly) although the cabin attendant swears he's Irish. It's freshly painted (the aircraft, not the cabin attendant) in zebra stripes but then, bizarrely, has a shark grin. Im not sure about the carnivorous zebra look; seems to be missing something. Captain Shorock duly apologized for the delay and mentioned the original aircraft scheduled to take us to Cape Town was "literally nicked from under us" (I'm hoping he meant figuratively, but in Johannesburg it's not impossible) and he proceeded to open the throttle wide as we went around the corner onto runway. None of this namby-pamby lining up for us.
Because there's no ATM this side of security I have no cash on me, and no, they're sorry, they don't take cards, cheques, jewelry, buttons or almost-new picture frames in lieu of. No food or drink. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a free glass of water, for example, if they've delayed you for an hour after setting a new cross-terminal sprinting record. A large bottle of good red wine would be better, of course.
Tip; you definitely shouldn't play "Flying without wings" as the apron Muzak 1Time; it unnerves the survivors.
And I'll be late for pink drinks now.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:36,000 feet above the Groot Karroo
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