Thank you Iceland !

Not the freezer centre or the banks...The Volcano.

Alright, I will admit I am not standing in a queue
waiting to fly off to a business meeting or
with my wife and kids, watching our holiday
shrink as we hang around the airport.

So why am I grateful?
The absolute stillness and empty sky.
For the first time that I can remember there is not an
aircraft in sight, not a cloud either,  Clear Blue Sky.

Where we live, is not on the approach run for any of the
English airports, and we see very few civil aircraft.

Those that we do are thousands of feet up in the air.
( Notice I say feet and not meters. !)

The usual overflying is done by military aircraft.
Spectacular though it is, and I have to tell you , I am so grateful that they are "ours".

There are time when they sneak up over the hill at warp factor speeds and roar over your head.

Roar is the only way to describe the terrifying noise they make.
Sheep abort, Children scream and old men need to change their trousers.

The total opposite of that is the heavy transport aircraft that go past so slowly, you wonder how they stay in the air.

Often it is possible to hear one coming and have time to finish your tea, put your boots on and stand outside the house waiting for it to go passed,

All that has stopped,  well for a while at least.  Also as the sky is blue, could there be a connection between vapour trails and rain?

Back to normal now, and people are getting home from the far away places,  spending thousands of pounds on taxis. Hire cares and other ridiculous fares,

I suppose if I was stucck in a bleak cold place, I would do my best to leave, on the other hand if the sun was shining and the beach was soft, The Sarong would go back on and I would be happy to chill until the rush was over.

One slightly bizarre situation arose when the Royal Navy were used to ferry troops returning from Afghanistan, and while they were about it, collected civilians who were stranded.

Returned home to cheers and scenes reminicent of the Ark coming back from the Falklands.  They troops certainly deserved a cheers, the tourists, perhaps not.

Wonder what will happen if the big one blows.  think the Sarongs will go back in the drawer and the thick long johns will come back into fashion .

Time for a espresso and a ginger nut.