The Journey Begins

I now know what an archaeologist feels like as they unearth artefacts and then, painstakingly, study, record, measure and evaluate each exciting find. I have had the same experience trying to find a bag which will comply with the gnomic restrictions placed on those free, adventurous souls, who would fly the expansive skies with nothing more than mere cabin luggage with them.

I have unearthed backpack after backpack (why have I got so many? It’s not as if my rugged, outdoor lifestyle uses them up like used Hershey bar wrappers. [Image courtesy of Quentin Crisp – used by him in quite another context!] No, the real explanation is, they form a sub set of pseudo gadgets that I like to acquire. Each time a new bag surfaced, it was subjected to an immediate recording, like some sort of exotic sea creature, just before it was photographed with the proud capturer. That simile somehow got away from me in the last sentence, ironically, rather like a slippery fish. Enough.

The measurements 45x35x16 were the limits for egress to the cabin. None of my bags seemed to be comfortable within those limits, until it was pointed out to me that, given that we are only going to Dublin for about 60 hours, the bag would hardly be full to bursting and therefore . . . And so it’s sort of proved. It would be a callous security person indeed who would refuse such an unassertive bag as the one which I have finally chosen to wend its unobtrusive way to overhead storage. Though, come to think about it, security persons seem to attract adjectives of which, ‘callous’ would seem to be one of the more flattering epithets. We will see, as Mr Baldwin almost said.

It will be fascinating to see how they deal with the prohibition on soap, shaving foam, deodorant, after shave, toothpaste etc. Will there be over priced ‘lucky bags’ which can be purchased from money hoovering ‘duty free’ (surely they could be had by the trades descriptions lot for that designation?) shops? Anyone with imagination could make a fortune with the right consumer durables.

Just a phone call to tell me that the last person in our little quartet has arrived home. Quick bath and then off to Bristol.

Probably no blog until I return on Sunday night.

Bon voyage to us!