ENGLAND

PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMMA GAFFY

Melbourne > very brief stop-over at Dubai Airport > and finally, Manchester. The original plan was to land at Gatwick, but we were re-routed due to a drone issue. Sooooo long in the air, landing late at night was a saving grace - it meant we could get straight into a ‘normal’ routine/sleep pattern. We suffered no real jetlag, for the first time ever. Disclaimer: we flew Emirates business class. And it was worth every penny. I can never get truly comfortable on flights, especially long-haul. This is obvious, I know, for so many people. I truly envy people who can sleep on flights. Regardless of how tired I am, it just never happens. An hour into the flight, my hips and legs start aching (7.5/10) and if I can’t get my mind off the pain or the fact that I need to/should be sleeping, anxiety kicks in. For anyone who has epilepsy, you ‘ll understand how closely the onset of a seizure can resemble feelings of severe anxiety. It’s not good, especially on a plane.

So we saved up and bought business class flights for this trip. If you can do it, do it. I never thought I’d enjoy flying, until this experience. The flat bed allowed me sleep, actually sleep soundly, for roughly 6 hours. Melbourne to Dubai is a 14 hour flight, so 6 out of 14, is pretty decent. The rest of the time? Eating, watching movies/TV and drinking champagne. Yes, I know. The worst thing to do is have alcohol on a plane but sometimes, you give in. I’m not apologising.

Now, time to get on with the photos. The image above is beautiful Yorkshire. How lucky we were to stay in this amazing part of England. Family visits and this scenery. Couldn’t ask for anything more.