So good ...

...to be back home again, even if I am missing my big sister, Mr Ebb and the Wee Guy dreadfully. They are off skiing on Grouse at the moment, so I can't even phone them for a chat. Although if the jet lag works its magic, I may well still be awake by the time they get home!! You would think after 22 hours travelling I would be sleepy by now?

The journey home was fine, or as fine as leaving family behind on the wrong side of the departures gate can ever be. The Air Canada flight left on time, even if they did charge me excess baggage for no good reason (grr) and arrived in Heathrow on time. I managed about 4 hours sleep on the plane and, apart from a bad case of restless legs as I was trying to drop off, it was all very comfortable. I managed to navigate my way through Flight Connections without mishap this year too (last time I got lost and went round about 3 times before finding the way out!) to get me from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1 at Heathrow.

But then disaster struck! Well, not quite disaster but certainly delay. Everyone doing the snow dance for me must have got their steps muddled I think. Instead of dumping huge amounts of snow at Heathrow and therefore preventing my departure from Canada, the weather gods diverted the snow to Edinburgh, delaying my arrival back home by about 4 hours. And also messing up my carefully crafted transfer arrangements from Edinburgh Airport back to Stirling. So instead, I managed to get another couple of 'first' experiences under my belt - a taxi transfer home from the airport (ouch, expensivo!) and arriving at an airport and not being met by anyone. I wouldn't recommend either experience to be honest!

While at Heathrow for my additional 4 hours I whiled away the time on my Netbook, chatting to a fellow delayed traveller and knitting (yes, the dreaded Moebius cowl in its second incarnation - looking much more promising this time). I did NOT - contrary to many friends' text suggestions - go shopping for shoes. Honest!

And now I'm back home - to a lovely warm flat, with running water. And 4 inches of snow. So, what was the first thing I did after I'd dumped the bags and cleared the snow from the steps? Built a snowman of course. A mini one, admittedly, but a snow man all the same!

As one of my other texts commented this afternoon, welcome back to the new year in Scotland - looks pretty much like the old year did when I left. Back to the familiar sites of a snow covered car with no easy possibility of driving off any time soon. And also back to the familiar welcoming sight just inside the front door - snowy boots drying off! There is, after all, comfort in familar things. And I do like the snow!!

PS Still missing you big sis xxx