A SUNNY RETURN

'It's 97 degrees in Austin', announced the pilot as we landed this afternoon. That would be 36 degrees Celcius which is twenty more than the average I have been used to back in Ireland. Mostly what I look forward to is being able to wear tank tops again. What I am not looking forward to is my having to be away from him again as we resort to Skype for our daily interaction.

The return home was long and tiresome as I sat in my seat for hours on end. Though I had the extra legroom in Economy Plus, the seats are still not comfortable but such is the nature of travel. It is not meant to provide comfort rather it is the experience which matters.

Endless waiting is also part of the travel experience as we waited half an hour in the plane on the tarmac in Newark before we finally took off. Then waiting for the luggage to descend onto the luggage carousel before waiting for the shuttle van to take me home. The drive home from the airport took an hour an a half due to traffic and the woman driving having to take an alternate way into the opposite direction.

As the van drove up to the house, I noticed the more yellow than green in the front yard. The intense heat of the sun from the past few weeks of summer combined with the inefficient hose sprinkler the landlord installed made for an unpleasant lawn. The backyard was green and overgrown and leaves have fallen from one of the trees and were scattered about. A lawn person is needed to take care of the mess.

Once inside the house, I texted my boyfriend to let him know I had arrived. He was already home from work and ready for bed. After a quick shower, we talked on Skype and were sad as we realised we are once again on opposite sides of the world.