Same day as my age!

Made it back to the gym this morning!  "Ran" 1.7 miles (2.73km) on the elliptical machine, and did all the other weight-training exercises, while listening to my incredibly long but rather thrilling audio-book.  It was -11C when we left the house - woo hoo!

Did I mention how much I enjoy flying?  It wasn't always so, particularly after an awful flight from Madrid to Chicago where our hostesses were on loan from the Spanish Inquisition. 

One awful flight between Cape Town and Joburg we experienced the most terrible turbulence, when it felt as though the plane had just plummeted about a km towards the earth!  Matthew was sitting next to me and reassured me saying, "It's fine Mom, it's just like a roller-coaster!"  Which did not make me feel much better, loathing roller-coasters as I do.  But he was so sweet, because the next big bump he looked at me quizzically and then held my hand through the rest of the flight.  I think his hand was squeezed to a pulp by the time we landed.

Of course we have all dreamed of flying, and throughout history people have tried all kinds of weird and wonderful designs in order to move through the air like a bird does.

 

 

Perhaps it would be easier to fly if our skeletons looked like this beautiful fruitbat's.

 
But I got my flight mojo back, and so today here is a poem I wrote after flying to Washington D.C. last October with Tim.

Ode to Flying

Oh Goddess of aeroplanes
Sleek dragon
Thank you for taking us up
So fast off the ground,
where we could see the little houses
grow smaller and smaller
until the mountains were just lines of light
and shade.
As we floated serenely through the high sky.

And thanks for the fat little sun-tipped cumulus
Hurtling toward us
then airily parting for our slick craft.
We sailed over an ocean of cloud
for a time.
Until green and golden fields of farms
And long and winding roads.
Also glittering lakes, snaking rivers.
And the lovely thrill of banking
Like the tilt of a frigate-bird.

And I am grateful for the descent,
As baseball pitches, schools, houses
magnified again,
And the plane glimpsed the angled runway.
With delight I watched your fleet shadow
swift beside us, gliding,
saw your tender claws reach down
in motion with our landing gear
Guiding our touchdown,
And all the beautiful momentum
Suddenly pulled back
Slowed
Stopped.
And with a light kiss of the wing
You left us
Elated, grateful,
And back on the ground.