Well my bags are packed...

It took a long time and many creative excuses to delay the process (like sneaking out for a final dance on Monday...) but at last my bags are packed and the long awaited trip to Canada is underway.

Anybody who has been within about 50 metres of me in the last week may have had the opportunity to notice that I was just a little tense about going. The great thing about being on a plane is that whatever you or anybody else may WANT you to do - you are totally powerless to connect to the rest of the world. All there is left for you to do is to sit back, relax and have people bring you food and drink - not a bad deal really.

So, that is basically what I have been doing for the last 24 hours or so. Anything I have forgotten (and I have already discovered some things) is irrevocably left behind and all there is now is to let the holiday happen.

I am almost embarrassed to admit that we actually travelled business class on Delta for the Sydney LA leg - which meant a "pod" seat where I could lie flat with my own quilt and pillow and my own little vido screen, fabulous headphones and people practically beggin to give me more food... SOOO much more comfortable than the usual economy experience - but, will I ever be able to afford it again?

The rest of the day was more prosaic, LA to Minneapolis, Minneapolis to Toronto. Lots of waiting in queues - for Immigration and Customs, to get on and off the planes, to collect our luggage - and walking through kilometres of airport terminals.

Going from a Sydney Spring to a Toronto Autumn means almost no temperature change. There is a different quality of light here (more muted) and the trees are a little different (no eucalypts - more autumn colours) - but otherwise, Toronto could almost be Sydney... a city on the water, big expressways, tall builidings - just that everyone drives on the wrong side of the road.

Anyway - Wednesday has gone on for about30 hours by now - so I think it is time to say goodnight.