Starting summer 2026

Summer is here again, and that means I am here in the Homeland for my summer holidays. Hoorah!

I opted for an early morning flight this time (it was the cheapest), which meant I arrived before lunchtime – unlike my normal dinnertime arrival. And that meant plenty of time to enjoy the day.

The extremely early flight time also meant a silly-o-clock departure from Castle Ryan. But thankfully, a neighbour offered (indeed, insisted) on providing transportation, so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. And that meant a more relaxed arrival at the airport in Edinburgh, which is always nice.

Part of the early departure, however, meant a bit of extra time at Heathrow. But I managed to snag a great sale on a new pair of travel headphones whilst I waited, so I entertained myself by learning all the groovy new features.

Once aboard the Heathrow to SeaTac flight, I had a minor glitch in as my in-seat entertainment wasn’t working and kept asking me to “please wait” when I tried to access the system. The lovely flight crew tried in vain to reset the screen to no avail. I was resigned to a telly-less flight, but there was an empty seat on the plane, so they moved me there. Still coach, but as an apology (not necessary), they brought me business-class champagne throughout the flight (so, appreciated).

So, my only real travel hiccup worked out in my favour. I love it when that happens!

My flight arrived a bit early, and I made my way out of the airport to meet Daddy, who greeted me with a hug and a Barqs root beer (it’s tradition). We then made our way to my sister’s house (where Dad is now staying full-time), and I indulged in a short nap – easier to do when arriving so early in the day.

Once up from my nap, I made my way out for a walk with my godson Cameron, where we scored a geocache in the marsh. It was in a fun 3D-printed pinecone container, and Cameron was the one who found it – so much joy on his end. And then in the evening, we all tucked into the traditional Taco Time dinner. After all, it’s tradition!

Oh! We also did some side-by-side taste-testing of proper American Smarties and the inferior British Smarties. (Cameron agrees with me that, in this instance, America wins.)

I am now well and truly exhausted and well and truly ready for bed. I’m also ready for a fabulous summer holiday, beginning with my annual summer road trip with Dad. Let’s go!