In the High Country

"The journey, of course, is not quite the destination. Not even for pilots. Still, we are lucky to live in an age in which many of us, on our busy way to wherever we are going, are given these hours in the high country, when lightness is lent to us, where the volume of our home is opened - 'journey', 'road', 'wing', 'water'; 'earth' and 'air', 'sky' and 'city' and 'night' - are made new. From aeroplanes we occasionally look up and are briefly held by the stars or firmament of blue. But mostly we look down, caught by the sudden gravity of what we've left, and by thoughts of reunion, drifting like clouds over the half-bright world."

(From my new book, Skyfaring, by Mark Vanhoenacker - loving it.)

Blip is of the wet and cold apron as we boarded in Birmingham, after quite a delay.

Feels wonderful to be back in Portugal (except for the ache of family left behind); spending the night in Faro, too tired to drive...