ON WAY TO THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE

OSLO AND HARD ROCK WITH MOOSE AND GUINNESS

I love early mornings when there is a damn good reason for it. Thursday 25th we parked the car and we were in ample time for a 7.55 flight from Alicante to Oslo with Norwegian Airlines.

It was all easy. Oslo Airport is modern, efficient, friendly, and remarkably clean.

Because we had a six-hour-stopover we travelled into central Oslo. Again all efficient, easy and a brief opportunity to see a Scandinavian city. Comfortably seated I watched the countryside slide by. Winter had left its mark with field edges holding patches of snow with grass starting to green-up after the cold blanket it had been under. Trees emerging too and showing leaves and buds.

The ever present graffiti brightened up the track side walls. I think it is better than plain concrete block walls. It is artistic! The painted farm buildings seemed to add neatness and colour. A smartness among the fields.

A small poetic offering.

graffiti summons
winter cold to blow away
for pansies smug faces

Oslo Central Train Station is a modern edifice juxtaposed with older style buildings. We walked, taking in our surroundings. It is a city that is on the move after the cold. Large circular metal bowls showed a bright mixture of blues and purples of the pansies. The tree lined squares were planted too in readiness to make the most of the summer. I was impressed. Many areas had granite sets as opposed to smooth slabs. They gave me no comfort as I like evenness underneath my feet. It's an age thing!

One goal was The Hard Rock Café. Only a brief lunch time interlude this time but enough to keep our record going as we are now into double figures for visits in different countries. We forewent the customary T as we have bought enough. But a pint of Guinness, as per the norm, for it is a Guinness everywhere I go. Because we are en route to Florida I tried to avoid a burger but then just had to go for their Moose one. Hmm. It was different. A heavier type of meat and not one I will order again.

Black Headed Gulls squabbled with Feral Pigeons and a House Sparrow chirped.
One Common Gull was spotted. In a field a Hooded Crow and no other hoody in sight! It's not the fashion here.

Another efficient journey back for our afternoon flight to Orlando International Airport and a nine hour flight to endure. Then the fun began. The Americans are a tad touchy about who they let in. You get quizzed. It’s as simple as that and then more. Preferentially selected for a swab or two. It is to sit and wait, answer the questions and a superficial swab across the IPad and my ‘carry-on’ too. All perfectly necessary, of course. They are ‘precious’ about their country.

It's a Boing 787 Dreamliner we are on. We have good leg room, but then people want to take a short cut across our feet. The bastards! I even had to ‘out persist’ a strange ‘lady’, in white jeans, white matching jacket and a red trilby style hat - straw and cheap, I think. She crossed over once into our space and then wanted, even insisted on doing it in reverse. She even lied by saying there was no other way around. There was. I played her game. You have to smile, inwardly of course.

As writers will tell you, there is no need to invent characters they are everywhere. Notes made and she could get included - the cow! Oh and just for future information this plane is cold, but you can buy a blanket for $5. What a scam. I worked away re-looking at previous poems and stories that needed a tweak or more. Why waste nineteen hours of traveling?

It is a long day, but all of it is within twenty-four hours. The other route is to fly in England and overnight in an hotel to fly the next day. That is more expensive and maybe justified?