I'm sitting in the KrisFlyer lounge at Changi airport after the first leg of my flight to London. It's been an ultra smooth journey so far. You see, when I booked the flights there was a sale and I decided to treat myself to business class. And what a difference it makes. But I'm getting ahead of myself. 

I was up early after a restless sleep last night. Em and Ash stayed at my place last night so I had my breakfast on the balcony as the light started to come up so I didn't disturb them too much. The taxi was early but it meant I got to the airport and through customs quickly.

We boarded on time. I'm not sure about the rest of the plane but business class was only about 1/4 full. I had no one else in my row at all. I promised Anna I would provide all the details of the flight, so here goes.

The seat was super comfortable. 

More leg room than you could ever wish for. 

We got a pack with slippers, socks and an eye mask but I didn't bother taking a picture (sorry Anna).  

The chair was electronically controlled - once I worked it out! 

After a glass or two of champagne I started by watching The Lady in the Van. Great movie. Then it was time for lunch. 

The menu. 

Delicious. 

This was SO good! 

The Brie was the best.  

As lovely as the meal and service was, I little part of me almost missed the fun of discovering the usual tray of compartmentalised, and sometimes ambiguous, items. Not complaining though.  

Shortly after lunch we crossed the WA coast and left Australia.  

Shortly after passing over the coast I noticed at least 22 tankers of some type anchored off shore. They looked odd all grouped together but then I noticed many more around Indonesia and Singapore.  

I was feeling tired (from doing nothing) so I reclined and listed to music for most of the rest of the trip. The flying conditions were perfect with a very smooth flight. 

An hour before landing it was time for more food. I didn't need it but how could I refuse. 

Smoked turkey focaccia with sweet potato chips. 

After landing, I spent a little time wandering around the terminal getting my bearings. While I was syncing photos from my phone a couple wandered near. The lady had a selfie stick and was taking photos/video of herself in every imaginable direction and pose, including while sitting on an unattended buggy. It was hilarious to watch.

I'm going to hang around the lounge for a while and grab something to eat. It's 5:30pm now and my next flight isn't until 9:00am tomorrow. I've booked a room in the airport hotel to grab a bit of sleep then I'll come back to the lounge before my flight.

For the past few months I've subscribed to some London visitor sites on Facebook. The posts have been both tantalising and frustrating as I've been teased with activities I can't yet attend. Until today! I saw an advertisement for an open day at the London Transport Museum this coming weekend. And I will be there. All booked. Yay!

I was born in Dartford, England. We lived in Wilmington, 25 km south east of London.  My family moved to Australia just before I turned 7. And as soon as I arrived here I felt like an outsider. In time I would realise that my place of birth was only part of the reason. But at the time I reacted by discarding my English-ness. I did my best to lose my accent. I happily subscribed to the  local view of an irrelevant mother England. 

I had a casual interest to go back but it never materialised until 2010. And as soon as we arrived, as soon as I opened the curtains of the hotel on that first morning it felt like coming home.  The intensity of that feeling and the sadness when we left took me by surprise. Since then I have been slowly reacquainting myself with my homeland. Wondering what it means to be English. 

This trip will be my fourth time back to the UK. So far I've spent the most time in London, my favourite place in the world. But this time I've decided to venture further afield. To discover other parts of my homeland and hopefully connect with a broader dimension of the land that is in my blood. To explore my heritage.

Today is exactly the same number of days until my adventure begins as the number of days I'll be away - 38. Everything important is booked. I just have to wait it out now. Feeling excited!

After a year of not travelling I have decided to go overseas again. I'm heading back to Europe; specifically, to visit some Scandinavian cities and then to explore more of my native England.

I bought the long haul flight tickets 6 months ago when there was a sale on. But also, it meant I would commit to the trip too, which is always a good idea with me. Just recently I've been booking accommodation which has started to raise my excitement levels again. Now only 95 days to go.