Not dead yet
Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 16:30 I was touched to read an email that was sent to Forest this week:
Just anxious about Simon's well being because he hasn't posted since 23rd Sept. It is also party conference season when he usually finds something to say. Hope he isn't ill??
How nice that someone noticed - and cares!!
No, I'm not ill. The good (?) news is I'm alive and well but I've been otherwise engaged. For example:
Two weeks ago today I was at Heathrow boarding a flight to Chicago. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was fortunate enough to be travelling first class.
Believe me, I don't take this sort of thing lightly, especially as it was only the third time in my life I've turned left on a plane.
The first time was on my honeymoon in 1992 when I was tipped off that BA would upgrade newly weds if seats were available.
The second time was ten years ago, on a flight to Toronto, when I again benefitted from an upgrade.
All I can say is, it's the only way to travel. I've been on several long-haul flights in recent years – to and from Cape Town, San Francisco, Washington DC – and I really didn't want to do another.
This time, given acres of room to stretch out (not to mention several complimentary glasses of champagne and wine before and after take-off), the journey flew by (no pun intended).
So what of Chicago itself? Well, although I was there for five days the truth is I didn't see very much.
In spare moments I pottered around the local neighbourhood but most of the time I was either in meetings or eating and drinking in various bars and restaurants.
One bar even tweeted – with a credit – a photo I took of its impressive cuisine.
That said, it certainly wasn't a holiday because on top of a full business agenda the trip just happened to coincide with the introduction of the ban on smoking in cars with children in England and Wales.
Inevitably the media wanted Forest to comment so on the day the ban was introduced (October 1) I had to conduct a series of radio interviews from my hotel room.
The only problem was the time difference. Chicago is six hours behind the UK so 0800hrs GMT was 0200hrs CST (Central Standard Time).
Hence this schedule (in Chicago time):
1.38am – BBC Nottingham
2.10am – BBC Cumbria
2.47am – BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
3.10am – BBC Sussex
3.30am – BBC Three Counties
3.40am – BBC Suffolk
5.15am – BBC Devon
That last interview didn't happen because BBC Devon tried but failed to get through. I still had to stay up in anticipation of their call, though.
In fact I didn't get to bed at all that night or the next day because I then had to pack and travel to the airport for the return flight to London.
Seventy-two hours later I was in Manchester for the Conservative party conference. But that's another story.
Reader Comments (2)
Thanks for the update. I too had been a bit worried. Not the only one I'm sure.
Eternal optimist that I am, I just assumed that you'd taken yourself off for a well-deserved holiday for a couple of weeks and that you'd return in due course. Missed your posts nonetheless!