Christchurch bound
So here we are in Christchurch.
Brendon dropped us off at the airport yesterday. The children were very excited. I was battling through a cold.
We had about an hour and a half to fill in at the airport, which was easily done. We watched the planes and airport trucks. We visited the toilets. We watched the Telecom man fix a phone. We went through security and watched our pilots board the plane. Then it was our turn!
Isabelle and Aidan handed the flight attendants their tickets and the four of us boarded. Isabelle got on first, thus claiming the window seat for her own. Aidan, bitterly disappointed, started crying. However, he was easily calmed with the promise of the window seat on the way home and a choice between aisle or centre. He chose the centre, and we buckled ourselves in.
We sat on the tarmac for a wee while. "Are we in the air?" asked Aidan. I was able to tell him, no, not yet, but he would definitely know when we were! Eventually, the plane taxied out to the runway and with a whoosh and a zoom we were off.
The plane climbed quickly and bumped around as the Wellington wind made its presence felt. The children enjoyed the turbulence and read their inflight magazines. Aidan waited eagerly for a biscuit, despite me telling him that no, they don't do biscuits any more but we will get some water. The expectation of food was not helped by people around us ordering food off the pay-as-you-go inflight menu! I reassured Aidan that there would be something to eat at Grandma's.
The water came around. I really should have seen it coming....Aidan's water was quickly overturned onto his trousers, soaking the seat, his pants and undies. And of course, this was the one time I didn't have spare trousers in my backpack....
Kind people behind us held Orla while I removed Aidan's trousers, dabbed at him with a cloth flat nappy and mopped the water off his seat. Aidan wanted to take his undies off, but that was vetoed. Then he decided that now was the perfect time to go to the toilet. So, off we went.
The flap-flap-flapping of the toilet chute was so interesting that Aidan was unable to produce anything. So, with me getting slightly anxious that our descent was about to commence, I washed our hands and hurried us back to our seats. Isabelle gleefully pointed out on our return that (much to the amusement of the people behind us holding Orla), Aidan's boy bits were poking out of his undies (which meant that everyone from the front of the plane to our seat would have had a good eyeful as we made our way back!)
While we were in the toilet, Isabelle informed us that the lollies had been passed around. I managed to get the purser to bring some more for Aidan to hold off the howls of outrage that would have otherwise ensued.
We began our descent, with Orla safely back in my arms and Isabelle and Aidan back in their seats (Aidan sans trousers). Aidan only took his seatbelt off twice, but agreed to it being done up again immediately. "Are we on the ground?" asked Aidan. Again, I assured him that he was most unlikely to miss us landing.
We landed relatively smoothly, the vast runway providing a contrast to the short Wellington equivalent, with its perilous drop off into the sea at both ends.
When we left the plane, Aidan's trouserless departure led to much merriment amongst the waiting ground crew. Grandad was waiting for us. We found fresh trousers for Aidan in his suitcase, and loaded up the car with our bags, fastened our car seats, buckled ourselves in and headed for home.
When we arrived at Grandma and Grandad's Aidan scanned the benches: "Is there any food at Grandma's?"
Brendon dropped us off at the airport yesterday. The children were very excited. I was battling through a cold.
We had about an hour and a half to fill in at the airport, which was easily done. We watched the planes and airport trucks. We visited the toilets. We watched the Telecom man fix a phone. We went through security and watched our pilots board the plane. Then it was our turn!
Isabelle and Aidan handed the flight attendants their tickets and the four of us boarded. Isabelle got on first, thus claiming the window seat for her own. Aidan, bitterly disappointed, started crying. However, he was easily calmed with the promise of the window seat on the way home and a choice between aisle or centre. He chose the centre, and we buckled ourselves in.
We sat on the tarmac for a wee while. "Are we in the air?" asked Aidan. I was able to tell him, no, not yet, but he would definitely know when we were! Eventually, the plane taxied out to the runway and with a whoosh and a zoom we were off.
The plane climbed quickly and bumped around as the Wellington wind made its presence felt. The children enjoyed the turbulence and read their inflight magazines. Aidan waited eagerly for a biscuit, despite me telling him that no, they don't do biscuits any more but we will get some water. The expectation of food was not helped by people around us ordering food off the pay-as-you-go inflight menu! I reassured Aidan that there would be something to eat at Grandma's.
The water came around. I really should have seen it coming....Aidan's water was quickly overturned onto his trousers, soaking the seat, his pants and undies. And of course, this was the one time I didn't have spare trousers in my backpack....
Kind people behind us held Orla while I removed Aidan's trousers, dabbed at him with a cloth flat nappy and mopped the water off his seat. Aidan wanted to take his undies off, but that was vetoed. Then he decided that now was the perfect time to go to the toilet. So, off we went.
The flap-flap-flapping of the toilet chute was so interesting that Aidan was unable to produce anything. So, with me getting slightly anxious that our descent was about to commence, I washed our hands and hurried us back to our seats. Isabelle gleefully pointed out on our return that (much to the amusement of the people behind us holding Orla), Aidan's boy bits were poking out of his undies (which meant that everyone from the front of the plane to our seat would have had a good eyeful as we made our way back!)
While we were in the toilet, Isabelle informed us that the lollies had been passed around. I managed to get the purser to bring some more for Aidan to hold off the howls of outrage that would have otherwise ensued.
We began our descent, with Orla safely back in my arms and Isabelle and Aidan back in their seats (Aidan sans trousers). Aidan only took his seatbelt off twice, but agreed to it being done up again immediately. "Are we on the ground?" asked Aidan. Again, I assured him that he was most unlikely to miss us landing.
We landed relatively smoothly, the vast runway providing a contrast to the short Wellington equivalent, with its perilous drop off into the sea at both ends.
When we left the plane, Aidan's trouserless departure led to much merriment amongst the waiting ground crew. Grandad was waiting for us. We found fresh trousers for Aidan in his suitcase, and loaded up the car with our bags, fastened our car seats, buckled ourselves in and headed for home.
When we arrived at Grandma and Grandad's Aidan scanned the benches: "Is there any food at Grandma's?"
posted by Mary at 10:50 am
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