We were up and ready to leave in good time. Mum drove down to Reading in the morning and with her and Fi, we drove to Heathrow to drop off the hire car. I had been worrying about this for ages but actually it was all very simple and the roads quiet; we were soon in Terminal 3, where the check in also went quickly and smoothly. Sarah arrived at that point, and we repaired to a cafe for an hour or so, before strolling around until it was time for Emily and me to go through security. My rather too efficient emotional barriers came down and prevented me from feeling the pain of the separation. Sometimes I wish I could feel more, even when it hurts. I'm not sure how or when I developed this blocking mechanism. It was hard to get my head around how long it will be before I see them in the flesh again; Skype certainly helps but it's not the same. I mainly felt regret and guilt that Emily can't see her family for so long.
In the departure lounge, I felt a bit fraught as I had two bags and Emily to carry, there being no buggies available to use in the airport. I dashed around with her, buying supplies for the journey, and a new toy or two. Maybe it was all the activity and being constantly picked up and put down, but when we did sit for a moment she was sick all over monkey. He was already very stinky and in dire need of a good wash, so that didn't hep. She soon recovered, and was very pleased with her new toys - a motorised squid for the bath, and a model aeroplane.
I had to carry her a long way to the gate as the moving walkways were out of action. She did not want to walk herself, just kept stopping at every window to look at planes. Our flight was delayed more than half an hour as volcanic debris in the atmosphere, somewhere in Russia I think, meant they had to re-route. She played very happily with her toy plane, and we had a chase around a table, to the delight of some elderly Japanese waiting nearby.
On board, we had two seats in a row of four, with the one next to us unoccupied, as I'd hoped. Emily fell asleep on my shoulder just before take off. After the seat belt sign went out I managed to ease her off onto the two seats next to me, and she napped for an hour or so. Luckily she was asleep as they brought out the first meal, so I got to eat without fear of spillage. When she woke we watched some kids TV and walked round and round the aisles for what seemed an eternity. She resisted going off for a long sleep for ages. Just as I was getting to the end of my tether she finally dropped off, and slept for about three hours. She was moving around a lot so I had to stay awake in case she fell off onto the floor. Again, she was slumbering when they brought out a meal, so I got to eat that one too. She woke just as I was finishing, an hour out of Narita.
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