Goodness, the journey back to Europe is long, very long. An hour to Auckland, 90 minutes there, 11 and a half hours to Hong Kong, two hours there, then 12 and a half hours to London, two and a half hours there, and finally an hour to Paris. We arrived an hour late in Paris, having sat on the tarmac in London for an hour waiting to take off, and I was horrified to find that my luggage did not arrive with me.

Actually the British Airways staff at CDG were very helpful and found that my luggage had been put on a later plane, which eventually arrived after midnight - not that I waited for it, I went home, as they said they would deliver it the next day, and eventually it turned up just before midday. I've got no idea why it was on a later plane, particularly given that we were so late leaving London, but I think it may have been something to do with the incredibly disorganised transfer desk at Terminal 5 - the woman there was distinctly odd. Actually the whole of Terminal 5, while new and beautiful, is incredibly disorganised, not nearly enough signs and so on. They have an army of customer service people to direct the lost, which is practically everyone. However they do have very nice showers, the best I found during the whole journey.

I'm so glad I made the journey in the convertible bed seats, it was much more comfortable for that length of time. I would have to have to sit up in little seats for such a long trip, I think all my joints would have fused, and think of the jetlag.... as it is, I was only a little sleepy yesterday and I woke up early this morning, but nothing serious.

By now, I am semi-organised, over the little jet lag, more or less unpacked, have food in the house etc. I'm not going to do a lot during the week, except pack for Cyprus, and catch up on the stitching. I did very little while I was away, as my sister's house simply does not have the right sort of light, I had to sit in semi-dark a lot of the time. She doesn't stitch, or indeed do anything creative, so I expect it's not important for her. And she gets up at 5:30am to go to work - I guess they do start earlier, 7:30am, but I don't think I could do this. Getting up at 7:30am is my earliest, I think. Of course she gets home really early too, before 5pm, so it is completely different hours.