Lysander Lands

Garlic reporting in.

3.45am Friday (1 hour after I got to bed!).

Ginger turned up on time and eventually got the Lysander prop to start the engine. He used a rather unusual method with a large elastic band attached to his car. He murmured something about his boyhood and model planes.

Any way the engine started, I taxied down Broom Gardens, eventually realising that the road was too short for take off. Actually this was discovered when I pinned Roger – sorry Ginger, to a tree as he desperately tried to get me to turn the corner into Boghead Road. Hope he is ok. I think he was, because he gave me a wave – or was it a fist (?), as I dipped the wing, just missing the N and S garage forecourt.

Then it was up, up, and away, as I headed south towards Paris. I do not really know what happened next, but I seemed to miss my target. It was a nice clear morning but I ended up in Amsterdam, - probably just a slight cross wind. I had circled it 5 times looking for the Eiffel tower, and eventually decided I need to put her down to refuel.

For some reason the authorities appeared to get slightly upset when I parked the Lysander on their runway. It is really quite wee and should not have caused much problem where I parked it. They have several runways they could have used!

I had to make a rather rapid escape from several police men, and as a result of impounding of the Lysander, I reckoned that I was better off in a large Blue plane with the letters KLM on it, which presumably is back to front code for Macfarlane Loves Kigali. (certainly more than Curly Cowan and Horny)

My companion on the plane was working for an environmental charity in Glasgow. He gave me a detailed breakdown of the various methods of producing compost, and how to rip generators out of Glasgow tenement blocks. Facinating stuff! He like me has been working with Linda McTavish of Anniesland College. She seems to be into everything - wonder if she will be out here shortly!

We arrived at Entebbe in Uganda at 8.15pm, and at Kigali at 9.20pm. A really pleasant flight – I think I have had 5 meals – completely lost count.

I was coming though customs at Kigali when this tall guy comes up to me  - Hi Gary!  I could only recognize him vaguely, and certainly could not name him. Steven Bell, he said, you were my SU camp leader 30 years ago! For goodness sake. Is there no end to the people I am going to bump into out here. So we are arranging to meet for coffee in the Bourbon Café, to catch up.

Odette greeted me with another meal, and we chatted for a while about what my offspring are up to. I decided to avoid trying to explain their curling adventures – really too hard for people to understand when you are on the equator.

So hear I am blogging in Kigali, when Thursday I was playing the rink championship at Braehead - quite odd!

Hope Ginger is not still stuck to the tree - let him know I am in the UTC, and avoiding the spaghetti. He will be delighted to know I have his 'ensuite' room. Kabuga's rule!