Random thoughts about travelling

1. I hate the airport "hurry up and wait" thing, particularly since there is never anywhere convenient to sit near the information boards.
2. Trying to crochet the Moth-Wing Shrug out of mohair in a hot climate was a mistake.  The mohair is far too sticky to be comfortable to crochet.  (The pattern is "OK", but does have some badly written bits.  Must check the errata.)  Gave up and went back to knitting my sock.
3. Nobody in security batted an eyelash at the sight of me carrying a crochet hook in my hand luggage, either in Heathrow or in Bahrain.
4. The "h" in Bahrain has a "kh" sound, like this Scottish "loch".
5. The main supermarket chains in Oman are Carrefour and LuLu's.  You can buy virtually everything in LuLu's including washing machines.  
6. Talking of LuLu's, I am severely tempted by a 10L stainless steel pressure cooker with a rocker top, which costs 27.5 OR (about £50).  If it has a trivet and can go up to 15lb pressure, it's coming home with me somehow.
7. The Muttrah Souk is neither as frenetic nor as crowded as the one in Cairo.  It is big, though, with a rabbit warren of lane-ways.  I'd be happy to wander around this one alone.
8. I can't barter for toffee.
9. All my life, my skin has been a battle of genetics between my red-headed father and my olive-skinned mother.  I either burn or tan - it is totally unpredictable which will occur.  Guess my dad's genetics is winning this time, although I am using sunscreen.
10. I have managed to come to a country beyond the reach of Tesco's mobile phone network.  I can receive calls, but not make them.  Never even occurred to me to check since my last phone was a pay-as-you-go with Virgin which operated everywhere I took it (France, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, Egypt, Malaysia, Singapore, Canada and America*).  Apparently, Tesco's phone deal with O2 only goes as far as Europe (they rent bandwidth from the O2 network; Virgin use T-mobile).  DH's phone is with Virgin and does work.
11. So much for scheduling a posting.  My last post was meant to be published last week, while we were leaving for Heathrow.  I had to publish it when I logged in today.

- Pam

* OK, it didn't work in North America but that was because my phone was too old to receive the signal not because the network didn't cover it.  I needed a tri-band phone and didn't have one.

A brief note before I run out the door....

Just in case you start wondering what has happened to me, I thought I'd tell you in advance.  We're going on holiday.  Tonight. For 10 days.  To Oman, about which I know vitually nothing. Don't think I'll have internet access but we'll be back on Saturday 31st March, when I hope to blog with pictures, etc.  Always assuming I don't get arrested for carrying dangerous implements like knitting needles and crochet hooks, that is.

Instead of knitting, I'm taking crochet on the plane.  Since we're going somewhere where it's 35C, I'm reverting to the old days when I'd crochet in summer because it was less uncomfortable with swollen fingers.  My plan is to crochet the Moth Wings Shrug from Interweave Crochet 2010.  In France last year, I bought two balls of a mohair-silk blend directly from the producer, at a market stall.  I'll put one of those in my handbag, together with a 2.25mm hook and a photocopy of the pattern and see what happens when I get to Security.

Cecil B-da-suitcase is almost packed.  It's got the essentials:  sock yarn, spare needles, multiple sizes of crochet hook (in case I can't get gauge with the 2.25mm), and another ball of the mohair-silk.  Oh, and clothes.  And toiletries. Still have to empty my handbag of my portable knitting kit (that'll go into Cecil, too).

See you in a fortnight.

- Pam