Now I know I'm in Japan

...found this wee gem on the room table:

Somewhere above the skies

...the sunset is fantastic!

(and, btw, the view is from the business class loo onboard SK983 CPH-NRT :)

When it rain, it pours!

We got "a bit" of rain (and hail for that matter):

View into the front garden

The gutters on the house couldn't cope -

I hadn't check the rain measurement thingy for the effects of recent showers - but I believe we could have received 20 mm or more in 10-15 minutes. There was a river down the driveway which gave us a temporary pond in the back garden

Oh dear!

Just a wee connectivity check

We'll be returning you to the normal (abysmally seldom) programming
shortly...
 
In the meantime, here's a picture of how Blå Sommer looked 5 years ago -
looking forward to getting this year's picture and pointing "we were
there!"
 
(See attached file: BlåSommer2004.jpg)

Posted via email from Ole's posterous

A summer and autumn of music

• July 5 - Katrine Madsen & Joakim Milder w/ strings


• July 9 - Sinne Eeg


• Sept 24 - Diana Krall


• Oct 8 - Fleetwood Mac

Hmmmm. Looking forward to it already :)

Hopefully not an exercise in futility

Mail posted to Flying Blue Customer Services 2009.06.12 10:15:

I have never yet been able to purchase an upgrade to business using miles.

Reasons given has been various -

- your class of ticket does not allow an upgrade

- being referred by phone to request at the desk in the airport

- being told at the airport that I should have made the request by phone

- being told "on international flights they generally do not do mileage upgrades to business class"

On NW36, DTW-AMS June 10, I was told that no more seats were available for mileage upgrades. On the flight, 6A seemed only occupied by a bunch of pillows and newspapers. If the seat was available, why do Flying Blue policies keep me from buying an upgrade?

I believed that frequent flyer programmes should increase frequent flyers' loyalty to the airline(s) in the programme. Shouldn't benefits promised in the programme actually be available?

When flying SAS, regardless of ticket class, generally I get one of two answers: "Sorry, business class is full" (fair answer) or the seat is mine and miles are taken from my account.

With this difference in customer service, I kindly ask why you believe that a frequent flyer with more than 100,000 miles in his account should continue feel loyal to Flying Blue?

I will post the text of this Email on my weblog as well as on the FlyerTalk website. I will of course also post any replies I receive from you.

Yours sincerely,

Ole Madsen; 2021 xxx xxx

Note: I originally had a more eloquent text containing more detailed examples but the Flying Blue Email form (which seems to be the only way of writing to Flying Blue) only allows 1,500 characters.

Teenagers socialising

So, now apparently the next wave of Queen Victorianisms are hitting the USA. Teenagers at schools all over the country are being hit with bans on hugging and any kind of "public display of affection". There's even an acronym for that, PDAs.

Here's a picture from a scouting summercamp of ours from two years ago - it's been deliberately chosen to scare the s**t out of American school leader:



They do that, you know, all by themselves. Whenever there's a break, they just huddle together in a bunch, girls and boys alike, any one usually touching no less than one other, often two or more.

All innocent, all about creating and confirming friendships. And you know what? When something happens that affect the group or one of them, they stand together like nothing you've ever seen. Helping, supporting, backing up. Because they know each other, trust each other, feel so comfortable about being together with each other.

I'm not even going to start the "they can have guns in your society but noyt hug?" discussion. But this is balarney. Get real!

Playing British Bulldog

Less than useful Public Address messages

The Stansted Express train that I am sitting in while writing this has a wee problem with its PA system. The message to the passengers at all stations was:

"Now approaching..."

Well, at least we know we were getting somewhere :)

Apple tree in full splendour

Inspired - or at least reminded - by the splendour of growth and flowering at Kew Gardens today, here is our own home spring wonder, the Belle de Boskop (if that is the correct spelling) apple tree in our back garden:

Makes me wonder if we're getting tree-tilting amouns of apples once more...