Anyone who knows me already knows that I don’t fly. Most people who have read my posts already know that I don’t fly. Some years ago, Veronica and Paul, along with my grand daughter and her boyfriend, were flying to Las Vegas to renew their vows in front of ‘Elvis’ and invited me to go with them, all expenses paid.

Now, I would dearly love to see my daughter renew her vows and I always appreciate being with my granddaughter. I would quite like to see Las Vegas, though it’s nowhere on my bucket list – I have seen Reno, after all. I thought, seriously, of accepting, then said NO WAY! Even if we got there safely, I would have had to get on another plane to get home! I would have spent days before each flight worrying about it. And I hate being stressed by things I don’t have to do!

About 20 years ago I felt very sorry for Julian (my husband) who loves flying but whose holidays had been limited by my refusal to fly, to places we can go to in the car or on a train. I decided to be brave. I told him I would fly to Italy. We went and I loved seeing Florence, Siena and Pisa but, all the way there I clutched my St Christopher medal and prayed – those who know me also know that I am somewhere between an agnostic and an atheist, and nearer the latter than the former. I had to pee half way through the flight but was too scared to stand up and walk through the plane in case I caused it to be unbalanced! I was really desperate for a pee by the time we landed and disembarked! On the way back, I very nearly decided to let Julian go home on his own while I took the train but, the trains were on strike that day.

Yes, I got home safely. Did that mean I would try it again? NO! and, no, I won’t drink enough to make me not nervous nor will I take pills! There is NOTHING I or anyone else could do to change my mind! So, I’m stuck here in a country I love, in the house that I love, with people and animals and things reasonably nearby whom I love, for the rest of my life!