AN ILL WIND...

The Icelandic volcanic ash cloud continues to wreak havoc with air travellers with no end in sight as to when flights might be resumed. Even when (if?) they do, it will take time for things to get back to `normal.`

But for me at least the ill wind is bringing some good news and some bad news. The bad news first. My eldest son, his wife and one of our grandaughters flew to Portugal about a week ago for a short break during the Easter school holidays. They`re still there! Mum and Dad have jobs to get back to and grandaughter is due back at school tomorrow morning. Our last contact with them revealed that they had re-booked their return flights with a different operater and held out some hope that they might get home on Tuesday, although that might prove optimistic. (I wonder if they mind the delay too much - after all, there are worse places to be stranded than the Algarve.)

The good news dawned on me this morning. I had an hour`s walk through the Kent orchards with Barney on what is a beautiful Spring day and the sound of silence from the absent aircraft was tangible. It really did seem quieter than usual and had a kind of eerie feeling about it. On our ramble which was away from the noise of traffic, there seemed to be just me, Barney, the occasional rabbit and only the birds in the sky above us. It was almost deafeningly peaceful and perhaps gave a glimpse of how it must have been before the invention of the motor car and aircraft. But for all of that, it will be a relief to have our family home again.