Booked the tickets to Ireland a couple of months ago and promptly forgot what day we were leaving.
Assumed it was Wednesday night and so had planned three final sessions with Vlad and the squad this week.
A not so veiled barb from the wife, Madame Muppet on the Sunday night, and so checked the tickets.
Flying out Tuesday night.
Good job the barb struck home or it would have been a miserable Wednesday night for father and son at Sydney airport.
So.
Three days work to pack into two.
Only time to do the squad at 6am on Monday morning and that is that…Sydney training over.
Next stop leaping off the platform at Blackrock in Salthill into the north Atlantic.
Sitting in the airport at KL now after a pleasant enough flight with Malaysian Airlines from Sydney.
About eight hours.
Total flight time to Dublin is a cruisey 36 hours – SM doesn’t sleep much on planes so it will be the red, blurry eyes of vampire man stepping off the plane in the Emerald Isle.
Packed everything in a half hour yesterday evening for the mad dash out to the airport, driven by Madame Muppet, seeing off her boys.
18 year old son Rory looking forward to being pampered by his grandparents.
His mother insisted he do a first aid course in preparation for his role in the support boat for the swim across the bay.
That he could tie a tourniquet in case of beasts and/or check for hypothermia generated dementia.
Long queue at the airport but the lovely Stacey at check-in took the sting out of it and she chaperoned the luggage off to be seen again in Dublin.
Hopefully.
Madame Muppet kept a brave face and didn’t howl when we finally parted and the two boys walked through the departure gates to customs.
Another lovely, this time a bright eyed customs officer lady by the name of McFadden, cheered us on our way.
Quick stop at dutyfree to buy stuff we don’t need.
Almost bought an SLR camera but must confess don’t know one end of one from another.
“eenie meanie mynie moo” is a good muppet strategy for buying a camera but resisted the urge.
Crab walking through business class with the hand luggage, Rory remarks ruefully on how nice it would be.
Through the curtains in steerage and it’s as packed out city with all and sundry clambering over each other fighting for luggage space in the overheads.
Ever notice how the denizens of business class seem to look away with a slightly sheepish look as the great unwashed trundle past to the back of the plane?
In steerage, you get the direct eyeball to eyeball look right back.
Entertainment system working well, seats not bad, staff friendly, food good.
In no time at all, sitting here in KL airport for the next six hours waiting for the connection to Heathrow.
Monday’s squad was great.
After feeling very ordinary all last week, culminating in the debacle at Bondi on Saturday, felt strong and fresh in the water.
Warm up set, then drill sets, then 25m sprints, bit of work with the pull buoy and the main set of 4 x 50/ 4 x 100/2 x 200/1 x 400 and then repeat.
Total 4.25km.
Last set Dr Jim leading, Anna D second, followed by the muppet. Jai next but is fatigued after the big swim on Saturday.
Touch of rivalry kicks in for the last 400 and Anna and SM both attack Dr Jim on the final 50, on either side of him.
Bit of a laugh.
Breakfast of champions afterwards across the road with Anna and Justin, pondered, amongst other things, why we do the swimming thing.
Nobody could quite come up with an answer for that one.
Now – time to wake up the boy and go hunting for some Malaysian breakfast.
surfmuppet 
Good luck mate, look forward to hearing all about your gallant quest on your successful rerun
Dean Summers
ITF National Coordinator
0419934648