Volcanic Ash

If ever I were tempted to write about our own, entirely trivial, trials and tribulations on our journey home from Dubai to Paris, any such temptation has vanished without trace in the light of the misery facing travellers in the wake of the volcanic eruption in Iceland. On the contrary, we can count ourselves very lucky indeed to have escaped virtually unscathed.

It cannot make life any easier for those stranded in airports and elsewhere to realise that there is no scapegoat, no person or thing they can legitimately vent their ire against. In most catastrophes, whether natural or human, there is always someone or something one can single out for blame: shoddy building, poor defences, slow rescue, weak coordination, etc. But quite clearly this is not the case here. EVERYONE SUFFERS: the travellers themselves of course, the airlines which will be millions if not more out of pocket - everyone, that is, except John Cleese who treated himself to a $5000 taxi ride home!