I hope to add a bit more, but here is the return trip. I spent Sunday with Al and Alice heaving boards and the like and closing up the store. Very tired. We ate at the Mexican again and had a couple of beers, by which time (09:00) I was only fit for bed. I got up fairly early, but not early enough. Filled the tank at The Smoke Shop/Shell. Took me all the way back to Sacramento.  I was quite tired already. Near Truckee I had to come off the road and sleep for a few minutes. Filled up in Sacramento. The South Asian garage attendant had a brother in Hounslow. 

I was late. By the time I got the car back and the transit to the terminal, it was less than half an hour before departure. Fortunately the flight was late. I had already checked in. They put me in the priority queue and I got to the gate before boarding time.

I had an aisle/bulkhead seat. There was someone sitting in it. I turfed him out to his seat. Next worry was the woman with child next to me. The staff asked if I minded if they put a basinet in front of me. I thought that was a type of seige engine, but it was a seat for the child which strapped to a shelf in front of me. It turned out OK. The child wasn’t ‘The Crying Baby’, that was several rows back, in fact this one was charming. She smiled at me from the start and held my finger. Only 11 months. Mother from Congo. Very peaceful to watch sleeping. Despite exhaustion and being plied with wine, it took me a while to sleep. I tried one of the pills again. No obvious difference.

Back at LHR, I don’t remember much. I caught the bus home and slept most of the way. Straight to bed, but it took me days to get enough rest. Back to work on the 18th, but only in body.