11-Aug-22

So it is now my first full day back in the UK. I have come over for a couple of things: to collect some more things I’ll need in Sweden, to see family & friends, to celebrate some birthdays, and to attend a wedding in the south of the country. All whilst working. So the next 7 days I’ll be near Liverpool, Leamington Spa and Hastings. As usual my weeks are never short of activity.

But for now I am back where I grew up for the remainder of the week in Formby, just north of Liverpool on the west coast of the England.

Getting here yesterday was a fun experience from Gothenburg. I first had to do some teams calls from the airport, something I actually quite enjoy doing. There is a sense of focus when in highly chaotic environments I am able to find, airports and train stations are often where I focus a lot.

My flight was with the famously brilliant Ryanair direct to Manchester. In line with the reputation of both the airline and airport, my journey was not without issues. The initial flight was delayed nearly an hour. Then upon landing we sat on the plane waiting for the ground crew to realise we were there. Something I am aware is the hangover from COVID-19 and will lead to more expensive and less frequent air travel (something I am actually in favour of). However, I feel we should tax frequent flyers and reinvest that money in greener transport alternatives.

I am also hopeful my offsetting through Ryanair will actually go to a suitable plan i.e. planting the correct vegetation in the correct environment for the best rewinding and conservation.

After my plane journey I was then on to the UK train network in the north of England, something notoriously under-supported. Getting from Manchester airport to Liverpool took more time than I would take to get to London, which highlights the problem we have. Once I was in Liverpool I was on my last train, the Merseyrail back to Formby. A train I spent a lot of my childhood and uni years travelling on. Even my bag colour coordinated with the trains.

Once I was home, greeted by my family and unpacked, I was able to enjoy a run through what is possibly my favourite location in the world, definitely one of, as it is where I grew up. The pinewoods, sand dunes and beach in Formby is one of my happy places, and the sunset on the trees really took all stress of the day away.