The Slough of Despond
The winter sunshine is bright enough to force a permanent squint, even with my sunglasses on. A perfect day to go flying I thought but at the same time, I wondered how the grass runway at Maypole had stood up to a week's rain.
The answer is that it hasn't, as I discovered as I sank up to the tops of my boots in muddy water. One other optimistic pilot had taken off this morning but the marsh-like conditions leave very little room for error and the last thing I want is to find myself diving into a swamp when I should be climbing into the air.
I'm going to have to wait until it dries out, which could be weeks at this time of year. Meanwhile, several small helicopters from Manston are flitting around in the sunshine overhead;like large dragonflies, rubbing-in the fact that I'm grounded until the end of the rainy season here in Kent.
I hate helicopters.
A Short Guide to Collecting your Iranian Travel Visa in London
After two visits to the Iranian consulate in London's Kensington, I was asked if I might share my experience, so that others might be more prepared than me.
So here's a quick 'cheat-sheet' for fellow tourists and business travelers. I was behind Sky's foreign correspondent and like me, he was equally baffled.
Firstly it's highly disorganised from a European perspective, so be prepared for a very hot and long wait. It's a small room for the numbers of people involved on any one day and very overcrowded and over-heated; temperature and emotions both.
1) Arrive at least 30 minutes before the 2 pm start (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) to join the long queue in the street where they will give you a ticket number.
Do make sure, unlike me, that the day you choose is not a national Iranian holiday, one that you may not know about and indeed may not be published or you will be disappointed to find the visa section closed. Don't expect anyone official to he…
So here's a quick 'cheat-sheet' for fellow tourists and business travelers. I was behind Sky's foreign correspondent and like me, he was equally baffled.
Firstly it's highly disorganised from a European perspective, so be prepared for a very hot and long wait. It's a small room for the numbers of people involved on any one day and very overcrowded and over-heated; temperature and emotions both.
1) Arrive at least 30 minutes before the 2 pm start (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) to join the long queue in the street where they will give you a ticket number.
Do make sure, unlike me, that the day you choose is not a national Iranian holiday, one that you may not know about and indeed may not be published or you will be disappointed to find the visa section closed. Don't expect anyone official to he…
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