Scones? or Baking Powder Biscuits?

It was while Mother was over the mid-Atlantic that it actually hit her - she was going to London and what if I wasn't there? What if something delayed me and she was left standing jet-lagged and bewildered in some hallway at Heathrow? She wasn't certain what village we lived in.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/martin_hartland/6228401858/

We of course had no cell phones or computers, no Internet to make arrangements through, and no GPS or 'find my phone' to guide me to her exact location. So she uttered a sincere prayer and fell asleep watching Superman III. It was September, 1983.

She was treated with grace by the flight attendants and crew (British Airways is especially good at this) throughout her flight. There were movies. There were nice drinks and snacks. There were meals she tried to wake up for and failed. And in the end, a scone was gently placed on her tray table which she mistook for a cold baking powder biscuit. She briefly considered eating it, then declined. It was her first trip to the Land of scones, and she did not yet know the delights of jam and clotted cream.

           https://www.flickr.com/photos/bibi/5915251114/

At last it was time to land and de-board and go through Customs. Answer the list of questions by kind but slightly edgy agents. Then came baggage.

At long last, she joined the crowds of other jet-reduced passengers as they staggered down the ramp and out the 'chute'. 

And then to her immense relief, there I was at the end of that 'chute'. I remember now what my pretty mother was wearing that day, 31 years ago. A short red jacket, white shirt with blue polka dots, navy blue skirt, and black high heels! (Hmm.Travel has changed in the decades since). 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dichohecho/2545363497/

As soon as allowed, I dashed forward and claimed her. We made our way toward the exit and into the Tube. We boarded the train and at long last, fell into two seats facing each other. Our eyes were smiling.

It was our first step in the Big Plan - the trip to France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy. And all with a small blond girl of two, a stroller, two bags, a jumble of European money, and our prized Frommers 'Europe On Twenty Dollars a Day'. We believed the 'Twenty Dollars' part.

If I could just have a little word with that Mr. Frommer.


See you along the way!
the SconeLady



photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/martin_hartland/6228401858/">hartlandmartin</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bibi/5915251114/">Bibi</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dichohecho/2545363497/">dichohecho</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>