Thursday 2nd May
 Although we were had plenty of time before starting for Heathrow, we had decided earlier not venture far for a meal; so had a drink and decent meal in the hotel restaurant - once again only our second since breakfast.
 
After waiting as long as we dared for the worst of the peak underground traffic to disperse, we started our journey home. Around 6pm we wheeled our baggage a few 100m walk to Kings Cross St Pancras and caught the Piccadilli Underground line all the way to Heathrow Number 3 Terminal. This was six zone trip and took about 60min, arriving soon after 7pm. The tube was full at first, but the girls got seats; then Susan as we headed out of the CBD. I eventually was able to sit when the Piccadilli line ran on the surface out in the suburbs.

We checked in and waited the couple of hours for our boarding call. Once boarded, there must have been a traffic jam because our aircraft left the gate and we had to wait over an hour on the tarmac, before taking off. This shortened our ground time in Dubai to just over an hour.
 
We arrived at Dubai just after 9am and departed for the 14 hour leg to Sydney at 10.15am, flying through the day and night, arriving just after 6am. I was grateful for my noise cancelling earphones as my neighbour stayed awake all night watching American sitcoms and drinking coke.

We only had a short stop again, a couple of hours, enough time to stretch our legs and get a coffee; then it was the familiar three hour flight home. By the time we landed in Christchurch at 2.30pm, we had spent 24 of the last 28 hours in an aircraft.

Home, unpack and early to bed. 35 days of lifetime experience with the girls and family, and it was great to be home again.