Monday Musings

Last Friday saw the 40th anniversary of the maiden flight, with paying passengers, of Concorde. The British Airways flight from Heathrow to Bahrain on the 21st Jan 1976 was undertaken by G-BOAA. This anniversary got me reminiscing about my ambitions as a child.
Back in those days I had only 3 things I really wanted to do in my life. I suppose today it would be called a bucket list. Those three things were to fly on a Concorde, sail on the QE2 and overnight on the Orient Express. Yes, as a child I was attracted to luxury.
Fast forward to me here in my 5th decade and what of my list have I achieved? Nada, nothing, nowt!
The QE2 which was launched the year I was born is retired, as is Concorde (2 years younger than me), I seem to see a theme developing here, and the Orient Express is way out of my league price wise.
I have however cruised on a number of beautiful ships with another cruise to look forward to next year. I have been on many trains and I have travelled the beautiful Inverness to Kyle line which has scenery to take your breath away. I have flown with a few airlines, mainly EasyJet, which have adequately served to get me from A to B.
So my bucket list from childhood is but a memory.
All is not lost completely though. I have a wonderful job which more than makes up for the disappointment of never having flown on a Concorde, I now work with one. And not just any one, I work with G-BOAA, the very Concorde which made that maiden flight 40 years ago. I have been on that aircraft now more times than I care to remember and I still marvel at what she and her sisters achieved in the realms of transatlantic flight. I delight in the faces of visitors whose jaws drop when they see her for the first time. And I never tire of seeing her sleek beauty each and every time I step into the hangar in which she is housed.