Unexpected Aeroplanes

It was a lovely day today.  The Swan Whisperer and I went skating first thing, and then he went off to work, and I did a bit of shopping.  It was too nice to go home. But while I was in Argos waiting for my item to be brought up, I checked my phone, and there was a text from the Daughter to say they were going to watch aeroplanes, and would I like to come too? 

So I texted back "Yes, please", and as soon as my shopping came, I went straight home, threw the makings of some stock into the slow cooker, and went out again.

To watch aeroplanes, you go to Cyprus DLR station, which is way out near Beckton.  Then you walk through the UEL campus and there are loads of benches facing the dock, just across from the London City Airport runway. 

What wind there was was from the east today, meaning that the planes took off from directly in front of us, but they landed nearer the terminal, and came half-way up the runway to turn round, so you did get a good view of them. 

The airport is much busier than it used to be, and planes were taking off or landing every few minutes.  You seemed to get a batch of planes taking off, and then a batch landing to fill the slots at the gates, and then another batch taking off. 

We bought rather disappointing filled baguettes in a local coffee shop - two between the four of us.  Boy Too seems much keener on food than his brother was at that age, and enjoyed the bread, although he wasn't given much, if any, of the filling.  The Boy and I shared a strawberry-banana smoothie, too.

After that, we went on watching planes for a bit, although the Boy was more interested in playing trains, and found the very loud engines of taking-off planes rather scary.  Then we went and found a loo, and took the DLR back to Canary Wharf to have a potter around there. 

It's a long, long time since the Daughter and I used to go there for a wander when she was little, and it's very easy to get lost there - I wanted to go to the big fountains, but we couldn't find them.  We did, however, find a M&S and bought ourselves ice-lollies - sadly, the Boy's fell off its stick before he'd finished "And I wanted to eat it all!" he sobbed.  Boy Too, who had been napping while we were travelling, enjoyed some of his mother's lolly, and we decided we might have to buy some fruit juice and make some lollies.

The Boy said he wanted to go home on the Underground - dull, but faster than the DLR, although he does love the DLR - and I decided I would do likewise.  And then I realised that there is a new way of going home from the days when I used to work in the area, and so I changed at Canada Water.  Luckily, there was a Clapham Junction-bound Overground due in 2 minutes when I got to the appropriate platform, and I am sure I got home faster than I would have done had I done the very long and stair-ridden change at London Bridge.  I must remember that next time I want to go to Stratford!