25/11/25 Flying Solo Heathrow To Perth

It's ‘D” day, the day that a solo travelling life begins, and frankly it’s a bit sucky. 

I finally threw my clothes into ‘the sturdy one’, our faithful backpack from our last big trip, first thing this morning. I mixed up some suntan oil, ready for the hot Perth sunshine, and used my noodle and zipped them into a plastic leakproof bag … nobody wants an oil spillage in their holiday luggage. I had intended to take Morgi 2 lots of shampoo and two lots of conditioner. However I’d underestimated the weight and actual size of them, 4litres in total and in metal containers. I’m now taking one of each, because I’ve got to carry ‘the sturdy one’ and those bottles are blimin heavy. 

Cath and Rob arrived at 1400 to pick me and start me on my adventure.  Mildred, a set of new fold down crutches and my sturdy rucksack safely loaded in the car we hit the road. We did have to go back to the house as I had a melt down and couldn’t find the truck keys. They were in my bag and despite looking in every pocket I’d failed to locate them.  I promptly fell asleep which was a tad rude, so apologies for that Cath and Rob. However I did wake up when we got to Reading services. Nice sunset over the carpark which distracted from the motorway, 

In the services we headed for Burger King, a first for me, and as food goes not bad at all, I may go in again at some point. I inhaled my burger and instantly realised why Si and I had not frequented one  …. I'm a messy eater, and Si knew it!! We  warmed up with a nice costa coffee and used the loo on the way out. The sign on the back of the door had a toilet on it with the writing underneath ‘who is watching you poo’ …. Well I’m hoping that no one is watching me poo cos that’s more than a bit weird you freaks. I think I was ok as I did a quick scan of the cubicle and could see nothing that gave me further cause for alarm. Unfortunately for Cath I had to drag her into the cubicle to show her what it said hers didn’t have that on her door. Bless her.  Sorry Cath! 

We were only half an hour from the airport so we arrived in plenty of time. We went straight to the Malaysia Airlines check in desk,and got my bags and Mildred all tagged up and checked in before heading over to the special assistance. It was all very peopley in there and the relief when they came to collect me to take me away was huge. And no it wasn't the men in white coats which some would not be surprised at had that been the case. After an emotional farewell to Cath and Rob I was wheeled into the Qatar premium lounge to wait for the departure. As I was escorted in, we rolled past the Buffett counter which held some delicious looking desserts with my name all over them. However my wheeling assistant  clearly had other ideas of where I would be happiest and placed me in the a la carte dining lounge which was exceptional with subtle lighting, beautifully set tables, fresh flowers and where everyone spoke in hushed tones.

All simply breathtaking but the dessert menu was distinctly lacking. Just three flavours of ice cream, and no mint choc chip. My allocated waitress had left me to get comfortable so I made an escape to the buffet area to collect one of those mouthwatering desserts I'd clocked on the way in. I had a double stacked Burger King and chips not half an hour ago  and logically a dessert was all I required. So the counter was within sight and touching distance, when my waitress appeared from nowhere, spun me away from the buffet and wheeled me back into the dining room, I didn't even have a chance to smuggle an eton mess up my jumper! I wish I'd been able to understand what she was muttering under her breath, but I suspect it was along the lines of 'bloody peasants’… With a flourish of her wrist that Harry Potter would have been hard pushed to beat, my linen napkin was placed in my lap to trap me in place and prevent me escaping the dining area again. 

Champagne was offered which I obviously didn't refuse and I was handed a little block of wood with a QR code to scan to access the menu. My beady little eyes lit up… steak!!! So I decided why the heck not (yes I'm fully aware I've just had a double burger king meal, less of the judging already. Please remember I TRIED to get a little dessert but that plan was foiled by the muttering waitress). My steak dreams, like my dessert dreams, were savagely dashed when the muttering waitress told me it would take 35 minutes just to cook. I know I asked for medium to well done, but really? I can only think they had to go and find a cow and slice off a chunk of its arse before being able to cook it for me. So I had a bowl of soup and more champagne instead. The soup was really nice, not very steaky, more tomato and basily

After 3 more glasses of champagne I was collected for boarding ( approaching tiddly status) and my excitement was building for the jarmies. The business suite is an impressive little cocoon curtained off from the rest of the plane. It consists of  4 spacious cubicles with two toilets for our sole use. On the side table was a small bowl of pannacotta on a bed of pureed  dates and honey topped with honey soaked walnuts, and I was bought a glass of the airline signature drink which is a blend of hibiscus, roselle, lychee and longan bought to me on a linen covered silver tray. 

Shortly after that, our dedicated hostess came around with hot towels on a cute little plate and another drink. I was very disappointed to not see jarmies amongst the pile of bedding that was plastic wrapped on the foot stool in my cubicle, I could have cried. I actually did cry when the steward came by and asked me what size jarmies i would like, ( he actually used the word pyjamas) and I opted for big ones, I wanted to be very comfy, and he floated away and produced a set from a bottomless jarmie cupboard all wrapped up in a grey cotton bag tied with a ribbon.

I squirreled them away into one of the 4 storage lockers in the cubicle and found whilst doing so, the large complementary toiletry bag packed full of goodies including eye masks and socks. In the same locker were a large set of headphones, a bottle of water, a built-in shelf to place mobile phones on and all the sockets for charging electricals. I'd been taken to the aircraft door in Mildred and had  to take the back off her and cushion into the aircraft with me, which I stowed in the gigantic locker at the end of my bed. My hand luggage was stored in the overhead locker and they took my crutches behind the front curtain and told me to ring when I needed them.  

After take off, a small bowl of nuts, an extra packet of nuts, and a vodka and coke (my choice not enforced) was delivered to me along with the menu for my perusal and, It was at this exact moment I regretted my double burger king and the bowl of soup, but was extremely relieved that the steak from the lounge would have taken too long to cook! Still a bit miffed about the dessert situation… With my order taken, a wine list was left with me for me to choose what wine I wanted with my meal, I decided I'd stick with the champagne ( it felt wrong to have a glass of red with caviar and the champagne was already open so…).   Sensibly I kept hydrated by drinking the bottles of supplied water from the depths of the storage cupboards. 

The stewardess placed a white linen tablecloth on the table and bought out the condiments, placing them precisely on the table with the cutlery and side plates.

The Satay came first, there was a lot more of it than I expected and it was really good.

My table was cleared to make room for a basket of bread, the caviar, and the little accompanying dishes of parsley, onion sour cream and I think egg. The caviar was served in a small glass bowl on a bed of ice cubes with viola flower heads for decoration. I was bought my champagne once the caviar was served, but when it was topped up I was asked if I wanted a fresh glass, I didn't. The presentation was next level! I've never had caviar before but I have eaten frogspawn ( it was a dare) so I was expecting something similar, however, I can report that the caviar is nothing like frogspawn and actually rather pleasant, not as slimy as expected. The accompanying  melba toasts and blinis were lovely and I ate the lot, including the viola heads.

Next up was the Seared Chicken again presentation was beautiful as was the taste explosion in my mouth! I was getting a bit full by the time I’d got down to my last mouthful of seared chicken and I still had another two courses to go.

The Ayam Masak Ros was my main course selection, because I'd never had it before braised beef cheek and salmon are something ive eaten regularly so it seemed silly to have that when there were new foods to explore. It was huge, and another explosion of flavours sweet and spicy with lemon pilaf rice and mixed vegetables.  

Finally dessert, a salted caramel cake that tasted like a baked cheesecake on melted chocolate. OMG it was stunning.

And I was really really full and glad of my decision to have the xl jarmies to stuff my full belly into!  The large ones would have put a lot of pressure on my poor tummy with its enormous food baby !  I would have given the food experience a 10 out of ten …. If they had supplied gaviscon but since they didn't they dropped a mark, sorry guys. 

Once the last dish was cleared from the table,  I unpacked the little grey jersey bag. Getting out of my trousers with the button waist and into soft cwtchy stretchy jarmies was the ultimate in luxury, I also found slippers. As another hot towel had been bought around for  my face and hands, all that was left for me to do was clean my teeth and get settled in. While I was in the bathroom, which by airplane standards was huge, my bed was made up for me, and I came back to my cubicle to a mattress on the bed, a duvet folded back, and another drink waiting for me with a selection of cheese crackers and fruits.  Where on earth i was supposed to actually squeeze more food into i do not know but once i had rested up from the eating marathon i’d give it my best shot 

The movie selection was the usual but I decided on the Pink Panther, Si and have a box set DVD of the early Pink Panther films and Si especially loved them, and we'd be crying laughing at them. This was the Leslie Neilsen version and was all going well right up until the part of the film where he goes to interview the singer and asks “ is that booth soundproof” on being told yes it was he proceeded to go in and let rip the most enormous farts which were broadcast over the speakers into the recording studio. So this made me laugh, as I knew Si would have had tears running his face laughing at that particular bit, and been totally incapable of speech( if you know, you know!!!)  unfortunately the laughter turned to tears and wouldn't stop, as he should be here to share all this.  He would have loved all the food and enjoyed every morsel placed in front of him. I think I'm going to pass off the fact I ate so much as eating for two, because Si couldn't experience it with me. Ugly crying continued for a while until I fell asleep. When I woke a little while later, another wave hit me. I needed the bathroom and usually Si would help me out of the seat and to the loo, but this time I had to ring for assistance as I couldn't move, and had no sticks. The stewardess came to help me out,  was just simply lovely about it and utterly unphased by the whole situation, but it was shitty having to ask for help and I bloody hate it. (By the way i wanted to swear really badly there but i’m trying address my bilingual language skills that have erupted and got completely out of control since Si died)  I think she could see I was a donkey on the edge, because when I got back to my cubicle, on the side table next to the fruit and cheese and biscuits, was another glass of champagne, a bottle of water, a bar of chocolate, a bag of MandMs and two bags of nuts had appeared seemingly by magic…

I put some music on to go back to sleep, which turned out to be a schoolgirl error as a few songs came up that i could have seriously done without, particularly as I realised on the weekend how emotive and triggering it is for me as we spent most evenings listening to music in front of the fire. it's ok though, Don't you worry.  I stuffed all those emotions right back down with food to deal with later. Besides , I really didn’t want to waste those biscuits and cheese and all the other delightful goodies left for my consumption. A business suite is not the place for a full on melt down FFS. So I got out my now dog-eared  photo of Si, turned off the music and tried for sleep again, more successfully this time. 

What seemed like ten minutes later, I was woken by the stewardess for breakfast to be served. I was tempted to go and have a wash up but instead stayed in my jarmies like a slob and ate in them. 

Like dinner before it, breakfast was huge and consisted of three starters of smoothie, which I drank before I remembered to take a photo of it, yoghurt with fruit and granola and a plate of fresh fruits. For my main course I opted for scrambled eggs thinking it would be a lighter option, imagine my dismay when it came out as a full damn breakfast with toast, beans, sausage, spinach and tomato. The scrambled eggs were deliciously creamy and she apologised they were so pale!! I hadn't even started the basket of pastries and toast! I struggled to get through it all and had to admit defeat and didn't finish. The stewardess was concerned I didn't like it and offered to bring me another dish out, I had to explain that it was really full and there was no room left in my jarmies for my food baby to expand. I won't need to eat until Christmas 2026 at this rate! 

After breakfast was finished and cleared away I washed up and got dressed ready to disembark at Kuala Lumpur to wait for my connecting flight, making sure my jarmies were safely stowed in my hand luggage. I left the little bag and the slippers as I'm trying to cut down on my “stuff" at home, and whilst they would have been handy for something I'm sure, I still had to carry them!!

Throughout the whole flight, no one other than the stewardess came into the cabin, and I have to say I bloody loved that! The service was out of this world, and I was addressed as `Miss Claire’ throughout the whole flight which  was really nice. All in all the upgrade was worth every penny and if you get the opportunity to do it then grab it. Starve yourself for a few days beforehand and take Gaviscon because you'll need it! I'm so glad I did it, because I think I deserved the luxury and it's a memory I can treasure forever. It also served as a huge distraction for me as I navigated the first trip without Si.

I missed him desperately again when I was off the plane, I'd completely forgotten I'd stashed the back of the chair and my cushion in the locker in the cubicle. Thank goodness the stewardess was on the ball and did a search. Si always did all the cushion management, and did a final weep before we left the aircraft, but i need to remember to do it myself now! Ffs  I can barely remember my own name let alone think about all these other things ! 

I was wheeled off the airplane by an adorable little helper who took me to the gold lounge to wait for the connecting flight to Perth. When we arrived, she tried to take me in for breakfast in the dining room of the lounge. I almost cried, there was absolutely no room left in my tummy or my trousers for more food. Whilst I did feel a bit guilty because she looked so hurt she couldn't feed me again, I also knew that in about an hour, I'd be wheeled back onto another plane for the final stretch of the journey, which would include more food shortly after take off!  To appease her I requested being taken to the quiet lounge where they were serving coffee and tea and asked for a jasmine tea. When it came, they bought along  a plate of cookies too. I suspect they are all secret feeders!! I took a photo of the tea and biscuits, it was sheer habit because I used to take photos of our airport drinks, which were usually alcoholic, when we were on trips.  When I looked back at the photo, it really upset me. That single solitary little cup of jasmine tea and plate of cookies for 5 people was yet another reminder that Si isn’t here, that I am alone and he’s not here.. It looked desperately sad and lonely on the table in front of me.

So I ate all the biscuits to bury those feelings and squash the tears away. That will teach them to bring biscuits to a donkey on the edge! I never imagined that something as insignificant as a photo of a cup of tea could cause so much physical and emotional pain. I decided to roll away from that shit and take advantage of the other facilities on offer to me that didn’t involve food or drink. The lounge has stunning showers so I decided to kick the arse out of that particular perk and try to wash away some of the emotions that had raised their heads. I was presented with enormous white fluffy towels, a selection of every toiletry known to man and wheeled into a huge bathroom twice the size of ours at home. I had to ring the bell when I was done and would be collected and taken back to the lounge. The shower was lovely and hot as Hades, as Si would say and perked me up for the next much shorter 6 hour leg of the journey. 

My Golden Lounge experience in Kuala Lumpur airport was now over, and I was taken to board the plane to Perth. There was no Business Suite on this flight so I was in business class, which I was aware of. Whilst it was brilliant, a full flat bed, same bedding, there were no jarmies, and a lot more people. It also didn't afford the privacy of the suite. However I only wanted to be able to lie down flat so I was totally ok with it. The staff weren't quite so attentive on this flight, obviously there were a lot more people to deal with so they probably couldn't be, but they were really helpful nevertheless. As  soon as I was seated, which was right at the front of business class with a lot of leg room, another of the specialty drinks was bought around, but they rudely tried to collect it before I'd finished.

I had to neck it, very uncouth, and I was a bit put out as I'd been able to keep it in the suite. Anyway that's a minor thing, as soon as we were airborne, out came the drinks trolley and I decided I'd stick with my champagne rather than mix things up. To be fair it was never an empty glass the whole flight.

Dinner was Malaysian Satay,

followed by Teriyaki Tuna with noodles and salad. I didn't eat the tuna, as it wasn't cooked through and I dont think she would have been too chuffed if I'd sent it back and asked them to finish cooking it… the main dish was chicken rice with garlic and ginger chili sauce and salad. Delicious but I was waaaay too full for that! The dessert was coconut cheese cake with raspberry sauce.

Whilst all was served on china plates with proper cutlery and tiny condiments that were in glass pots, linen table cloths and napkins, it was very different to the suite experience, which has ruined me for air travel forever more i fear. On this flight the stewardess called me Mrs Leonard, a name I never travelled under when Si was alive. The reason being is a few months before we got married we'd been away, and Si, ever helpful bless him, threw the washing in the machine completely forgetting our passports were zipped into his trouser pockets … With such a short time to go before the wedding and having trips booked up prior to and after the wedding under the name of Morgan we had to get new passports immediately. After we got married as the passport was new, we decided it was a waste of money to change it to Leonard because it didn't matter, I was Mrs Leonard on everything else. We also had trips booked up constantly for a long time afterwards so there was no time or indeed a real need to change  it.  One of the first things I did after Si died was apply for a new passport. The old one is tucked in with his that had had the corner cut off , and it is now tucked away my safe of treasures. The photo is absolutely shocking on the new one, and it looks more like an arrest photo than anything else all that’s missing is the prisoner number underneath it, but i dont actually give a flying one about that, because all that matters to me is I'm now travelling with the name Si gave me, and it's something no one can ever take away from me. It was however a sneaky little sucker punch to be called it by the stewardess every time she addressed me, which was frequently. Pft, it's the little things that take me by surprise and give me wet cheeks. 

The flight being only 6 hours was over quickly and I was soon offloaded into another chair in another airport. I didn't have to collect my bags in Kuala Lumpur as they were put onto the connecting flight for me which was splendid and I'd been collected from  the door in Mildred on that occasion, but I was placed in an airport chair at Perth. All customs went smoothly and we breezed through it jumping the ques, the assistant was on his third day of the job and was from Glasgow and a lovely lad. We were chatting away as we bowled along, and all was good. The sturdy backpack was just coming around the carousel in front of us, he grabbed it and off we went through the final customs and checks. It was only when I got out of the security area and into the arrivals hall I  realised I had forgotten all about Mildred!! I was already a bit emotional, having managed to get myself across the other side of the world, wishing Si was with me, and hating that he wasnt , so fucking up and forgetting Mildred was the final straw and the tears came again in buckets. The poor boy pushing me was so lovely, although it took him a while to understand what I was on about, he had no idea who Mildred was and I was also incoherent. Once they'd calmed me down it was just a matter of them going back through to get her, no issue, no drama and the world hadn't ended, it just felt that way to me. Si would never have forgotten to collect poor Mildred off the carousel, that's just something I would do. Once I'd been transferred to Mildred they pushed me out to the taxi rank and loaded me and all my belongings in, and I was on  the stretch of this particular journey to the hotel. 

I'd already checked in online so there was nothing to do on my arrival except pick up the keys , and get into the room. The receptionist was super helpful and showed me how everything worked. Once I was left to my own devices, I filled the kettle and made a brew , because when life goes to rat shit or threatens to overwhelm, tea solves everything. Waiting for the kettle I noticed the carpet, well I actually noticed it as soon as I entered the hotel. It was kind of hard to ignore the red, orange, brown and cream retro circles. What I hadn't expected is it to be in every single room in the hotel as well as the corridors. I do however love it,!!!! Although I wonder if it is going to affect my sleep! 

So that's that leg of the trip completed and I did it, I flew to the other side of the world with my Trusty steed Mildred and although I forgot her at the final hurdle we made it. It’s not the first time I’ve travelled solo, and it’s not the first time I’ve flown to the other side of the world with Mildred. It is the first time I’ve done it since Si died. It has once again hammered home how much he did for me, how much he looked after me and how much I came to depend on him after years of having no one but myself to rely on.  He knew me better than I knew myself, he chose to ignore my  ‘I can do anything by myself Thankyou very much attitude’ not because he wanted to disempower or control me, but because he wanted to look after me.  He carried on quietly doing everything he did without making a fuss or  broadcasting it from the rooftops because he wanted to shoulder the burden of my health and wellbeing because he loved me and wanted to make life as easy as possible for me.  I wish he could see that I managed to get here, admittedly with a lot of help from my friends.  I wish he could have enjoyed that Business Suite experience with me, he would have loved every second of it. I wish he’d have been here to see the carpet in the hotel and laughed with me over it. I wish he was sat next to me instead of the dog eared photo beside me. And I suspect you all wish he was here editing this damn blog!  Any grammatical errors and spelling mistakes you can blame on him for rudely not being here.  

Much love 

Mrs Leonard. X