216.
What an incredible feeling it was that washed over me as my 'plane headed up the east coast of England on its way across the border to Edinburgh. It was one of those cloudless nights, and from my vantage point 30,000 feet in the air, I could see all the towns and villages lit up as we passed over. I was listening to Liam's MP3 player (just testing it, honest), and Radiohead came on, singing one of their angst ridden anthems, the title of which eludes me (but it has the word 'worrying' in it, if that's any help). As I was listening to Mr Yorke crooning away, I thought of all the people in all the houses down below. People falling in love, falling out of love; making love, arguing; working, sleeping, watching TV; people giving birth, people dying. It was strange just to sit there in that metal tube travelling through the air at 500 mph, just wondering about all the stories that were unfolding on the ground. Not long after that, the 'plane flew over Portobello as it made its turn over the Forth to line up with the runway. I looked down at Portobello Beach, and thought of our very own Lee Kindness, and wondered what he was up to as I passed over his house. I know what he wasn't doing... he wasn't on his roof fixing his aerial or his posh skylight... I waved, but I don't think he saw me! Another amazing thing. It was so clear tonight as we approached Edinburgh, that I could see right across Fife to Dundee. Then I was thinking that I still had another two hours to go before I could drop all my bags and collapse on the living room floor. It is nice to be home.