Melbourne to Oxford

I got to Barbara's late afternoon and we were picked up by the limo around 7pm to whisk us off to Tullamarine. Once there a wheelchair was produced and Barbara was wheeled off, with me following, to the Qantas Business Lounge, with express passage through check-in, security, etc. We weren't long in the lounge before we were called for the flight and again a wheelchair and pusher materialised for Barbara.

Once on the plane we were each presented with a glass of french champagne (Mumms) and settled down, getting ourselves acquainted with the amazing seat, which, along with being able to transform into a totally flat bed, had a massage setting.

The food was delicious - my breakfast actually included poached eggs - and we were waited on hand and foot. We had a two-hour stopover in the Business Lounge at Abu Dhabi before heading off on the second leg to London. We were both able to get some sleep on the plane, helped by being able to lie flat.

On arrival at Heathrow we were fast-tracked through Immigration and Customs (B in wheelchair) before being deposited at the limo which took us straight to Oxford.

When we arrived at Oxford Taffy and Julie were there to help settle us in. It's a nice little flat: one bedroom, bathroom and living area with kitchen space. I sleep on a foldaway bed provided by T&J. There's a washing machine (thank goodness) and a teeny-tiny TV providing access to a mind-numbing array of channels, most of which we have absolutely no interest in. It's a ten-minute walk out of the centre of Oxford.