The lack of people in Brisbane’s International Terminal was a sign.

A good sign.

Our plane was less than half full. Or empty, depending on your outlook.

Kath looked snug in her little cubicle and I was allowed to pop in and visit her during the flight.

We were then invited to join her in Business Class for the last hour of the trip. What a treat! Mick even caught up on a little sleep.

A wheelchair and ‘driver’ were waiting for Kath and took us towards the lounge, but once we found our gate, she was more than happy to wait the 40 minutes with us before we boarded our next flight. The chair had only been a precaution in case we had to change terminals or were flying out of a gate that was a huge walk away. Kath certainly didn’t need it and was keen to get off it.

Our next flight left on time and this time the plane was full.

On both flights, the Singapore staff were very friendly and diligent. The meals were served promptly, they regularly cleared away rubbish and offered drinks and snacks during the flight, plus they kept the toilets spotlessly clean. One of the hostesses popped down to tell us that Kath had slept on and off for most of the night. I got almost 8 hours sleep on the second flight, with a little help from some sleeping pills. The only time I ever use them, but I’ve found they really help reduce the exhaustion.

We landed into Rome just after 8am, having left Brisbane 22 hours earlier.

Then the fun began. We thought we had lost Kath as she was not in her seat as we left the plane. She was hiding behind a group of Asian people sitting where she’d been instructed to until the man with the wheelchair returned. Once he turned up, we zoomed through security as if we were movie stars.

We’re now enjoying a coffee at the airport waiting for our flight to Palermo.

Next update from there.