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Hello from Seattle – sorry for the late delivery of your News. Not only are we eight hours later in the day than is normally the case but we also have been way too busy having far too much fun.

First of all, we must give a huge “shout out” to Hannah Inwood for assisting in our transportation arrangements on the flight from London to Seattle. Hannah, as most of you will know, is the girlfriend of Penny’s brother Jeremy’s elder son, Nat; she also has the good fortune (?) to work for British Airways. A few days before our flight I e-mailed her and enquired whether she was in a position to assist us in securing the bulkhead seats which are generally unavailable when one checks in online. She assured us that she would “have a word” and that when we boarded the plane the flight crew would assist us.

So, as we boarded the plane we were indeed greeted by the flight crew and assured that they would come to see us once everyone was settled.

In fact, when I had checked in online the evening before, the bulkhead seats were, indeed, available and I was able to secure two which was about as much as I had hoped for. Imagine our surprise and delight, therefore, when one of the flight crew came up to us and asked if we would mind awfully if they moved us up into the Club class compartment.

Club class, just to remind you, is the small section towards the front of the plane between First Class and Business Class, distingushable by the reclining, bed-like seats. I think the huge beams on our faces might have given the stewardess a clue to the answer to her question, “Will this be all right?” Moments later we were being offered a glass of champagne and eventually we were off. As you might imagine, in spite of the ten hours, the flight was luxuriously comfortable and although I did not sleep, Ms Playchute spent some time snoring for England as we flew over the Canadian tundra.

Our excellent friend and fellow Webb alumnus Rick met us at the airport and transported us effortlessly to their place in northeast Seattle, just near the University of Washington. Their place overlooks Lake Washington with a wonderful view of Mt Rainier from their kitchen and bedrooms. The weather was (and remains) absolutely glorious, bordering on perfection – bright blue skies, temperatures in the eighties – and we have been reassured on several occasions by a variety of people that many people who visit Seattle never have the good fortune to see the mountains.

Thursday we “chilled out” and attempted to shake off the worst aspects of the jet lag which was achieved reasonably efficiently – the comfort of the flight definitely had an impact. Friday morning Susie drove up from Portland to join us and we “messed about on the water” and toured downtown Seattle from Rick’s “skiff” and then on Friday evening we all took the boat into town to a most excellent Mexican restaurant on the water. Then, yesterday we took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island where Rick has a small cabin and a large sailing vessel which we were able to take out for a few hours. Then, in the early afternoon we drove up to the top of the Olympic peninsula to Port Townsend which very kindly had organised a wooden boat festival for our amusement. Huge three-masted schooners in full sail to beautifully crafted wooden kayaks. We were able to join some friends of Rick and Jo who have a wonderful wooden motor boat called the Yonder, built in 1929 which was moored in the harbour and provided a perfect vantage point from which to observe all the magnificent ships. So far so good – the rest of you on our itinerary have got a lot to live up to!

At the tiller of Rick's boat "Petra"	A wooden ship at Port Townsend
Aboard the Yonder in Port Townsend	At the helm of the Yonder

We shall leave sometime this morning/afternoon and have our personal chauffeur (Susie) drive us to Portland for a few days. The plan then is to make our way down to Sarah’s for a couple of days and then to meander down the coast eventually arriving in Los Angeles for a few days with Ben (and down to Escondido to visit with Sallie and Rod) prior to the Webb Reunion on 26 September – will two weeks be enough time for us to get from here to there?

As I say, so far so good.

Ran across the following on the BBC web site which was of interest:

Bed sharing 'bad for your health'    Couples should consider sleeping apart for the good of their health and relationship, say experts. Sleep specialist Dr Neil Stanley told the British Science Festival how bed sharing can cause rows over snoring and duvet-hogging and robs precious sleep. One study found that, on average, couples suffered 50% more sleep disturbances if they shared a bed. Dr Stanley, who sleeps separately from his wife, points out that historically we were never meant to share our beds. He said the modern tradition of the marital bed only began with the industrial revolution, when people moving to overcrowded towns and cities found themselves short of living space. Before the Victorian era it was not uncommon for married couples to sleep apart. In ancient Rome, the marital bed was a place for sexual congress but not for sleeping. Dr Stanley, who set up one of Britain's leading sleep laboratories at the University of Surrey, said the people of today should consider doing the same. "It's about what makes you happy. If you've been sleeping together and you both sleep perfectly well, then don't change, but don't be afraid to do something different. "We all know what it's like to have a cuddle and then say 'I'm going to sleep now' and go to the opposite side of the bed. So why not just toddle off down the landing?" Tossing and turning He said poor sleep was linked to depression, heart disease, strokes, lung disorders, traffic and industrial accidents, and divorce, yet sleep was largely ignored as an important aspect of health. Dr Robert Meadows, a sociologist at the University of Surrey, said: "People actually feel that they sleep better when they are with a partner but the evidence suggests otherwise." He carried out a study to compare how well couples slept when they shared a bed versus sleeping separately. Based on 40 couples, he found that when couples share a bed and one of them moves in his or her sleep, there is a 50% chance that their slumbering partner will be disturbed as a result. Despite this, couples are reluctant to sleep apart, with only 8% of those in their 40s and 50s sleeping in separate rooms, the British Science Festival heard.

I still like sleeping together.

Much love to you all,

Greg

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I ran across this list of the “top 25” weird laws recently. Subsequent research will help you find any number of similarly weird and wonderful laws.

25. It is illegal for a cab in the City of London to carry rabid dogs or corpses.

24. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament.

23. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside down.

22. In France, it is forbidden to call a pig Napoleon.

21. Under the UK’s Tax Avoidance Schemes Regulations 2006, it is illegal not to tell the taxman anything you don’t want him to know, though you don’t have to tell him anything you don’t mind him knowing.

20. In Alabama, it is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while driving a vehicle.

19. In Ohio, it is against state law to get a fish drunk.

18. Royal Navy ships that enter the Port of London must provide a barrel of rum to the Constable of the Tower of London.

17. In the UK, a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants – even, if she so requests, in a policeman’s helmet.

16. In Lancashire, no person is permitted after being asked to stop by a constable on the seashore to incite a dog to bark.

15. In Miami, Florida, it is illegal to skateboard in a police station.

14. In Indonesia, the penalty for masturbation is decapitation.

13. In England, all men over the age of 14 must carry out two hours of longbow practice a day.

12. In London, Freemen are allowed to take a flock of sheep across London Bridge without being charged a toll; they are also allowed to drive geese down Cheapside.

11. In San Salvador, drunk drivers can be punished by death before a firing squad.

10. In the UK, a man who feels compelled to urinate in public can do so only if he aims for his rear wheel and keeps his right hand on his vehicle.

9. In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on Sundays can be jailed.

8. In Kentucky, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon more than six-feet long.

7. In Chester, Welshmen are banned from entering the city before sunrise and from staying after sunset.

6. In the city of York, it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow.

5. In Boulder, Colorado, it is illegal to kill a bird within the city limits and also to “own” a pet – the town’s citizens, legally speaking, are merely “pet minders”.

4. In Vermont, women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.

3. In London, it is illegal to flag down a taxi if you have the plague.

2. In Bahrain, a male doctor may legally examine a woman’s genitals but is forbidden from looking directly at them during the examination; he may only see their reflection in a mirror.

1. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast is legally the property of the King; the tail, on the other hand, belongs to the Queen - in case she needs the bones for her corset.

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