The Great Lake state / Motown

Well, I’m in Detroit. Home of Ford. And Eminen (Eight Mile etc etc) - and, of course Motown ("Motor Town > Motown"). Oh, and hosts of last year’s Superbowl (so several people have told me, I see no reason why they should lie).

A fairly tortuous trip due to a connecting flight in Canada (Toronto) – getting me and my suitcase (full of Cadbury’s chocolate, earl grey teabags and bourbon biscuits*) through Canadian/US customs was like getting through Checkpoint Charlie. Not as straightforward as I had imagined.

Then, (after several unannounced and unexplained delays) I got to go on the world’s smallest aircraft. Was almost in shock as I stepped aboard, luckily I had a chance to down my emergency miniature vodka that lives in the bottom of my handbag before we took off. Flight over the lakes in the tiny aircraft was made all the more enjoyable by chatting to a really friendly girl called Lorna. Swopped addresses and I have promised to send her something from Cardiff, (where her grandparents were from). Must not Welsh on the deal, so to speak.

Am currently in West Bloomfield, staying in a house that makes Southfork look like a small terraced house. Very healthy living - in this particular house, that is (last year Michigan state was the fattest state in the US, this year they have slipped to second place). Yesterday morning I went for a run, a cycle and a quick Nordic ski (all in the gym in the basement) before meeting everyone else for smoothies for breakfast. Plan to return as half the woman I was, or at least substantially less. Shame there’s so much Cadbury’s chocolate kicking around here though…

* Not for personal consumption. Though I got some very ‘yeah we can see how you got your figure’ looks in Tescos when I was lugging a basket that was overflowing with chocolate.