i wanted to log my journey so got my camera out to take a picture of the stewardesses doing their safety demonstration.

it had all started nicely with the captain saying "you may think this is boring, and indeed it is very boring, but would you please want the safety demonstration for your own safety". i notice he didn't say deadly boring. i would have if i had been the captain.

anyway, a very scarey tall chap with camoflage trousers was sitting next to me. he looked like a paramilitary chap who took the Territorial Army very seriously. (he had been to Berlin before for a party, but didn't get to see the town so was returning to stay with his american friend for 10 days it later transpired).

anyway, he looked at me with camera in hand and said "you aren't allowed to do that. no electronic devices on the plane. it intereferes with the planes' computers".

i paniced slightly and didn't know whether i should just take the photo anyway. i decided not to.

but it did give me a little confidence that he wasn't going to blow up the plane as he obviously didn't want us to crash because of my (award winning) photographic exploits.

however, i did manage to unconvince myself of that fact by suggesting to myself that he probably wanted to blow the airplane up over the North Sea or something. or hijack us whilst keeping us all alive to really scare us.