I travelled by plane over Christmas and the New Year. As usual, I found this largely an enjoyable experience because I had a window seat from which I could look out from time to time and wonder at the changes of scene opening before me.

On take-off, I was fascinated by how the surroundings I take for granted quickly receded, becoming smaller and smaller and merging into an ever widening landscape that gradually melted into an indistinct haze the higher we went.

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