Have you ever gotten a bus to a pool party?  No, neither have I, but I’ve a feeling I may be doing so this week – and on my own to boot.

Never mind about that for the moment.  Here at the airport waiting on another delayed flight, I checked out the Havianas: They were everywhere from a dedicated stand in the middle of the concourse to Harrods, J D Sports, and everywhere in between. Those savvy Brazilians – and quite right too – cashing in on their imminent hosting of the World Cup.

I tried to find my size and once deciding on a pair, which took a mere hour of my time in exhausting all the various options, I asked the New Zealand manager if he thought I should customize them.

We looked at the potential embellishments on offer; miniature pin flags, baby flip flops and Swarovski crystals. “Don’t they tear the rubber though – if you stick that great big pin in?” “No, not at all” he replied. He showed me one he’d made earlier and then reiterated “Havianas wouldn’t be doing this all around the world if it was going to damage the product.”

The inevitable bottle of water purchase followed along with a quick survey of duty free and finally it was time to go to the gate.

Waiting to board, I thought about the World Cup – I always love it.  When does it start?  Will I miss the opening ceremony?  Is there an opening ceremony?  I need to get into the loop on that one.  Would I find someone to accompany me to a poolside party?  Above all else, I thought about my upcoming accommodation.

I am to stay with some Norweigans in the countryside.  I racked my brains to try and remember if I’d ever met someone from Norway.  I knew they were vegan – these particular ones – and experts in trail biking – if indeed that’s what it’s called?

I ate the vegetarian sandwich offered by the cabin crew.  The carrots played havoc with my recently revised braces and I surreptitiously checked everything was in order as I looked out of the window.

The lady beside me calmly continued to read her magazine. Oh wait, no, she was asleep.  Bang goes that option for a partner in crime.  Perhaps she’d wake up when the drinks came around and there would be an opportunity for a persuasive chat.