Yesterday started well.  My taxi to Gatwick turned up on time; the road, apart from the  short  section of roadworks at the junction of the M25 and M26, was clear and we got there in plenty of time.  I checked in and made my way to the Aspire Lounge – so far so good!

Since I lost my Gold Member status with Virgin, I always book into a lounge as I find it’s well worth the money.  The Lounge itself is fine; I found a comfortable seat in a corner and had a pleasant breakfast, until Bunty and Geoffrey came to sit next to me.  I hadn’t heard vowel sounds like theirs since the old black-and-white newsreels and recordings of the Queen when she was young.  Geoffrey appeared unable to do anything other than read the paper and so Bunty got the breakfasts.  Now, I know you can’t judge by appearances.  I mean they could have been secret lovers for the last forty years who were going away for a clandestine, passionate holiday, but my money would be on them having been married since about 1955.  So why oh why did Bunty need to ask him whether he wanted full fat or skimmed milk?  One or two sugars in his tea and on his cereal?  A bacon roll or a croissant?  The croissant with butter or marge?  Did he want jam on it or just butter?  Did he want strawberry or apricot jam?  It was unbelievable really.  And irritating!  Because try as I might I couldn’t blot them out.

Then, as the time for boarding my flight was approaching I looked at the info board only to see that it was showing “Further information at 12.” 

Oh, well, things happen when you travel.  So I carried on reading the paper and had another coffee and thanked my lucky stars that I was travelling alone and no longer had large groups of people with me..  Yes, I know the wine and booze was free but I’m such a lightweight, if I’d started drinking at 10:10 I’d have been under the table by 11!

The board changed after a while to show we would now be taking off at 13:30.  I asked the very helpful people in the lounge and they found out from BA that the aircraft had a hydraulics problem.  Well, better to fix it now rather than later.  And then I remembered that the last time I’d flown BA in May 2011, we’d taken off from St Kitts and touched down in Antigua only to find the plane developed a hydraulics problem and we didn’t leave until the following night, twenty-nine hours late.  Hmm!  I hoped there wasn’t a pattern emerging here.

Well, we finally boarded about 13;35 and took off at 14:30, four hours and ten minutes late.  I was very pleased to see that I had an empty seat next to me, so that meant I could spread out a bit.  Shame about the group of twenty going to Antigua for “Our Gaz and our Becca’s wedding“ who shouted down the plane to each other about the films on the entertainment and the price of duty free. Shame, too, about the two kids in the row in front who found the need to read out very loudly and laboriously every joke in Horrid Henry’s Joke Book.  Still, not a problem for me, I could blot them all out with the earphones while I watched The Life of Pi.

And I’d just started watching it when the Captain announced that the front cargo door light had come on and so we were going to have to ditch fuel over the Atlantic and go back to Gatwick.  Groans all round.

Once in Gatwick we were given a £5 voucher to get some lunch – has anyone from BA actually tried eating at Gatwick for a fiver?  But, I bought a spicy seafood noodle and a diet Coke in EAT and didn’t have to put too much to it.  Then I went and sat near the BA Informaiton Desk as they couldn’t put the flight up on the departure board for reasons best know only to themselves.  All around me people were looking as if the end of the world had been announced.

“It’s the not-knowing” one man kept on saying.  What was he on about?  It’s not like we’re waiting on the results of an AIDS test, it’s a flight delay for God’s sake!  If you travel, things happen.  Why cause a fuss and get upset?  The Customer Services Agent manning the desk kept saying “More news in about twenty minutes,” and that was all we could hope for.  And then, lo and behold, twenty minutes later, they announced our flight departing from Gate Fifty-Four.

We took off at 18:40 for the second and last time, landing in Antigua at 23:00 local time, eight hours late.

And we landed into WARMTH!!   Today, we’ve had some rain – which the island badly needs, I’ve never seen it so dry – but it’s warm rain.  And as I’m sitting writing this at 5pm, the sun is out.  Everywhere around me is peace and quiet.  Wonderful!

In my absence the wonderful Fella Who’s Far Away (except now he’s near by!) has sorted out my car and my neighbour S has today arranged for an electrician to come and sort out two problems, the seamstress to come and measure up for new curtains and bedspreads and cushion recovering, and for the termite man to sort out any termites or bugs there might be lurking.  And the builder’s popping by later to discuss plans and make a start on the things I want to do here so that I can start letting out Avocado Cottage for holiday lets. (Friends and Family Rates – more info when I get back!!)

So, tomorrow, I’m going to get on with some painting, which I find very therapeutic, and then the afternoon will be spent writing as I’ve fallen behind with Singles in India again.

But I find writing here easier – there’s less to distract me and the peace and quiet is conducive to creativity,

And I’m really excited about MY NEW PROJECT  which is happening when I get back to UK– full details on my website from next week.

Have a lovely Easter!  Enjoy the beautiful spring flowers, the hot cross buns and yummy Easter Eggs.  And I hope the weather’s kind to you all.

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