I am to meet a colleague at breakfast to drive im to the office, so I had set my alarm for half six, all to be ready, showered, dressed and packed in tome to meet Mark for breakfast at half seven. I am so efficient that I have time to check out and load the car before half seven. And s I have my face in a bowl of fruit and yoghurt when Mark comes down. As ever, having company whilst eating is good, and yet again the restaurant is over half full, so quite where all the guests are coming from I don't know. And when I try to book my next trip, I find the Andromeda fully booked for that week, so will have to slum it elsewhere.
It is eight by the time we leave for the office, and the traffic is building, but most of it going into the town centre, but still means the big two lane roundabout is very busy, and alarming, as cars switch lanes, cut in for an exit with little warning. I am just glad to get to the office to be honest.
And as a special gift, I am presented with a calendar with five and a half hours of meetings all the way through until when I have to leave for home. No breaks inbetween even for a coffee.
It comes to half twelve, and I am done, I have to leave to make it to home, unload the car, get it back to the port in time for six. So, I bid farewell to my minions, get myself in the car and drive out of the compound one last time that week. I take the scenic way out of town, down beside the canals, but then miss my turning, and with no turn offs, I press on. At least the signs suggest I will meet up with the main motorway at some point. But I do regret not having a sat nav with me.....In the end, the road takes me to the end of the A10 which is the main road into Oostende, I know my way back onto the E45, crossing over two busy lanes and then overtaking a truck, accelerating all the time, before settling down at the speed limit to drive the hour to Calais.
It is a cloudy and overcast day, traffic is light, but soon drizzle begins to fall, and driving becomes challenging in the spray caused by the trucks. Flanders is a fine area to drive through, we attactive towns and villages, all with a church tower or two just begging to be explored. One day. One day.
Into Calais and to the Tunnel, a quick check in and through immigration which is backed up due to there being just one booth being open on the British side. It really isn't good enough, people in their cars are angry, those of us in Flexy should get priority, but those in cattle don't like to give way to us. Tempers boil over as one old guy drives at me as I try to filter in.
Drama over, I am through and on my way to the lounge, only there is a train again soon, so I drive past, through the green light at the end of the lane and round onto the train. Again I am the last car on, behind me half a dozen empty wagons. But I am on my way home now.
The train glides out, and soon we are under the seabed, traveling at 70mph, and the mobile phone still can pick up a signal; how wonderful is that?
Back in Folkestone, then up the A20 before turning down the Old Folkestone Road through Dover, up to Whitfield to drop some stuff off for Tony and Jen, then back home to fully unload the car, have a bite to eat then arrange, or so I thought, to have someone drop me off back home when I took the car back.
I am at the office at three, I was told that someone would be available, but time passed to four, then quarter past, by which time it was hammering down outside, and both me and the lady who would take me back got soaked in the two minute walk back to the car I have just brought back. She drove angry, hardly using 5th gear, and so the engine screamed as we zoomed up Jubilee Way in 3rd at 55mph, then up to 4th. She wasn't happy I hadn't refueled the car, but the company pays, and means I have less paperwork to do come travel expense time.
Back home I go to watch some football on the i player, but my eyelids are so very heavy, I try to stay awake. It's a hard job.
Jools gets back just after six, we have pizza and beer/cider. And all is well. As we are both shattered, after watching Who Do You Think You Are, we are in bed by nine, and snoozing by quarter past.
No comments:
Post a Comment