Friday 12th May 2023

Time to go home.

I was awake at six, all ready to go down for breakfast at half six, before the locusts clear the buffet, so I ate well, fruit and yogurt (of course), followed by sausage, bacon and hash browns. And coffee.

Its a light, airy place to each breakfst, and the staff are good bringing a pot of fresh coffee within seconds of being asked.

Back to the room to finish packing, clean my teeth, and then go down to check out so to eb ready when the taxi came at quarter past eight.

THey guy came on time, needed a sat nav to find the airpot, but did ask if I wanted to go via the city or pay extra to go through the tunnel. I chose to go via the tunnel.

Not much traffic for a Friday, we inch round to the bridge over the Liffey, then along to the entrance to the tunnel, and we were soon going underground. He dropped my outside of the departure hall, just a few minutes waiting to drop off my bag, through security, and that was that.

Easy.

I had an hour and fifty five minutes to wait until time to board, so I wand through the terminal, past the packed places to eat, straight to the gate where I find a quiet place to sit and read. To break up the morning, I find a place to get a coffee from, drink that, while watching people I was in the queue at the check in desk with, go shuffling by. Most were going to Heathrow, but I was heading back to London City.

Time to board, and the plane was quite full, I settle into my set on the 6th row, strap myself in, and once we have the safety brief, the engines start and we were pushed backwards.

Once we had waited for the six planes in front to take off, it was our turn, but any hope of fine views of the city and countryside were dashed by low cloud, which we passed into even as we banked over the terminal buildings.

And that was the situation all the way to londone, looking down on a total blanket of cloud. Once we had dropped lower to land, the engines roared and the plane purched, but we were surrounded by cloud, only the briefest break in the cloud revealled we were above Waterloo, and we had missed the fine views along the river due to the cloud. On top of that, rain streaked across the windows, and as the pilot promised, there were strong northerly gusting winds, which made the landing "interesting".

Once we were allowed to get off the plane, into the baggage reclaim, no passport check for us, so once the bag came I could go to look for the car hire office. I found out on Monday that all trains were not running due to a driver's strike, so I had to find a haire car, which even for a city the size of London was quite the task. I got the last one at London City, I find the office, and after the half hour it takes to fill the paperwork, I could finally find it in the car park, and go home.

Only protesters had closed the Rotherhythe Tunnel, so head to Dartford then?

THat's what I thought, but once I reached the A13, I could traffic at a standstill, so I needed to find another way. For a while it seemed I might be stuck in London, but I doubled back to the airport, then followed the signs to the Woolwich Ferry.

I joined the end of the queue, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

But finally we could see traffic getting off the ferry after it arrived, then the queue began to move. I was the next to last car allowed on, but I go on, and the ferry moved off, spun round and berthed in Woolwich.

All there was then was the task of negotiating the South Circular until I could turn off onto the A2.

Once under the M25 junction, traffic thinned and I could cruise home. I called Jools to ask her to pick me up at the car hire office, at half four.

And that was it, a very keen northerly wind was blowing, couds ran across the sky. It felt like October rather than May.

Brrrr.

I filled the car, then drove the 50 yards down Townhall Street to the lot, I had had the car for three hours, did 60 miles, in short the car looked like new. It was nearly new.

Jools came, and we went home, via the chippy in Castle Street, where we had jumbo sausage and chips, which meant no need for me to cook.

Phew.

Cats were non-plussed by my return, I unpack and we have a brew.

It was the weekend. And I was home.