Just to mess with things, British Airways have brought the departure time of their flight to Billund by an hour, so it now leaves at 08:45 of a morning. Meaning, I would have to be there two hours before departure, in case there were tech issues delaying checking in or at security. Meaning leaving Kent an hour earlier, to the point no train from Dover could get me there early enough, so Jools drove me to Ashford so I could catch the 05:42 train to London.
The alarm went off at four, the cats were still asleep, even Mulder, we had coffee, did chores, got dressed and were in the car heading down the road at five to five, along deserted roads, as the first ferry from France was only just docking as we went by the port.
Even Ashford was quiet, hardly no other cars on the road as we got to the station, no queue at the ticket office to buy my £44 ticket, and then just an eight minute wait for the train, which was empty enough so I got a seat, then snooze as we sped through the black countryside, under the Thames and into east London as dawn broke.Traffic everywhere even at that time, on the A13.
Off at Stratford, a quick walk to the DLR, a five minute wait, and then a twenty minute trundle through east London and docklands to the airport.
Having already checked in, I dropped the case off, through security in ten minutes, and was sitting down for breakfast by half six, still two hours before departure.
After finishing breakfast, I found a place to sit, and that's when big Jesper turned up, his last trip out of UK before moving back to Denmark.
All people light up a room, but some do it by leaving, other when they arrive. Jesper is one of the latter, loud, joyous and making my trip one of joy.
Our tiny plane arrived, we waited at the gate, and then the eight of us passengers were allowed on.Eight.
We board at nine, settle in and the engines start. A long taxi to the end of the runway, then engines roar and we leap forward down the runway.
Into the air, with Charlton on the other side of the river, then the Barrier and the Millennium Dome, and just as the view along the river to The City was about to open up, we enter low clouds and the view was lost
It was clearer out over Brentwood as the plane began to climb, and as we climbed higher and higher, breakfast was served as Great Yarmouth slipped by far down below.
I ate breakfast and then accepted a second coffee as we flew north to Denmark, the clear skies over the sea, however, we replaced by clouds at the coast, so Denmark hid underneath.
Once landed, we get through immigration, collect our bags and get the keys for our cars. Jesper is off before I get my key, a blur of energy.
I get some kind of Kia duel fuel thing. Its OK, so quiet that you're really not sure if you have switched the ignition on until the car begins to move.
A quick hour run over the fields and bogs to the motorway, then up north to Arhus, heading to the centre to the Raddison Blu next to the art museum.
It was just one none of my colleagues were in the office, so no need to go there, so I checked in and a room was ready, so I went for a snooze and check some mails.
For the evening, I took a cab to the edge of the city where a former colleague has a summer house, along with her husband, I had gone out to buy some flowers and wine too.
The summer house is in a large area with hundreds of similar dwellings, now retired this is their only home in Denmark, they spend the winter in their house in Spain.We drink beer, wine, port, eat bbq and talk lots about life and those we have worked with, those who enter rooms and those who leave.
It is dark, very dark when Kate runs me back into town in their Tesla, which is like a rocket, so quickly it picks up speed.
As ever, I was shattered.
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