The Christmas Holiday – Part 1

OK so, here goes ... Tuesday, 20 December was the day I was leaving to go down to London, stay over and catch my flight to Grenada early the next morning.  I didn’t have much to do that day other than a hair appointment and some last minute packing before a taxi was due to pick me up at 4.00 pm, in order to take me to the airport for my flight at 7.00 pm (you know I hate to be late, so booked the taxi a bit earlier than I needed, plus the airport is a 40 minute drive when it’s not rush hour and I didn’t want to take any chances). 

So with my case all very neatly packed (well you wouldn’t expect anything else would you!) and waiting by the door, the house locked and bolted (not to mention spick and span ... I couldn’t bear to come home to an untidy house ... not that my house is every really untidy ... however, I digress ...) my taxi turned up bob on time.  It happened to be a lady taxi driver too, which was unusual, but as you’ll see, turned out to be an absolute Godsend! 

Well, between us, we lifted my rather heavy case - it was a bit of a pain actually cos my flight to Gatwick with BA allowed 23KG whereas my flight to Grenada allowed 30KG ... I kinda resigned myself to the fact that I would probably be paying excess baggage with BA (I’m not known for travelling light ... well, a girl needs what a girl needs and I like to adhere the old Boy Scout motto of ‘Be Prepared’!) when disaster struck.... the zip broke! OMG ... I can’t begin to tell you the stress!  Everything went through my head:

“I’ll have to cancel!”

“I can’t go!”

“Where the hell will I get a case at this time?”

“I’ve no time to buy one!”

“I feel sick!”

“I’ve got nothing in for Christmas!”

“I’ll have to spend Christmas on my own”

“Would my insurance cover the fact that my case bust?”

“Even if I did buy a new case etc, I’ll have missed the plane to Gatwick ... there’s no other way to get there before my flight in the morning” (It never crossed my mind at that point that I could drive! Panic stricken isn’t even in it!)

... Well you get the idea.  The taxi driver said, “You haven’t got time to buy one, get back and re-pack.  What are you going to do?”  I thought, “I don’t bloody well know what I’m going to do!”  She asked me if there was anyone near that would have one that I could borrow.  “Nope” says I, “They’ll all be in work!”  I remember saying about 15 times, “What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do? OMG OMG OMG!”

This went on for about 15 minutes, (well, actually, it was probably more like 2 ... time just seemed to stand still with me being in a complete and utter panic).  Just then, my fabulous, wonderful amazing taxi driver said, “Get in, you’re borrowing one of mine!”   We dived in the car; she rang her hubby and shouted at him to get the big suitcase out of loft we’d be there in 5!  God I felt like I was in Cagney and Lacy or something.  “Hold on” she said, “I only live round the corner ... we’ll be there in a jiffy!”

At this point, I’m thinking, “I’m gonna faint. I’m gonna faint ... Feel sick.  Feel sick!” whilst telling her what must have been a million times how wonderful she was, how I couldn’t thank her enough and I remember saying repeatedly, “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! You’re my Christmas Angel!”

So we sped to her house.  Her hubby was waiting for us.  Leapt (I kid you not) to the car and lifted out the case, almost ran into the house (although how he did that with a 25KG open suitcase I’ll never know ... I think we were all having a major adrenalin rush).  He threw the case down in their hall where I proceeded to throw everything from my carefully packed case into theirs.  Phew ... I don’t think I’ve ever packed anything so quickly ... my heart was beating 20 to the dozen and I was shaking like a leaf!

Once I’d repacked, her hubby whisked up the case and deposited it back in the boot of the car ... we jumped in and were on our way (I swear there was even a little screech of car tires on tarmac as we pulled away at high speed!)  The journey to the airport, I can’t really remember much about ... think I was in a state of shock!  I do remember rabbiting on and on about how grateful I was and again how she was my Christmas Angel ... but I can’t remember what else we talked about!

Once we arrived, I obviously thanked her again (think she was a bit sick of me by then!) and I went to check in.  Luckily, due to my obsessive need to be early (now you can see why) I arrived in plenty of time.  There wasn’t a queue, so I was dealt with quite quickly.  When I put the case on the scales (which I already knew was over weight) and relayed what had happened to the attendant, I ended by saying, “I had one of those sub-zero cases and it weighed exactly 23KG ... but I bet with this case, I’m over (weight)” and did a bit of a pouty lip thing.  To my utter surprise she said, “Sounds like a complete nightmare, poor you.  I’ll let you off the £40 excess ... your day’s been bad enough!”  OMG ... I could have kissed her! 

Once I’d got through passport control, I headed straight for the bar (well, where else did you expect me to go ... no point shopping as it wouldn’t be tax free!) and told the barman “Gimme the biggest wine you got!”  He said, “Bad day?”... “Oh darlin’, you ain’t got no idea!” (To hell with the double negatives!).  So I sat quietly, drank that wine, then another and low and behold,  as if by magic, felt much calmer!

Luckily, the flight was fine and I arrived at Gatwick without any more hassle and promptly booked into the Hilton Hotel, which is attached to the airport (a bit more expensive than other hotels in the vicinity, but you don’t have to mess around the next day with transfer busses or taxis - I like to eliminate as much as humanly possibly, any obstacle that may make me late).  I really felt a bit sick by this point (not sure if it was the wine or the stress) and didn’t fancy room service or dinner in the restaurant, so I grabbed a crayfish and rocket butty and a packet of cheesy puffs (although they can make your fingers a bit orange ... I love them ... they knock Wotsits into a cocked hat!) from M&S in the terminal before I got to the hotel.

Once I checked in, I nibbled on the sandwich, although didn’t eat much of it ... in fact, I didn’t even eat all my puffs, not like me at all ... I thought maybe it was the alcohol, but then again, I hadn’t had that much.  I fell asleep pretty early, but woke up about 4.00 am in a huge sweat.  You know that kinda of sweat that you have just before you throw up?  THAT sweat ... low and behold, 5 minutes later, that little bit of sandwich I’d eaten the night before ... well, no need for details, you know what I’m saying.

After that was over, I sat on the bed and tried to pull myself together, “Bloody typical” thinks me (my positive thinking having left the building).  It was 5.00 am by this time, so I got showered, dressed, re-packed, paid the bill and made my way back into the airport terminal.  Check in time was 6.00 am....

That’s as good a place as any to end for today ... I’ve got so much more to tell you, after all I haven’t even got to the holiday yet!  By the way, after I got home yesterday, I managed to stay awake until about 10.00 pm.  However, I didn’t wake up until 12.00 noon today!  Ooooooooh and I didn’t look good ... I mean really not good and I felt really groggy!

And so what have I done this afternoon?  Had nails and eyebrows done (gotta get your priorities right) and food shopped.  I’m on a health kick now, probably the same as most people after the Christmas season.  I put on 6 lbs during my hols ... that’s unheard of for me!  I’m totally ashamed of myself, I’ve never had such poor self control but there was just so much good food... and rum punch!  So I’ve gotta get the weight off and quick!

Well lovelies, more tomorrow ... until then, be fabulous and enjoy your Friday night.

Lots of love

Jx

PS ... I'm loving that nail art is back with a bang and the fact that my nails have grown great guns while I've been away ... yay, no more short nails!

Nails done today ... I so love nail art!