Well you just knew that it couldn't start smoothly. I guess I'd better backtrack at bit here. Firstly, let me apologise for the lack of posts over the last few months - things have been decidedly hectic and actually I've got so much to tell you about:
1. I've gone for new eyebrow tattoos - hmmmm not great
2. I've been to my first 'Single's Night' with the lovely Justine - hmmmmmmm REALLY not great
3. I've seen numerous films (most of which have long since disappeared from movie theatres)
4. I've got new nails - false ones
5. Not least of all, I've bought my 74 year old dad an iphone for Christmas so that we can FaceTime while I'm away!
… plus a whole host of other things, most of which I can't remember (because I haven't written them down - that's what happens when I don't blog!).
Well, I will get to all of the above in due course, but what I wanted to spring on you (usually I have quite a build up to this) but I'm actually away on my jollyhollybobs … I completely snook that one in! I'm currently in the Departure lounge at Manchester airport (with a cheeky Prosecco, surrounded my numerous duty free items - the most coveted for me is Jo Malone's Pomegranate perfume - my lovely friend Nicky was wearing a few weeks ago and I just loved it and had to have it!).
I'm also happy to announce that I have a new gadget that will help me write my posts more easily whilst I'm away. Usually I use the crummy keyboard that comes on my iPad, but as I've just had new nails fitted and because I actually touch type rather than looking at the keys, I just couldn't type fast enough without it looking like gobbledygook, so I've invested in a new keyboard that my laptop slots into and that also doubles as a cover - plus I've downloaded a really fab App that let's me write and post pictures and links etc which are easily transferable onto my blog. Fantastic … I'm loving it.
So, where am I off to? Thailand, Koh Samui , a small island off the coast of Thailand to be exact - for 3 whole weeks of R&R. I've never been to Asia before nor have I ever been away for more than two weeks at a time - I'm also as usual, going on my own and I've got to be honest, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't more than a bit nervous.
Why haven't have a gone to the Caribbean again? Well it was going to cost at least 4 times as much for only 2 weeks, so it was a bit of a no brainer really. I'm staying at one of those detox spas - you know the type, all yoga, raw food, meditation and colonics (although I hasten to add that they do have fabulous ratings for being the best restaurant on the island, and they do real food too - not just rabbit sh*t … I've checked!).
A couple of weeks ago I had bronchitis, laryngitis, popped three ribs and 2 vertebrae (coughing) and my doctor told me, with a considerable flourish "What else did you expect when you haven't had any time off work for a year!?" She then promptly informed me that my body was shutting down … nice! So here I am, waiting for my pomme frites (chips to you and me - well my UK readers anyway) with my second glass of prosecco writing this.
Now I've given you the background, let's get back to what I started with …. You couldn't expect it to go smoothly … remember the time that the zip broke on my case when I was putting it into the taxi on the way to the airport? Or the time my suitcase went missing? Well, it's not quite that bad, but it's not that good either!
My beautiful friend Gemma asked me if I wanted her to drive me to the airport as a taxi was going to cost £70 return - well, I kindly accepted her gracious offer, how could I refuse? She picked me up with more than enough time (I learned that one from the case debacle) and we made it to the airport with ooodles of time to spare.
I said my goodbyes and headed off to check in. Beforehand I'd very carefully weighed my main bag (and got quite excited when I realised that with Emirates you get 30KG allowance … wooooohooooo) and as I thought I may want to bring quite a bit back, I decided not to fill to capacity, but to put quite a bit in my hand luggage … mistake … HUGE mistake.
I got to the checkin and the lovely lady said that she needed to weigh my hand luggage - that's never happened to me before - she said, "Sorry but your 3KG over limit" me … PANIC! Then she said, "Let's weigh your main bag" and low and behold, that came in at 26KG, so she said, "quickly transfer as much stuff as you can into your big bag" which I did without question. She weighed it again, "that's fine" phew!
She then handed me my boarding passes told me that the plane was running 80 minutes late, when she registered my panic (I had two other connecting flights) she calmly informed me that I still had plenty of time to get my connecting flight at Dubai to Bangkok and I was free to leave.
I wandered over to passport security and on the way somehow managed to tear my boarding pass (does this stuff happen to anyone else or is it really just me?). I asked the gentleman at the boarder pass bit whether it would be a problem and apparently it would, so I had to go back and get another printed and marched back to passport control, entered the barriers no problem, stripped off all my jewellery etc (cos I always set those damn alarms off), waited to be called through the scanner and was extremely happy when the alarm didn't go off.
However, my elation was short lived, my hand luggage got sectioned off to search. My heart sank … now, you're probably thinking, so what? This is normal stuff, but I have such a phobia about passport control that it really does freak me out. Cut another long story short, I had put my liquids in a clear plastic bag but forgot about the foundation (and other cosmetics) that I keep in that bag ever since I forgot my makeup when I was on a business trip about 6 months ago (I think I told you about that). I'm such a mad woman - so that anguish was entirely self inflicted as it usually is.
Anyway, we are where we are … I've written my first blog post for ages, I've shopped, I've had Prosecco and chips, so actually, it could always be worse!
Tune in tomorrow for more updates on my epic journey … I just realised that I haven't mentioned, I fly from Manchester to Dubai, from Dubai to Bangkok and then Bangkok to Koh Samui - 24 hours traveling time, so I'm sure there'll be loads more to tell you about. Until then lovely people, be fabulous.
Lots of love
Jx
1. I've gone for new eyebrow tattoos - hmmmm not great
2. I've been to my first 'Single's Night' with the lovely Justine - hmmmmmmm REALLY not great
3. I've seen numerous films (most of which have long since disappeared from movie theatres)
4. I've got new nails - false ones
5. Not least of all, I've bought my 74 year old dad an iphone for Christmas so that we can FaceTime while I'm away!
… plus a whole host of other things, most of which I can't remember (because I haven't written them down - that's what happens when I don't blog!).
Well, I will get to all of the above in due course, but what I wanted to spring on you (usually I have quite a build up to this) but I'm actually away on my jollyhollybobs … I completely snook that one in! I'm currently in the Departure lounge at Manchester airport (with a cheeky Prosecco, surrounded my numerous duty free items - the most coveted for me is Jo Malone's Pomegranate perfume - my lovely friend Nicky was wearing a few weeks ago and I just loved it and had to have it!).
I'm also happy to announce that I have a new gadget that will help me write my posts more easily whilst I'm away. Usually I use the crummy keyboard that comes on my iPad, but as I've just had new nails fitted and because I actually touch type rather than looking at the keys, I just couldn't type fast enough without it looking like gobbledygook, so I've invested in a new keyboard that my laptop slots into and that also doubles as a cover - plus I've downloaded a really fab App that let's me write and post pictures and links etc which are easily transferable onto my blog. Fantastic … I'm loving it.
So, where am I off to? Thailand, Koh Samui , a small island off the coast of Thailand to be exact - for 3 whole weeks of R&R. I've never been to Asia before nor have I ever been away for more than two weeks at a time - I'm also as usual, going on my own and I've got to be honest, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't more than a bit nervous.
Why haven't have a gone to the Caribbean again? Well it was going to cost at least 4 times as much for only 2 weeks, so it was a bit of a no brainer really. I'm staying at one of those detox spas - you know the type, all yoga, raw food, meditation and colonics (although I hasten to add that they do have fabulous ratings for being the best restaurant on the island, and they do real food too - not just rabbit sh*t … I've checked!).
A couple of weeks ago I had bronchitis, laryngitis, popped three ribs and 2 vertebrae (coughing) and my doctor told me, with a considerable flourish "What else did you expect when you haven't had any time off work for a year!?" She then promptly informed me that my body was shutting down … nice! So here I am, waiting for my pomme frites (chips to you and me - well my UK readers anyway) with my second glass of prosecco writing this.
Now I've given you the background, let's get back to what I started with …. You couldn't expect it to go smoothly … remember the time that the zip broke on my case when I was putting it into the taxi on the way to the airport? Or the time my suitcase went missing? Well, it's not quite that bad, but it's not that good either!
My beautiful friend Gemma asked me if I wanted her to drive me to the airport as a taxi was going to cost £70 return - well, I kindly accepted her gracious offer, how could I refuse? She picked me up with more than enough time (I learned that one from the case debacle) and we made it to the airport with ooodles of time to spare.
I said my goodbyes and headed off to check in. Beforehand I'd very carefully weighed my main bag (and got quite excited when I realised that with Emirates you get 30KG allowance … wooooohooooo) and as I thought I may want to bring quite a bit back, I decided not to fill to capacity, but to put quite a bit in my hand luggage … mistake … HUGE mistake.
I got to the checkin and the lovely lady said that she needed to weigh my hand luggage - that's never happened to me before - she said, "Sorry but your 3KG over limit" me … PANIC! Then she said, "Let's weigh your main bag" and low and behold, that came in at 26KG, so she said, "quickly transfer as much stuff as you can into your big bag" which I did without question. She weighed it again, "that's fine" phew!
She then handed me my boarding passes told me that the plane was running 80 minutes late, when she registered my panic (I had two other connecting flights) she calmly informed me that I still had plenty of time to get my connecting flight at Dubai to Bangkok and I was free to leave.
I wandered over to passport security and on the way somehow managed to tear my boarding pass (does this stuff happen to anyone else or is it really just me?). I asked the gentleman at the boarder pass bit whether it would be a problem and apparently it would, so I had to go back and get another printed and marched back to passport control, entered the barriers no problem, stripped off all my jewellery etc (cos I always set those damn alarms off), waited to be called through the scanner and was extremely happy when the alarm didn't go off.
However, my elation was short lived, my hand luggage got sectioned off to search. My heart sank … now, you're probably thinking, so what? This is normal stuff, but I have such a phobia about passport control that it really does freak me out. Cut another long story short, I had put my liquids in a clear plastic bag but forgot about the foundation (and other cosmetics) that I keep in that bag ever since I forgot my makeup when I was on a business trip about 6 months ago (I think I told you about that). I'm such a mad woman - so that anguish was entirely self inflicted as it usually is.
Anyway, we are where we are … I've written my first blog post for ages, I've shopped, I've had Prosecco and chips, so actually, it could always be worse!
Tune in tomorrow for more updates on my epic journey … I just realised that I haven't mentioned, I fly from Manchester to Dubai, from Dubai to Bangkok and then Bangkok to Koh Samui - 24 hours traveling time, so I'm sure there'll be loads more to tell you about. Until then lovely people, be fabulous.
Lots of love
Jx
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