There is something quite cathartic about emptying the entire contents of ones house into a skip and clearing out all the pieces of paper and useless tat which I have managed to collect over the past 35 years…. Its like a cleansing of the soul. Admittedly I havent yet found the motivation to throw away the 6 years of weekly wage slips which have now become collectors items. Consignia ones included….
However as we shut the door of Monks Horton Way, I somehow felt a little freer. I will miss my sofa and X Box the most, but I am sure a break will do me good. Maybe I can buy a DS Lite in America…. However, without having to worry about the house we live in, there is very little to be responsible for. Other than my priceless wife of course…..
I say priceless, mostly because she is.. But something interesting always happens when she is in tow… or should I say when she drags me off the sofa and up a mountain or three. Today we managed to get to the airport with 2 bulging rucksacks, 1 kit bag and more trekking gear than Tensing and Hilary needed for Everest no doubt. We checked in relatively easily and after an emotional fairwell with Pa and Mother, we headed for security..
Having been randomly selected for the 30th time at airport security, my beloved wife aka Naomi was whisked away to an x-ray machine for a thorough search. I had chosen not to be in charge of the travel documents on this one ocassion, because I would resume control when we start travelling to hostile, non english speaking places…..where my painful vigilance reallly comes in handy. I mentioned when we were split up that my Wife had my travel documents. I was told I never needed them for security, so what was the worry, they wont get stolen or lost!!!!
We eventually got through security. Having reached the gate in plenty of time, we decided to board. “Boarding cards my love”….Then came the dreaded reply every man hates to hear. “I never had them”…. through gritted teeth, I managed to convey my fears and decided to go and fix the problem…. I grovelled and they printed us a further 2. Naomi was bemused by the fact that we have never ever lost our boarding passes or passports. Just as we received our new boarding cards, a gentleman arrived at the gate with a couple of eejits boarding cards. In my excitement and general gratitude, I managed to drop my passport unaware and under a seat… totally unseen…
I went back to my wife a true hero… I explained the importance of not losing ones boarding pass and a few feet taller now, proceeded to leave the country on our adventure…. Arse!!!! where is my passport. Sheer panic and fear coursed through me. Especially as I had just succinctly lectured Naomi about how these things only ever happen to her and yours truly is just an example of reliability…
I realised that I needed to have the feminine touch when attempting to rectify this situation. I marched up to the desk, where they used our passports to print new boarding passes, and with great confidence and conviction told them that they had not returned my passport. It isnt my fault and what do they intend to do about it…. Ok Ok Ok….i found it under the seat near the gate and picked it up surreptisiously as if I had left it there for safe keeping all this time. Naomi was at this point wetting herself with amusement and seemed somewhat relieved that she wouldnt have to hear about the boarding cards for the next 6 hrs… Justice I suppose…
I had such a great lecture planned regarding security and document safety… It will just have to wait until I dont mess up at the same time!!!
We both decided that we were lucky people and when we hear stories like that, people miss their flights, etc…. but here I am heading to New York, starving and thirsty and thoroughly exhausted…
Moving the entire contents of ones house into storage should not be left to 3 days before you leave.. great tip for future travellers… Thank you to all those who helped and made it easier for us to head off on this adventure.. We are exhausted. I am also sorry that I never got to say goodbye to many of you before we left. Mobile phone was cunningly cancelled on May 7th. Those who know me, understand my lack of organisation and planning, those who dont know this, should take note….lol..
So… New York until Friday and then the true adventure will begin. I will do my best to keep everyone updated as and when I find internet availability. I plan to keep a blog, but read the above paragraph and we will see.
Tip Of The Day!!!! Dont lose your passport and boarding card just before you travel…. I thank you!!!
