The end of the beginning

Oh dear – my final week!! Amazing how quickly it comes around! I’ll let you inon a secret – I hadn’t really packed anything yet – what does that mean? I know I tend to leave things to the last minute but hey….! In truth, it still didn’t seem real, not gonna happen YET type feeling! On a plus note, my laptop arrived, as did the Stephen King book ‘Song of Susannah’, book 6 of 7 in the Gunslinger series, may it do ya! So I was happy, but oh yeah, packing!

I’m actually a hoarder – there’s loadsa stuff I have which I can never get rid of ‘in case…… um… it comes in handy’ so this packing lark was a real binder. Like any project, you have to have goals and targets, so mine was to have 2 bags only for hold luggage – my god!! Luckily, Mum and Suz wanted all furniture, electronic goods, dvd’s, music and anything else of material value, so that was ok. The hardest thing to part with was actually the car – those that know it will laugh – a beat up 17 year old Ford Sierra but when it’s a part of your life for so long – 9 years!! – it just isn’t easy to give up!! Anyway, the car was a good runner – just looked shite and I was glad a guy at work was able to make use of it – I’d’ve been disappointed if I’d’ve had to scrap it! Is it still running Graham?!

So to the last supper – a lovely night out for Miche and myself at Gaucho Grill in South Kensington – always a great place for a nosh up – and the flatties, James, Kate and Wayne, then came out afterwards to join us, which was a great effort – my leaving present was class – a collapsible shot glass – I guess the idea is that I imitate the shot glass after x number of shots and collapse in the same fashion! Dave was away on business unfortunately, otherwise it’d’ve been a full house but he did send his commiserations and a glass of sloe gin – Yum O!

D-Day

Woo hoo – Kirky’s departure – actually a busy old day as I still hadn’t made the 2 suitcases!! Some ruthlessness needed – the vodka give away was hard, let me tell ya – but saved some for Oz – beware at Neil and Troods wedding!! I was feeling quite sad all told as I'd been here for over a year and afterall - look at the two hotties I had as flatmates! Wayne (That's his nose that you can see on the left of the picture!!) and Miche were both off work and kindly offered to drop me off at the Row of Heath. A novel experience, being seen off by someone – only happened once before to my memory! (Feeling sorry yet?!) Still, we were there plenty early although the car trip was fraught with me desperately ringing people I hadn’t gotten to see / speak to to say 'cheerio'. We even had to wait for the check-in to open, but I got checked in with overweight luggage without being charged! Winner!

The goodbyes were the hardest ever – although the pull of the adventure is very useful in helping to take your mind off. Miche was dead sweet and I thought I was doing OK until I see Wayne and he’s snuffling! Bless –that nearly got me going as well! Ha ha – 2 grown men in bits huh! Mind you, I reckon Fred will be upset at that Wayne - whaddayafink?!! ;-0) Wait until I tell him!! An Irish saying pops up here: ‘It’s never farewell, only see ya soon…’?! Think that’s right.
So, the longest walk to the departures hall – all I remember is a young child running over the table next to the security portal and all hell breaking loose as the Mum darts through trying to catch him. There was an old ‘stick-in-the-mud’ looking jobsworth who was barking out commands like ‘Stop that trespassing’ and other such idiotic phrases. I’m sure he’d’ve want to ‘give that lad a bloody good hiding’, or better still, march him out back for a coup de grace to the back of the head! ‘Here you go Miss, that’s 1 pound 49, including VAT for the bullet…’

Plane was only 45 minutes late taking off…… is this BA? Just had to check cos that was pretty quick – oh yeah, there’s the ignorant, boorish Customer service (F*ck you, you’re in cattle class) so it’s Quanta’s – thought the ‘on-time’ departure was very un-BA-like!! Here we go……..