My Mum

Tthis morning I visited my mum with my sister before flying back to France.

Mum was in good form, she has her ups and downs like us all. She is 88 this year. She has the most beautiful white hair!! The staff in her home love her and she is exceedingly well looked after.

Yesterday, What a disaster. Just about everything that could go wrong, did go wrong!

I was going back to England to watch West ham in their last game on Sunday afternoon and to visit my mum on Monday morning.

I decided to get out of bed at 5am to capture the sunrise, then drive on to the airport. No sunrise, but a spectacular storm, which I had captured! Onward to the airport. The flight was on time and on the plane, I loaded the storm pics onto the iPad. No, they
wouldn't load, no blip!!

At Gatwick, I went to pick up my hire car. No, I didn't have the paper bit to my licence, they wouldn't let me have the car. This was the first time I have EVER been asked for the paper bit. Europcar were the only company that insisted on it but the others did not have a car available. Plan B, Gatwick Express, and no refund on the hire car. £39 for a train ticket. Then I realised I had bought a return instead of a single.

Train into London. Text received, the guy going with me couldn't make the game. Text to youngest son, did he want to come. Yes, a breakthrough. Another text, as the guy who was having my spare ticket couldn't make it, would I like to join some other friends in a corporate box. Great I thought. No, I can't do that, I now had youngest son with me, but to be honest, its always good to see Paul.

I eventually met him at our place in Canary Wharf where he is living and we went to Greenwich for lunch. We told the waitress we only had an hour. The food arrived after 50 minutes. We ate this in 10 minutes and set off for Upton Park, a mad rush! Arrived 5 mins before the game. Great game though.

We arranged to meet the fellas in the Corporate box after the game. That didn't happen, last game of the season, players celebrating, fans doing the same, couldn't get out!! So I didn't get to see my mates. Eventually made it to the tube. Queued for an hour for a train. Made it to Victoria. I needed a train ticket. I had seven minutes before my train left. The ticket machine declined three credit cards. By the time I was told the machine wasn't working and I had acquired a ticket, I had missed the train. Next train I could catch was going To Brighton and stopped at Redhill. A quick call to my sister. Yes she could pick me up at Redhill.

Eventually arrived at her house at 10pm.

Thank you EUROPCAR. Oh, had I booked with them direct, rather than Easyjet, apparently I would not have needed the paper part to my licence. How many customers don't bring their paper part I asked. ah, she said "most"!! This applies only in England. Europcar don't need the paper part in mainland Europe? But it does say you need it in the small print.

Hence the blip from Tower Bridge station taken when I had alighted from the tube at the wrong station!

Thank you for all the comments and your obvious concern about me and my day.

There was one other thing that could have caused me not even to be able to catch the plane, which may have been the best thing. But the internet is not where I can tell anyone what it was. If I ever meet any of you ask me! It will make your hair stand on end and I guarantee, it was a 10 million to one event!!!

Thanks again. I don't think I am able to reply individually to yesterday's comments, but I have read them all and thank you very much. What a great community!!