Following the obligatory morning coffee and after triple checking that I had my passport, Rolo's keys and phone, we set off at about 6.30am. The road through to Perpignan was all pretty straightforward but noticeably the motorway signs were showing a Highway Robbery warning sign!!! Maybe there has been a spate of carjackings but we've not heard about any.
Driving on Spanish motorways is currently toll free but as soon as you reach the French border there is a point where you have to go through tolls to collect a ticket. Today we had the added excitement of French border control stopping us. After an exchange of the normal pleasantries they asked if they could check our boot for migrants as we are a UK registered car and they thought we were heading home. Ian thought it was quite amusing because if we did have one in our boot they'd be a bit disappointed to find that when the journey was finished that they'd find themselves back in Spain!!
Apart from going through security, with only a few flights an hour, it was very relaxing waiting for my flight. On the security front the queue I was in had a very efficious security lady who was also checking passports and boarding passes literally 5 foot from the point where I'd just shown them! Then you nearly had to undress to walk through - belts and jackets have to be removed and anything in pockets removed, so there were people rummaging out old tissues, coins, keys and all manner of items into the trays that get used to carry your items through the scanner. I had also removed my glasses, as they normally set the alarm off, so when she asked to see my ticket I couldn't find my glasses to find it on my phone!! Holding my phone at arm's reach, through the blur, I could just make out my boarding pass and satisfy the needs of the security.
However, despite removing everything possible to set off the scanner you have to walk through, I still had lights and buzzers flashing. Pointing to my underwired bra the female security and I smiled knowledgeably as I had a pat down and the wand waved over me. All cleared I was then through to departure lounge.
The flight was only delayed about 10 minutes which is not bad for a Ryanair flight. I was able to get through passport control pretty smoothly and caught the bus to the car park with a few minutes to board as it left at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour.
Once I'd got my car park ticket validated I got back in Rolo just as the heavens opened. It absolutely belted down as I started the 4 hour drive to Mum's but thankfully only for about 10 minutes. The rest of the drive was then dry other than the other side of Shrewsbury when I was hit by heavy rain again. I've seen more of the wet stuff in 4 hours than I have in the last 2 months!
This afternoon Mum and I have been writing Dad's eulogy for the memorial service on Friday. We've had a few chuckles and tears as we've remembered things and listened to music for the event. Hopefully I'll be able to read it without blubbering too much. I'll make sure I'm well prepared with pockets stuffed with tissues.
Anyway after a day of travelling I need to catch up on my beauty sleep 😄.
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