As we usually do, we follow the aircraft we are using from its waking moment, which today is sat on the apron at Gatwick. This is worrying since it should be in the air by 09:00 and at 10:30 it hasn’t left Blighty. Eventually we get a email from EasyJet apologising that our flight will be delayed, but we should still turn up on time. 

Meanwhile the rain in Tenerife just doesn’t stop – we get so much our grass is flooded, but it does stop briefly and the drive to TFS is easy. Amusingly we park next to a “Mini” which is bigger than our car – what happened to those cute little cars?

TFS is a nightmare, we’ve never seen it so busy and at first we’re thankful we have an extra hour. In fact we pass through security rapidly and though extremely busy everything is running like clockwork. We battle through the hordes and hot-foot it to the lounge, which is also the busiest we’ve ever seen. 

For once the infamous meatballs are not on the menu, but there are lots of other things and we have a good lunch with a few glasses of cava. Finally it’s time to head to the gate and we are slightly perplexed when the e-gate refuses to let us pass. It’s quickly sorted, all we need to do is submit our fingerprints because the new system want in place last time we came home. 

Then we can pass though and it’s all super-efficient once again. Onboard the captain explains the delay, apparently Captain #1 was taken ill, then because of the delay at LGW Captain #2 would have run out of hours and been unable to fly back, so he, Captain #3 was summoned. Well done to him because he managed to shave a considerable delay down to under 30 minutes eventually. As we leave we get a great view of the cruise port in Santa Cruz.  

In Gatwick we quickly pass through customs and baggage and the Hertz to get out car and before long are in Hove, specifically sister-in-law’s house. We have so much to catch up on, it’s not a particularly early night!

The next day we visit our elder nephew’s house before meeting up with the rest of the family at the Cricketer’s, meeting our new Great Nephew Arthur for the first time is just wonderful!

The following day we take a stroll around Hove before heading to the crazy traffic in London, our last few miles taking over an hour!

in the evening we enjoy a new show to us, Operation Mincemeat which is a fabulous performance full,of laughter and a few tears, before supper at The Ballerina next to the Opera House.

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Neil
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