Only 1 photo today - taken from my bedroom window on waking - frost on top of next doors garage - A sight I very much hope not to see in Florida!
Much excitement this morning as I packed the kids off to school (with pleadings from the kids not to go!). DH finished work yesterday, so with us all out of the way (I work in a school as well and had to work today), I duly left him a list of last minute jobs such as emptying the fridge & bread bin of perishables, washing the kitchen floor, washing the bedding & giving the place a general tidy as well as loading all the cases into the car.
I love my job, but I have to confess to clock-watching today - not too often as being with 30 kids doesn't allow this much!
Eventually 3.20pm rolled around, and me & the 2 youngest DDs walked home from school, got freshened up and changed. We had to wait for the eldest 2 at secondary school to get home (which they managed in record time!). After they got freshened up & changed, and a final passports, tickets, money check was made at 4.35pm, we started our journey to The Marriott at Gatwick where we had an overnight reservation. NOTE - in following days there was a slight fail on this check!
We had decided to stop roughly an hour into our journey at McDonalds near the Black Cat Roundabout. Reasons for this were two-fold. Firstly, kids had all had hot dinner at school, and secondly, as we wanted to make it for twilight check-in, we didn't want to spend too long in a restaurant in case of bad traffic (and also it gets expensive in the UK with 6 of us) - and let's face it - we're about to go on a 2 week holiday with plenty of eating out.
Anyhow, we arrive at McD's and start eating- and then notice a familiar face walking in the door - one of my colleagues and partner who were on their way down to The Premier Inn at Gatwick ready for their flight to Malaysia the next day! I knew she was going as we'd spoken at school, but she'd not mentioned McD's (neither had I), so that was a nice surprise- and we chatted about our various plans and wished each other a lovely holiday!
The traffic Gods were on our side, and we reached Gatwick by 7.30pm, and headed to bag check-in. Fortunately it was an empty hall with 2 BA agents there. I say fortunately as the machines kept spitting out cases back to us ‘unable to read the barcodes'. The staff were very good, and as DS mentioned the football score, they had a good old football-related chat.
This took us just over an hour in short stay car park, so had to fork out £8.
We had also decided that rather than all of us going to drop car at APH, a better idea would be for DH to drop me & kids direct to the Marriott (so kids could have a bath/shower and change for bed) while he dropped car himself to APH. He did this & was back to hotel by 10.30, having decided to walk back from South Terminal.
The kids were all thirsty so we had a drink each in the bar before bathing etc.
DH, kids & I All then synchronised alarms for 6am, preferring to be up & through security for breakfast at airport.
Being a family of 6 we always have to have 2 hotel rooms, so youngest 2 were with DH and eldest 2 with me. It's a family room, 2 double beds and obviously being 16 & 12, DS & DD did not want to share a bed! So I have to put up with a very fidgety 12 year old DD in my bed. A mixture of excitement & nervousness about over-sleeping meant I hardly slept a wink all night.
I actually woke at 1.31am Saturday morning thinking it must be nearly 6am!