Mushy Monday

Finally I'm getting better but poor Mollie now has the virus and is currently tucked up in bed, she's had a sleep and is now bored but the rule in our house is if you're too ill for school you have to stay in bed, no tv, game boy or psp whereas reading and drawing is allowed, maybe I'm a strict mother but I don't want them feigning illness to have a fun day off school.

It took me a few days to catch up on all my blogroll posts but I've been busy reading and feel ready to get back into blogging only my brain seems to have turned to mush and I don't know what to blog about. I know, I'll share the story with you of another time my brain turned to mush!

Back in 1998 my best friend Sarah from England was getting married. I was bridesmaid and Sarah decided to have her hen party in Dublin, so I booked a hotel, sussed out a club and was looking forward to the weekend which was about 10 days away. Then Sarah rang and started telling me the times of the flights her friends were arriving from various different UK airports, I said tell me next week, she said but we're coming on Friday...ahhhh....double ahhhh...triple ahhhh. Rang the hotel, no space for Friday. Rang some more hotels, no spaces. Panicked. Decided to put the 10 girls up in my shoebox of a house and kick the family out. Then I tried the youth hostel, and they could fit us in, phew! It was a very grotty hostel but also very cheap and we had a brilliant weekend so the girls forgave my ineptness.

Fast forward two months and the impending wedding. Our flight was booked for the Friday evening as I'd asked for an evening flight because Joules had to work and we were travelling without the children. On the Monday I became violently ill with stomach cramps and diarrhoea, so ill that I had to call out the doctor. Friends and family looked after the children as I lay in bed delirious worrying about the wedding. My GP said I probably wouldn't be able to go but he'd check me out on Friday and give me a decision. So I had to call Sarah and warn her, which didn't help her nerves. Friday rolled around and the doctor said I was just well enough to travel but to take it easy. The children went to their granny's, I packed our bags and checked the tickets as Joules locked up the house...ahhhh....the flight said 0700....I burst into tears said I couldn't cope and walked off down the road. Joules rang the travel agent to ask why they'd given us a morning flight when I'd specifically asked for the evening flight, their answer was that they would have listed all the flights for that day, I heard seven assumed it was 7pm and said yes! The travel agent rang the airline but the flight was overbooked so there were no guarantees, all we could do was get to the airport and hope there were some no shows.

We got to the airport and there were three places left, a couple turned up so only one place left with minutes to boarding. At least this meant that I could travel, we discussed driving but wouldn't have made it to Bristol in time for the wedding, this was my only hope...then another couple arrived. The manager came out to explain that only one seat was left but that he could fly the other person to Birmingham (90 miles from Bristol) and pay for a taxi to any destination. My ears pricked up at Birmingham, so I asked to speak to the manager and explained my predicament as I dissolved into floods of tears. He was fantastic and agreed to fly us to Birmingham at not extra cost but apologised for not being able to pay for our taxi as well. This was the best news ever and my dad drove to collect us from Birmingham and I made the wedding mushy brain and all!