The Eagle has (almost) Landed!

I've spent the last 48 hours on tenterhooks - as have many British ex-pats - wondering if the family are going to make it to Dubai for Christmas.  We seem to go through this every year, such is the danger of a) living in a tiny island which gets fog-bound in the middle of summer b) travelling in December when the UK seems to be completely snowed in.

I bluffed my way through numerous emails and calls with my dear mum, but truth be told, I was getting a little concerned.  The thought of seeing my 74 year old grandmother on the floor of Gatwick Airport, wrapped in a tinfoil sheet, on the front cover of the Daily Mail, was just too much to contemplate.  Stress was at fever pitch even before the bad weather hit, with my grandmother (aka Joan Collins due to her penchant towards fashion and glamour)  apparently planning for every eventuality.  She had contacted her gay neighbours and told them who to speak to if the plane crashed...I ask you - nothing like positive thinking!  So you can see how the weather put the tin lid on the whole situation.

Anyway, I can confirm that the entire family, is as we speak, boarding the plane to Dubai.  Just as soon as the Emirates and Gatwick Airport websites are displaying the magic word ('airborne') I shall relax.  Well until 2 am when I have to go and meet them at the airport!

I'm not complaining.  I know they are some of the lucky few - stories abound of those stranded with no hope of getting anywhere near home or their loved ones for Christmas.  Thank you universe! (And Gatwick Airport for being so much more on the ball than Heathrow!)

Christmas in the Desert

It's never to early to think about Christmas when you're an ex-pat, as it inevitably involves a discussion about where you're going to be.  Thankfully this discussion has always been very short since I moved to Dubai: I want to be in the sunshine, thanks very much!  The first year I was here I did nip back to Manchester in the December, which was all very lovely: fur hat, fur boots, fur stole....oh and the mulled wine at the German markets.  But apart from the fashion and the festive beverages, I really don't find much to commend about the UK in wintertime - wanting to escape the sleet, snow, hail, and freezing fog is one of the prime reasons that I left in the first place.

Thankfully my gorgeous mini-family are just as in love with Dubai as I am, and whilst I know my dad would love a cheeky pint in a down and dirty Manchester pub over Christmas, he manages to somehow kick back with the bottled designer beers and numerous stylish bars in my home city.  So today I gleefully booked their flights; no mean feat considering the Jersey - London combo and timings.  Without wishing to bore you, there are no flights from Jersey to Heathrow, only Jersey to Gatwick, meaning that I was faced with a choice of schlepping them across London in a taxi to Heathrow, or biting the bullet and paying for the pricier tickets.  Without quoting figures - the flights are daylight robbery.  In the end I decided that they have enough of an incredible journey ahead of them, which they wouldn't have to endure if I hadn't decided to move out here, so I took the pricier path of least resistance.  They're worth it. 

The inevitable itinerary is being worked on as we speak....the authorities are on full alert...I've booked my place at the Betty Ford clinic for the day that they leave....can't wait.

Oh Snow!

I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of my family. In all the excitement and drama of the 'will they/won't they' BA strike, I hadn't even thought about the weather. As the UK got colder and colder, I laughed to friends, exclaiming: "No need to worry, it hasn't snowed in Jersey for at least 15 years." And then, of course, it did.

If you think that the UK grinds to a halt when it snows, then you haven't seen Jersey. Two flakes and the schools were closed. Three flakes and the buses and taxis stopped running. At this stage I assumed there must have been at least a foot of snowfall, but my dear mum assured me that not a flake was sticking to the roads. Pandemonium!

Anyway, this inevitably meant airport chaos yesterday. Jersey Airport is the size of a postage stamp and ill equipped for bad weather. Unfortunate really, as Jersey, despite being blessed with a lot of lovely sunny weather, also has a tendency to get fog bound. I've lost count of the amount of hours I've had to kill there whilst delayed. And even had to collect my bags and fall on the mercy of my parents for one more night when the entire place shut down.

I spent a good part of yesterday evening on the Jersey Airport website (surely the most traffic they've had all year!) and was just starting to panic when by 8 pm, not a single flight had taken off. Thankfully, my midnight, they were staring to clear.

And this morning, my family were airborne! They still have another flight to catch from Gatwick, but I'm sure the universe knows just how much they want to be here. See you soon!