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Monday 19 April 2010

What a difference a few days make

When I came back from Spain last Tuesday, little did I know what would unfold just 48 hours later. My daughter went off on a hen party to Majorca for four days on the Thursday and won't now be able to get back until Saturday night - and even then only by flying on the only flight they could get, to Doncaster (not Gatwick where they set off from). If they wanted to return to Gatwick they wouldn't be able to get on a flight until Wednesday week! Oh and even if they could get to the Spanish mainland (I've suggested hiring a pedalo) the ferries from Santander are fully booked until the 28th and I am not sure how much faith I have in the Navy being able to pick everyone up. How many people can an aircraft carrier hold and where would they sleep?

To cap it all the French border police put paid to any chance of a repeat of the Dunkirk flotilla being raised. A pity that because it would be great seeing a mixture of pleasure boats, dinghies and barges crossing the channel to do their bit to get our brave tourists and business people back anytime soon.

I am sure there re very good reasons for the total ban on flights, but it does beg the question, is this the only serious volcanic eruption in recent history? I am not questioning the severity of it, but you'd expect at the very least a bit of a hazy sky or maybe a bit of darkness and swirly stuff. Instead Britain is relatively basking in its best weather for quite a while.

All this can't be doing much for the economic recovery. I expect Brown will get the blame somehow.