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#919333 by honey lamb
29 Mar 2016, 22:13
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*Ooops! I thought I'd posted this ages ago and have just found it nestling, totally forgotten, in Google Drive. :oops: Humblest of humble apologies. I haven't edited it so please remember it was written in December*

Well that was a whirlwind trip! Some of you may recall that earlier this year I surprised my brother for his birthday. This time it was to celebrate his Golden Wedding which was not due until next Easter. I knew I wouldn’t be able to travel then but I owed it to him. He had met his future wife on Christmas Eve, got engaged two days later and three months later they were married! :eek: I swore at the time (privately, I hasten to add) that it wouldn’t last 50 days, then 50 weeks and later 50 months but somehow they rocked along, producing two delightful daughters and a smattering of granddaughters in the process and suddenly we were looking at 50 years. :shock: Well I felt that required a huge dollop of humble pie from me and so it was back to South Africa.

As part of our celebration we travelled to the Nambiti Game Reserve near Ladysmith for a short stay. One of my nieces goes there regularly and I had visited it two years previously, thrilled with the amount of game on view - some of the photos from that trip adorn my walls. it couldn’t be bettered, I thought. Wrong! Very wrong! We thrilled at following a cheetah and watching it hunt some eland (who got away), seeing elephant get close and personal to our vehicle to the extent that it would have been possible to put out our hands and touch them as they passed by, but the acme was watching two male lions stroll past our vehicle to a nearby dam to drink after sating themselves after a recent kill and then strolling past our vehicle to lie down and digest their feast. There was much more besides but those were the highlights. The weekend finished off with a celebratory lunch for the happy couple followed by a celebration on the Sunday for the youngest granddaughter who was making her First Holy Communion. Altogether it was a lovely week shared with family and friends.

Of course, the fact that the week was so successful meant that something was bound to go pear-shaped. So did it? Read on, dear reader! :twisted:

I had booked my flight from Durban to JNB to arrive at about 6pm, well aware that the VS flight left at 9.30pm. Plenty of time to collect my bags and re-check through to LHR since the SAA flight was on a separate booking. The original plan was that my brother was to take me to the airport but an elder granddaughter of his had flown in for the weekend from Cape Town and her flight left some three hours earlier than mine. It made sense that we both travel together to the airport so instead my niece brought the two of us - me, some several hours too early. :cry: Once there we had lunch before I went to drop my bags at the SAA desk. I had done OLCI and I’m sure that I could have blagged them to tag my bags through to LHR but because I was on an ex-EU fare, I chose not to even though the last leg was from LGW. My grandniece’s flight was due out shortly after that but she guested me into the Bidvest lounge before trotting off to her flight to CPT. The lounge was relatively quiet although there were a couple of infants who were trying to outdo each other in the yelling stakes! I helped myself to a glass of white wine given that I was still replete from lunch and put my phone and iPad on to charge while I caught up with what was happening in cyberspace. After a time I got bored. And cold! :eek: The aircon was on full blast and so I decided to do the unthinkable and joined the throngs in the departure lounge! Well throngs wouldn’t really describe the number of people there and I made my way down to the departure gate for my flight which was at the end of the terminal and bathed in sunlight. And warm! I was in heaven - well except for the fact that it was now posting that my flight was delayed! :eek: By now I was thoroughly annoyed with myself! Why? For not booking an earlier flight which I had done so in the past when flying on a SAA/VS connection; for not seeing if I could have caught an earlier flight when I checked in; for not having a G&T (just joking on that bit but I was disgruntled - what a lovely word!) :roll:

About five minutes before departure time the plane arrived and oh, the irony! Although arriving and departing passengers are separated, it was possible to view the arriving passengers leaving the aircraft and one of those leaving was my niece’s husband who had left while I was still in the Land of Nod for a meeting in JNB! In fairness to SAA, they turned around the plane with a speed worthy of Mr O’Leary’s airline and less than half an hour after our departure time we were airborne. The SAA flight was as bog standard as my ORK-LHR flights with the exception that the food service is free. I had a sandwich and a glass of white wine and in fact was offered a second wine but as we were on our descent into JNB, I really didn’t think I would down it in time before landing! Lightweight!

On arrival I collected my bag which came through quickly and made my way to the VS check-in where I was warmly welcomed and my bags checked through to LHR (I had done OLCI). Passport Control was quick and smooth and in no time I was in the Clubhouse, which is one of my favourite ones and which I had missed on my last trip through JNB. However it was really only to drop my bags as I needed to go down to duty-free to buy a few trinkets as gifts for a few people. By now I was really, really kicking myself that I had taken such a late flight as it was really eating into my Clubhouse time. Finally, at about 7.45pm I sat down in the Clubhouse thinking that I had about an hour before the flight would be called, especially as the VS flight was going from Gate 3 (or thereabouts) which was a hop and a step from the Clubhouse as opposed to trekking to the far end of the terminal where the other European airlines leave. Wrong! I had just taken possession of a glass of champagne and some nibbles when the microphone clicked and announced boarding - an hour and a half before the departure of the flight. :eek: Well champagne isn’t to be hurried and so I quaffed it at my leisure and headed off before the second call. I was quickly processed at the gate in the absence of any heaving masses and was soon on board to a relatively empty UC cabin (although it was soon to fill).

Every so often you get on a flight and think “Oh, no! It’s going to be one of those!” Well those were my thoughts upon boarding. :cry: I arrived at my seat 3A and started to get out my bits and bobs for the trip and was assiduously ignored by the crew. One crew member went up and down the aisle a couple of times smiling as she went past but that was it. The family in 4,5 and 6A who had reserved the seats before I booked, arrived and were immediately offered drinks and sleep suits. However I made my presence felt and soon I too, was in possession of both the champagne and sleepsuit. I changed into my sleep suit delighting in the fact that all the toilets in UC were operational as we were on G-VYUM (Ruby Murray - and I’m probably one of the few V-Flyers who know who Ruby Murray was and remember her!!). The cabin filled up quickly and we all quaffed our pre-flight drinks and at around 9pm most of us in UC had finished them. Nice, thinks I to myself! 30 minutes to take off. Time for a refill. Nope! :eek: The crew collected the glasses and by 9.10 we were all sitting in UC twiddling our thumbs! :cry: FFS, on my SAA flight I had been offered a refill during the descent and here we were with loads of time to spare and nothing (in fact in most airports we would still be boarding). At this stage I decided that this was definitely going to be one of “those” flights. Yup! Typical of the return flights to the UK. I chuntered away to myself during taxi and take-off, totally disappointed with what was happening. What had happened to my beloved Virgin Atlantic? Has it become mainstream?

We pushed back early and at 9.30, we were airborne and as soon as the crew were released to their duties, it was as if a transformation had taken place! The cabin crew assigned to my area fetched up beside me. “Mrs honey lamb, I see you are one of our regular guests. How can we help you tonight?” Huh? I was now a lowly Red with a two year absence. However let us not look a gift horse in the mouth and milk it for all it’s worth - if you’ll excuse the mixed metaphors! :lol: I requested a G&T of course - some things never change! Then came the question I love - “Mrs honey lamb, are you dining with us tonight?” I just long to ask for a takeaway for the fun of it! I had perused the menu and nothing in the main course grabbed me and so I requested two starters of soup and the roulade followed by the panna cotta.

The G&T was served along with crisps and at that stage the seat belt sign had come off so, as I needed the “facilities” I trotted off to the washroom. On my way back the crew having completed the drinks service, had congregated around the bar area and as I exited, they asked about my welfare and in the course of the chat one of them said something along the lines of that we were expecting an early arrival into LHR. I remarked that it was of no benefit to me other than Revivals as I had an onward flight.

Crew A: Where to?
Me: Cork
Crew B: I’m from Dublin
The stock answer to that is “Well I won’t hold that against you” given the rivalry between the two cities and at that the rest of the crew burst out laughing.
I looked at the guy who had said that. He was a personable young man who had been extremely pleasant on his trips up and down the aisle past me prior to take-off although he was currently looking after the other aisle. Given that we were in the latter days of November he was suitably hirsute for Movember but there was something niggling me about him. I looked at his name and all of a sudden it became clear - he had been cabin crew on a flight I had taken to JNB with my niece way back in 2008. He had reminded me then of a member of one of my teams when I was working - as friendly as a puppy but extremely professional and here he was back again although looking slightly different with his moustache and sideburns. As soon as the penny dropped I exclaimed, “You were on of one of my flights before. It was to JNB and the FSM didn’t make the flight as he was stuck in traffic. The SCC acted-up and she was Irish” “Yes”, he agreed. “She was XX and weren’t you travelling with a niece or cousin who had never been to South Africa before and had never flown Virgin?” Well I had! So we had a bit of a chat before I returned to my seat.

I don’t think I watched anything on the IFE at this stage apart from the map and instead used my iPad while enjoying my pre-dinner crisps and G&T. At one stage my hero came round clearing glasses etc from the drinks round. My crisp dish was empty but my glass wasn’t. He asked me if I wanted some more crisps and quick as a flash I responded “If there’s a G&T going with them” There was! :grin:

In the fullness of time the meal service began. The dear girl who was looking after our side of the cabin continued to address me by name - something that had rarely happened to me when I was Gold and made me feel I was back on that level again. The soup was warm and gloopy, the roulade tasty and the panna cotta absolutely delicious. Even though I didn’t have a main course I really didn’t feel I had missed out on one. To drink, I rather think I had the Malbec for the simple reason that I had loved it while in Argentina - although this was a French one.

Once the meal was over there was no other option available to me but to sleep. It wasn’t a hard decision. I had been up shortly after dawn had spread its rosy fingers over the sky (with thanks to Homer for that description of a perfect dawn) and there’s nothing more tiring than hanging around airports unnecessarily as had happened in DUR - an earlier arrival in JNB would have mitigated against this. honey lamb, please note this for the future and do what you have always done in the past and take an earlier flight to JNB! OK, telling off over! It was now time for beddy-bye-byes! I headed off to the loo, toothbrush in hand and was asked if I needed the bed made up. Whether it was the dear young lady in charge of my section or my hero from my earlier flight to JNB, I know not as they both made the offer. Suffice it to say, that when I returned to my suite, it winked seductively at me and whispered, “Come into my arms! You know you want to be there” Oh I did! Indeed I did! I snuggled down and was soon away with the fairies. Unfortunately the fairies felt that they were needed somewhere else in the cabin and soon deserted me so thereafter I slept fitfully. Eventually I gave up and quietly got my bits and bobs ready to change for landing. Quick as a flash the cabin crew was beside me asking if I would like something before breakfast and a cup of coffee was speedily delivered to me. After that, I changed while my bed was converted back to a seat and later cereal and fruit was delivered to me.

Shortly after that we began our descent into LHR. Both the delightful girl who had looked after our side and my hero from a previous flight came by to see if I was OK or needed anything else and overall both made me feel I was someone special. My feeling about it was that, after an inauspicious start, this was as good as any flight I had had as Gold and certainly a lot better than some I could mention - and indeed have written about. Although this was about 6am, we were placed in a stack and after a few loops, were on the ground. As I was on an ex-EU with an onward flight from LGW *cough* I headed off to Border Control. It was a toss-up as to whether I should use the ordinary queue or the e-gates. The queue for the latter was the shorter and so I joined it but some of those ahead of me did not seem able to read the basic instructions and had to be told what to do by the staff and someone managed to banjax a gate completely so that it was out of commission for a time. It was restored before I got there but Sod’s Law decreed that that was the one I would use. Eeek! However I must have done everything right as in a matter of seconds I was through and ready to grab my bag which had just started to come through on to the belt.

I was longing for a shower and a nice breakfast and within minutes I was in Revivals and seconds later, luxuriating in a warm shower. This was followed by a gorgeous full English breakfast. My happiness was complete. I had seen on the Itinerary calendar that Dragon Lady was due in on VS2 but at a time after I would have left Revivals. However many of you may recall how she had posted a series of disasters in Chicago including being robbed and had been considering an earlier flight from JFK. I was just perusing my iPhone about the arrival of VS flights from JFK when a voice beside me said, “honey lamb” and a joyful albeit brief reunion took place.

By this time it was just about 8.45am and I decided to head for T2 and my 9.45 am Aer Lingus flight. I had done OLCI and so was quickly through bag drop and security and reached the gate area at just before 9am. “Great!” thinks I to myself. “Time to charge up the phone and iPad” and I quickly hooked up the devices just as the microphone clicked on and boarding was announced! For Heaven’s sake! What was happening to my flights? One called an hour and a half before boarding and another 45 minutes beforehand! Well at least they both left on time!

The Aer Lingus flight left on time, arrived early and was bog standard except that I didn’t have a G&T. My bags came through quickly but alas, my lift home didn’t as I received a message from my friend to say that her husband was delayed by an hour! I suppose there has to be some disaster - even one as small as this!
#919349 by SlimpyJones
30 Mar 2016, 08:41
Great read HL! You're very brave to have a 2 hour connection on separate tickets :P Still, very happy it worked out and that the crew pulled through. I've always been intrigued by the JNB clubhouse, there seem to be so few pictures of it around...
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