Christmas and New Year

13th to 15th December, 1999

We had our last lazy days in the sun before beginning our return to dear old Blighty.   On the right is a somewhat untidy view of the van sporting the new satellite dish that allows us to listen to Radio 4.  On the far right David can be seen taking his last sun for a few weeks.

On the 15th we put extra pegs down to make the awning secure, packed everything away in the caravan and left for the airport.   We had arranged to leave the car at Klaus Parking.   Klaus had told us it was easy to find but we did not even get close in an hour's searching and had to call him again.    It is indeed easy to find once you know and accept the unmade track diving off the motorway intersection.    As usual we had worried about getting to the airport on time to face a delay of an hour and a half because we were later told it took that long to de-ice the plane at Luton for its first flight of the day.

At Luton we were swiftly through arrivals and our car hire people were waiting.     Leaving the arrival hall was a real shock as it was below zero and the coldest we had felt for a long time.    Our pleasure at the efficiency of the car hire booking soon evaporated when we found that they had substituted an automatic car for what we had booked.    At midnight in the freezing cold we were in no position to argue.    We tow with a big automatic car and rather like it but a 1.4 litre automatic is a different kettle of fish.

Despite the late hour, our friends insisted that we stay with them rather than find a local hotel and we made straight for them.

16th - 24th December, 1999

Our first port of call was the container, shown right, where we keep some of our bits and pieces.    It was still well below freezing and we wanted some of the warm clothes we had left there.   We were pleased to find that no harm had come to anything.   We had been told to expect condensation, but in fact we found none and the unit had remained water-tight.    We then made the essential visits to Doctors, Accountants and caravan shops.

24th to 31st December, 1999

We spent the Christmas period in Wales with family.   The bright, cold weather had changed to wet and windy, with just a few sunny spells.   However, we enjoyed a splendid Christmas dinner in the centrally heated warmth.  On Boxing Day our youngest niece, Lauren, shown below, came to join us.  She too was more mobile than when we last saw her.  After a few days in Wales, we returned to Essex, after calling on more family on the way, where we encountered our first bad case of 'flu.

The Millennium

At last the much-hyped Day arrived and we gathered with our neighbours in The Court to welcome the New Century.   Over the years, we have developed a tradition of 'Safari Suppers' on New Year's Eve and this year was so special that we had decided to make the long journey back to be there.   Other neighbours who had also left The Court returned.   However, illness in the shape of the dreaded 'flu had slightly depleted the numbers.

After a long night we arose with just enough time to have breakfast before going to our local church for the new Millennium celebration.   In common with all the churches, the bells were rung.   In our church they were rung and rung and rung.    It seems the team of young and old were not going to let the day pass without having the attention they had practised so hard and so long for.   A good turn out filled the church and everyone seemed touched by the exceptional day.

A late lunch followed church, at which we were joined at our neighbours by the tenants of our house next door.   Later that day, we visited our tenants in what we were warned might be a psychologically shocking experience.   In fact, while it did seem strange, the event passed pleasantly and without drama. 

Return to Spain

We returned to our Midland friends to find them all ill with the 'flu.    David's sister had also been ill when we met in the north and we were now more than a little concerned that it would be a miracle not withstanding the large amounts of Vitamin C we had been consuming if we were to escape it.   We returned for the last time to our container to re-stow our winter clothes and set off for Luton and our return flight on the 3rd January.

Despite being an automatic, our hire car had performed well, if slowly, and we carried out the instructions of the hire company in returning it.  Here we hit a snag in that we could not get hold of their agent at the airport.   In this we were not alone and we met two other customers frantically trying to make contact.   Overall, we were pleased with our internet-booked hire car, which cost us considerably less than we had been quoted by the regular arrivals hall companies.    However, next time we will definitely insist on confirmation that we will not be given an automatic when asking for a small car and will want a guarantee of an agent on returning the car.  

The flight was only a little late and, after an uneventful journey, we were met by Klaus who reunited us with our long-suffering Scorpio and returned to camp via Continente, where we had the good sense to stock up with food.  Next morning, we awoke with slight coughs which did not alert us to what was about to happen.   By nightfall however we knew we were about to succumb to the 'flu.   It is now almost two weeks since we returned, but we are a long way from full strength.   The first few days we were very ill and weak, alternately sweating and shivering.   This was followed by sneezing and streaming noses then persistent coughing.    Fortunately, we have effective gas and electric heating and keeping warm presented no difficulty to us.  We realise, however, how different it would be if we were real gypsies in a less civilised place.

Last updated:  18/03/01