Crash.
What was that?
I scratched my head for a moment before I resumed packing, slipping my last items into my hand-luggage before zipping it up proudly. Outside of my bedroom window, the wind raged. I could see leaves being thrown up and spun in a violent circle on my driveway.
I was due to fly in a couple of hours and as luck would have it, a storm had just hit the UK. Storm ‘Ali’ to be exact. The news promised 100 mile an hour gusts and screamed the usual scaremongering about a ‘danger to life’ as soon as you leave your home. It wasn’t exactly ideal flying conditions. I just hoped there would be a break in the wind as we lifted from the runway.
I took a quick look at my phone, taking in the time. Hmmm, I thought. Our driver normally comes at least ten minutes early but still no sign. Before you automatically assume I’m some posh twit with a ‘driver’, it normally costs £30 for a taxi to the airport and £40 for a private hire vehicle. That extra £10 is totally worth it, in my opinion, to pretend I’m a celebrity for 20 minutes in a snazzy long-wheelbase Mercedes with heated-seats and a pillow embedded in the head-rest!
I started to feel a tad anxious. It didn’t help matters that Lewis agreed that it was unusual for our driver – Cat – to leave things to the last minute.
I decided to give her a bell and she assured me she was just down the road.
Perfect. I could breath a sigh of relief as I gathered our bags by the front door, bracing myself for the vicious wind outside.
The minutes started to go by.
We arranged the pick-up for 12pm and it was not 12.10pm and we were none the wiser about Cat’s whereabouts.
Then I received a call.
“I’m outside. Where are you?” She began.
“I’m in the house. I can’t see you though.” I responded, peering out of the window.
There was a pause on the other end of the line. I waited in anticipation.
“Wait.” She murmured at last. “Where are you?”
I gave my address.
“Oh, no.” She responded. “I’ve gone to the wrong Ella’s house.”
I bit my lip. I just prayed that the other Ella didn’t live too far from where I was. I was aware of the minutes passing by and the last thing I wanted to do was miss my flight.
“Right. I’ll be with you shortly. Give me 5 minutes.”
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Cat pulled up at the end of our drive and Lewis and I began strolling down to meet her. Mind you, we nearly got blown away in the process. If anything, the wind had only gotten worse.
As we passed our car, I suddenly realised what the tremendous crash was that I had heard earlier. Our garden furniture was pushed up against the side of our car, forced by the violent gales. Well, we couldn’t just leave them there so after relocating them so that they could cause no further damage, we set off for the airport.
We shouldn’t have been worried about missing our flight however as when we arrived, we were informed that our plane was delayed.
In total, we were delayed by 2 hours and my patience was waning. I had wanted to arrive in Kefalonia before nightfall but now I was struggling to see how that was going to be possible. Stupid wind.
Although it’s never fun to experience delays, I was glad we were as it turns out that the strong winds had put a lot of strain on our plane’s brakes. The 2 hour delay was necessary as our plane had a brand new brake unit fitted. Safety first!
Taking off in the storm was something else. I had expected it to be bumpy but nothing could have quite prepared me for just how bumpy it was. I don’t get worried flying but I do get motion sickness sometimes and I was really feeling it. The only thing I can really liken it to is a rollercoaster. There’s numerous ups and downs and you aren’t sure when it’s going to end.
Fortunately, once we were through the clouds, the rocking from side to side subsided and I could enjoy a glass of wine in peace. Now that we were safely en route to Kefalonia, I allowed myself to be filled with excitement for the trip to come.
