Summer into autumn thoughts!

Two weeks ago yesterday I flew back to England, leaving Phil to continue playing chess in Vigo, so that I could assist with the preparations and eventual settling in of our fifth grandchild. That evening I wrote a blogpost, describing the fun and games of travel and the like. When I tried to post it, try as I might the system would not let me in properly. I went through all the usual steps, even tried a variety of passwords, but each time I reached a point where the notice popped up: "you currently have no blog. Would you like to start one?" That was a surprise, especially as I had gone into the system via an already existing blog. 

The start of that post went like this: 

"Well, my summer seems to have come to a soggy end. I was up at the crack of dawn this morning. No, in fact well before the crack of dawn, waiting for a taxi to arrive at 4.00 am. Fortunately, it did not arrive on Wednesday morning, as I feared it might. I took the precaution of phoning the taxi company on Wednesday evening, just to make sure it would actually turn up this morning. All was well. The taxi turned up. 

The bus station was in almost total darkness. But the doors were open and I had my ticket for the bus. A noisy group of young people were waiting for the bus as well. Eventually, at about 4.15 am they switched some lights on. We no longer had to rely in the soft drinks machine for illumination. 

And so I dozed my way to Porto airport, where just about everything on the ground floor was still closed. None of the cafes planned on opening until 7.00 and it was still only 5.30 am Portuguese time! Upstairs the queue to go through security was immense. However, there was a cafe open there and I opted for coffee and a croissant before joining the line of hopeful travellers. 

All the way to Porto, the weather had been getting foggier and foggier. But there were no notices of possible problems at the airport so I kept my fingers crossed. All to no avail! It was only after the gate number had been announced and we had been encouraged to gather at the far end of the airport, where the budget flights depart from, that they finally told us that departure was delayed by an hour, at least! Because of the fog, landings and take-offs were slower than usual and our plane had been retained at Manchester until a slot became available for it. 

I seem to have no luck with this 10.15 flight. Or maybe it's the flight itself that is jinxed. I have been delayed at least twice for this flight and a friend of mine was delayed by a good three hours in June! 

But I made it home to a rather damp and gloomy, although not cold, Manchester. Ever optimistic, I hold out hopes of a bit of and Indian summer even yet. September can be very nice. We shall see." 

There followed some reflections on the burkini controversy, which are being cast aside as they are now totally out of date and irrelevant. 

In the meantime, the expected fifth grandchild, a girl, has been safely delivered and all is well. Phil returned to England yesterday on the same 10.15 flight, with no delays whatsoever. So clearly, it's just me the airplane gods are conspiring against. I am trusting that with the return of my trusty IT wizard, I shall have no more posting problems. 

In the wider world, our crazy government wants to bring back grammar schools and selection at age eleven, as if our children did not have enough testing going on already. They also plan to lift restrictions on faith schools so that they can recruit 100% within their faith and have no need for diversity. The education system is in a mess. 

In fact the country is in a mess with the minister in charge of organising our withdrawal from the EU having no idea of how to proceed. No plan seems to be in evidence. 

Spain appears to be continuing without a government and now I read that the rickety old train that runs from Porto to Vigo has crashed, killing at least four and injuring others. 

The world is topsy turvy and the run of sunny days has turned now into rain but, fingers crossed, I can now blog again successfully!