Storms

A quick visit to the south of France was just what my dear friend (I'm not allowed to call her my "old" friend) Jane and I needed to escape the storms of life and of England. We managed to sunbathe in sweltering heat on the sheltered side of Cap d'Antibes whilst the trees of Juan les Pins were horizontal in the howling Mistral just a couple of miles away. The holiday was not without hiccoughs, however. The 7am EasyJet flight from Bristol to Nice was our obvious choice, hand luggage only. The theory was fine but the practice of getting up a 4am, Jane stuffing a couple of last minute pairs of shoes into her already tight bag and then discovering that there really was no way around the airline poicy of not allowing a handbag as well as a travel bag did test our mettle. "Please put your bag into the metal case to prove that it is within the authorised size limits," was the high command from the stewardess. Jane took her at her word, pushing the bag in with all her strength, with the result that it became well and truly stuck. We pulled and we shoved until we were red in the face, with Jane lamenting the fact that Bristol airport was sorely lacking in gallant men, and, ten minutes later, the bag popped out intact, contrary to all expectations. The return journey was also not without its dramas. We'd hired a small Citroen which had managed to get through the narrow streets of the mediaeval hill village, St Paul de Vence, with about half a centimetre to spare on either side of the wing mirrors. When we left for the airport in the glorious sunshine, however, I drove around a corner and heard a scrunch. In my haste, I'd scraped the side on a wall. Aargh! Jane, of course, had been enjoying a little shopping in France and there was absolutely no way that her new purchases along with her handbag would fit into her travel bag. She is very clever though and had bought a new handbag made of cheery flowery cotton which she carried as if it were a scarf. Meanwhile her bag was zipped on its outer limits and wouldn't have fitted in any test case. "Is your bag within the permitted size?" the stewardess asked her. "It's the same bag that I brought over as hand luggage," Jane replied with a winning smile. We got through, sans probleme.