Look out Canada I'm on my way!

I love it when a plan comes together! After a fairly busy day yesterday with all the last minute bits and pieces done, I finally sat down in front of TV and nodded off. Before I knew it Paul my lift to Carmarthen was knocking at the door; it was 12.30am! Time for a quick cuppa and away we went for a traffic free and uneventful 25 mile run. There was only one other passenger waiting at the bus stop when I arrived a young Chinese girl, whom I unfortunately managed to completely confuse by asking if she was waiting for the Heathrow bus!!! How was I to know that she hardly spoke any English? I must admit I got a bit worried when she made a hurried phone call and passed the phone over to me, half expecting to hear some voice of some authority asking me why I was even talking to her! I gingerly took the phone. Another Chinese voice but with a much better command of English explained that the girl was worried about getting on the wrong bus, she was going to London Victoria, and asked me to check the bus for her when it arrived. Phew! that will teach me to speak to strange young girls at bus stops !!! Anyway alls well that ends well, we got onto the same bus, with me alighting at Cardiff Central Bus Station to await my connection to Heathrow, whilst she stayed aboard for the run down to Victoria. Check in was uneventful, security equally so. A quick  browse around the so closed duty free at yet more tech which I couldn't afford and if I'm hones,t don't need, and time to find a corner for a snooze. Although I don't actually feel too bad as I slept most of the way from Cardiff on the bus albeit rather uncomfortably. In another three and a half hours I'll be winging my way across "the pond" for an emotional reunion. Yes, hopefully my baby will be waiting at the docks for me!!!

I had a great flight which passed really quickly in spite of being 30 minutes late taking off from Heathrow! I sat next to a South African from Jo’burgh named Scott, a corrosion engineer, who was on his way out to the Oil Fields off the Nova Scotia coast.  We spent a good portion of the flight putting the world to rights and discussing as wide a range of subject matter and trivia as you could imagine. Although he was only half my age we seemed to be on pretty much the same wavelength ! 

During the later part of the flight my right foot had started to hurt a bit. As we landed and I tried to put my boots back on I realised that it was actually really painful to the point where I could put any weight on it without excruciating pain shooting through it! So after arriving on board like a two year old about to have his first adventure, I shambled off as though I was ready for the knackers yard ! Immigration as always was to say the least very slow and by the time I shuffled  out of the exit to meet David I was in absolute agony. I can only think that when I nodded off on the plane I had my foot twisted in some way and just hoped that it would soon pass. David was an absolute hero in helping me with my bags and running out to my Motel which is far further out of town than I had realised… that’s what happens sometimes when you try to save a few quid!  I was in no fit state to take in the sites of Halifax so by a little after 6pm I was safely tucked up in my huge and very comfortable bed with a couple of pain killers and not a bear in sight….

My first Night's Accommodation...
 Unfortunately the 4x4 didn't come with it!

Waking early this morning, strangely at around my usual waking time of 5am, I am relieved to find that whilst my foot is still a little sore I can now stand on it and even manage to walk, so things are looking up.  The first thing I did was to check my emails to see when I could collect “the Beast” and was somewhat disappointed to find that it looks as though the ship doesn't  dock until the 15^th… So I may be stuck in this rather expensive (by my scale of things) hotel for another couple of nights ! Ah well, I'm not going to stress about it, I’ll just have to see how things unfold once I speak to the shippers and David later this morning. And so to my first Canadian Breakfast.

Not at all a bad view to wake up to and no snow !!!