Gatwick !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????

I suppose it was only a matter of time before I got round to this and of course I know there are lots of people worse off than us but I think I have earned the right for a really good whinge. First Iceland foul up the economy with a little help from Gordon Brown and then the wreck the airways as well. Now don't get me wrong, we enjoyed Iceland when we passed through there and I suppose the down side of all that spectacular geological scenery is that occassionally everything just overcooks. I learned all about tectonic plates and geothermal forces in Santa school but somehow we were always promised that it would be Los Angeles that disappeared in spectacular fashion rather than remote northern glaciers. Suffice to say that we are not happy bunnies having spent a very expensive, tiring and disappointing day or so in Costa del Gatwick. There will be an update on this thing that you can't see and which doesn't seem to obscure the sun or the moon at all too frequent intervals just to make sure that you don't get your hopes up too much before the next let down. In one of those quirky lift conversations I was chatting to a man trying to get back to Atlana since last Thursday and estimated that his absence as the main wheeler dealer was costing his company $10,000 a day. Folorn people trailing little crocodiles of luggage and looking with faint hope at the TV screens. Now tell me, with all the airports closed what to all those people from HM Customs and Excise and UK Borders Agency do? I bet they are still getting paid.
Now let me see - how did it go

• Yes there may be flights please come to the airport hotel ready as previously arranged
• No I appreciate that you may not need the airport parking that came with your hotel room but we are going to take your car away for a week anyway
• Oh - if there are no planes tomorrow you might need the car in the morning. I am sorry that will be difficult and will take about an hour and a half and an extra charge (for not looking after your car for a week)
• Actually we have no idea what is happening but will continue to make news broadcasts that assure you we have everything under control every couple of hours
• No I am sorry you can't come into the restaurant. You were due to check out at 4.30 this morning, your booking does not include breakfast
• That's fine sir, I will charge it to your room - £27.50 each for breakfast please

The first rule of customer service in the hospitality business - smile sweetly and assure the customer that everything is under control/there is nothing you can do/you will talk to the manager - delete whichever is not applicable

the airline has an even better answer - knowing several thousand of its fee paying passengers are stranded around the world lets shut the office and replace it with a recorded message which after telling you that it will "cost 10p per minute from a BT landline charges from other providers and mobiles may vary" takes five minutes to tell you that they won't be open again until 9.00 on Monday and if it is an emergency please phone xxxxxxxx which just happens to be the number you dialled in the first place

Still the sun is shining here and it is raining over there so I suppose every cloud (ash or otherwise) has a silver lining

Whinge over - sympathy for all others still stranded overseas rapidly running out of patience and money and for all those who, like us, spent fruitless and disappointing hours at points of UK departure

The true meaning of Easter

Mrs Claus points out that it is nearly 3 weeks since I last blogged. Personally I blame Facebook and I am thinking of banning Mrs Claus from using it. I suppose it is not so bad in our slack season but I will need her fully operational when we start the build up to Christmas again. The other distraction is of course SUN, Mrs Claus being allergic to rain and grey skies. "It is April" she says "and we should be able to sit out in the sunshine". To my mind, torrential rain, rainbows, and sunny intervals is about what we expect in April so the first three days have been pretty spot on. That said, I do agree that we have had quite enough rain for the timebeing. When I went across the lawn to get my spare boots I nearly sank up to my ankles.
OUR TIME - Christmas is of course a Christian festival, despite being linked with the original Jewish celebration of Hannukah and timed to coincide with the Roman pagan rites of Saturnalia but it is essentially the coming of Christ that we remember despite all the presents and razamataz that go with the 21st Century. (what am I saying, without all that I would be out of work!)
It is good to be able to take time out and celebrate the other major Christian festival - the culmination of what began at Christmas, that is Easter - the death and resurrection of our Lord.
Went to the Good Friday march yesterday and thankfully we were still able to hold the celebration outside despite a very overcast sky and some half hearted (and ill informed) heckling. Prayers and speaker very good and great to be able to sing and praise in public. This year we had a full police escort to keep the rebellious Christians in order and TWO police vans just in case they needed to take any of us away for being too exuberant. But Christianity is a revolutionary faith and if you want to know why I say that you had better come along to housegroup on Thursday night!