We're off
As we're away for just over 3 weeks, the cost of a taxi is only slightly more than the car parking and on the basis we'll arrive back completely shattered from 4 back-to-back flights, it seemed sensible to go by taxi.
We've used the same company for the past 20 years, albeit very rarely. It's a one man band outfit although he does have other drivers to call on if necessary, he lives locally and is rather "old school" - always calls us sir/madam, smartly dressed with shirt and tie and always on time. What I hadn't noticed before was that he sounds just like Michael Caine and I kept expecting him to say "you were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off" - he didn't. Also, I’d always assumed he was quite elderly and was amazed today when he mentioned he was 66.
Despite a couple of slowdowns on the M20 and M25 we got to Heathrow T5 in record time and of course not having to park/transfer meant we were really early for the lounge. Breakfast was just being taken off the buffet but there were still a few pastries and coffee to be had. The lunch options arrived within half hour - very nice too; chilli, chicken/garlic curry, veg curry (hot!) as well as salads and of course the obligatory glass(es) of fizz.
My cold/cough/germ has cleared quite well but poor Ian is still at the early stages and I feel very sorry that he has 24+ hours of travelling to cope with. We have decanted our 1 bottle of cough medicine into a 100ml container (it was 120ml) and I need to make him drink it, as chances are we'll have to throw it away before we enter Australia (that's what Boot's told me)
Our Gothenburg flight is delayed 20 mins at the moment. due to late incoming flight, but we're not in a hurry to get there and the nice young man (!) at check-in promised our luggage wouldn't get lost. He used to work for Qatar Airways and when we said we were off to Australia guessed who we were flying with, but he couldn't quite believe the savings (£3K less than flying from London).