Arrival

As usual, flying is an adventure no matter how many times you do it. One would think a simple trip from Calgary to Victoria would not involve any grief but on Sunday, it did. And I can't blame the airlines for what happened as it was our own fault.

Our plane was due to leave at 7:20 a.m. so we figured that getting to the airport around 6:20 a.m. would suffice since it was early Sunday morning and we didn't have to clear customs. We could not have been more wrong.

First, it was the beginning of spring break in Calgary so many families were travelling. Second, our flight left at the same time as ones to Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto. The line-up at the Air Canada check-in was very long. We had our boarding passes but still had to wait. We were supposed to have printed out our luggage tag but we didn't realize that until talking to others in the line. In the end, it was just as well since the counter clerk flagged it with a priority tag.

We reached the counter at 7:00 and I must say, Air Canada had plenty of people working so they had anticipated the crowds. However, we weren't sure security would have done the same. Turns out they were also well staffed but the 'wand' didn't like my jeans or my shoes. I had to remove my shoes but they let me keep my jeans on.

We made a quick bathroom stop then hit the gate just as the last person was boarding. Definitely not good for my blood pressure. Once we were sitting in our seats, Glen muttered something about hoping our checked luggage made it onto the plane. My heart sank.

It was pouring rain when we landed on The Island but we weren't surprised. What did surprise us was our luggage coming off the plane first. The priority flag had actually worked!

Seeing our apartment building with all the scaffolding and the green, billowing weather-sheeting gone was a shock. What was left behind is simply gorgeous. The sage green siding is trimmed with wood and looks very modern. The balconies have frosted glass panes and the windows are fantastic. We love what has been done and it is so worth the cost.

However, inside our unit, was a mess so as I unpacked, Glen got out the vacuum. We also loaded up the dishwasher as they had removed all our dishes from their cabinet in order to fix the wire that powered our dishwasher and dust had settled heavily on all of it.

As I made our grocery list, Glen went down to start up the van. He always holds his breath as he never knows if the battery's charge has lasted the months we've been away. This time it hadn't. So while I continued cleaning, he called BCAA to boost it. They got it going and then he drove halfway to the airport and back to charge it up.

Meanwhile I discovered the dishwasher was not working. Again my heart sank. I just didn't want to deal with that as well as the van in one day. It turns out Glen hadn't turned the machine on as he felt the hot water wasn't up to temperature. When I did start the machine all was well. Yay!

We did our shopping and I was getting pretty hungry by this time. It had been 7 hours since breakfast. I couldn't wait to get home and eat what we had bought. But, you guessed it, the van didn't start. So again we called BCAA. In the meantime, I went back to Safeway and bought some sandwiches and drinks. Glen had said he wasn't hungry but I knew I could last no longer.

So we had a picnic in the parking lot. Food has never tasted so good!! Even Glen said he didn't realize how hungry he was. We ended up buying a new battery as we couldn't remember how old the one in the van was. Best guess was greater than 10 years.

We spent the rest of the day cleaning or napping (I had been up at 3:00 a.m. so was working on sleep deprevation). Tradition is we go to Christies for supper which meant I didn't have to worry about cooking. Glen had their shepherd's pie while I had Thai coconut prawn curry but we started with potato wedges smothered in cheese.

Since it had been that kind of day, when my meal arrived it was a piece of garlic bread and a ramekin of shrimp. Nowhere to be seen was the basmati rice, the naan bread, or the vegetables. I never complain about mixed up orders but I could not face such a pathetic meal. Turns out the chef read the order wrong and I got what I wanted lickety split and it was piping hot.

We were home by 7:00 p.m. and in bed by 8:00 p.m.