After years of planning, we're off at last. We hope that you'll follow our progress through this blog and enjoy hearing about our adventures. Please keep in touch, either through this channel, or through mandefearn@anglecottage.plus.com

Two weeks to lift off!  Still lots to do, including getting the hang of this blog.  We're off this afternoon to pick up a variety of world currencies from the local Post Office, which may throw them into a bit of a frenzy!

Naughty bag!

What a day of ups and downs!  Packing done - check. Online check-in completed - check.  Tickets, passports and travel reservation confirmations safely stowed - check.  Cats thoroughly stroked and farewelled - check.  Taxi (my brother-in-law Ken) booked for 14:45 for a train departure at 15:28 - check.  We're feeling that we're well on top of things and congratulating ourselves of such.  Wrong!!  We arrived at Totnes railway station with ten minutes to spare and the train was on time.  Where's the bag with all the travel details, foreign currency and vital documentation in it?  Liz looks accusingly at Martin, who has the most dire of sinking feelings! In the excitement of taking our leave, he's left it in the house!!  To cut this long story short, Ken had to take Martin back to Harberton to collect the bag, while Liz and her sister Susan remained at the station to book tickets for the next train as we missed our intended service.  It could have have been worse - we could have lived more than the three miles to Harberton away from the station or we could have realised we didn't have the missing bag when we were half way up the line.  So, just an hour later we were on our way.  No worries about cutting it fine at Heathrow as I had built in a good margin for error - little thinking it would be my error.  Liz was cross, of course, but she wasn't crosser than I was with myself!
The journey after that was trouble-free.  We transferred to the RailAir coach service at Reading, there was no traffic to hold us up and in about forty minutes, Terminal 5 loomed large.  I must say that Heathrow, and T5 in particular, is now a well-organised airport - so different from the nightmares of years gone by. Mind you, it may have been because there were only a few flights left for the day.  We dropped our bags and were through security in no time. A slight delay with the hand luggage search as I had completely forgotton my shaving foam was in my carry-on bag - it was confiscated. Only a short time in the lounge before we were on our way by the transit train to T5C satellite terminal and straight on board to the prospect 13 and a half hours flying in front of us.
We know it's an extravagance, but Business Class is worth the fare for long sectors particularly.  It's great travelling as Mr and Mrs Fearn, rather than those two in 47 A and B!  Soon we settled down to the welcome drink and menu choices, with the tedium of the long sector broken by a nice dinner and film/music.  And a flat bed!  I slept almost properly for six hours, Liz less so. Breakfast of a fresh fruit plate was great followed by the hot English and arrival at Buenos Aires virtually on time on Thursday morning at 09:00 local to sunny cloudless skies and 23 degrees C.  Full marks to British Airways.  And so, with memories of the Totnes railway station debacle banished, the adventure now really begins ........