Leaving Portsmouth!

I suppose I've had mixed feelings about leaving Portsmouth for a long time. Yes, I will miss friends and family, but the truth is, I won't miss the place. Darrell and I have outgrown the city and need to fly away for a while; If I am honest, we have felt trapped for a long time. However, the last twenty-four hours was as emotional as the last six weeks. Pat, a family friend, came down from Whiteparish to say goodbye, and I was so glad she did. She put a lot of the issues we had been dealing with into perspective, and I was left feeling a hundred times better, than I had before she arrived.

The morning we left, quite aptly, poured down with rain; at times it was torrential, but was a rather poignant way for us to leave. The rain and poor weather has always been a reason for us to travel and the deluge that accompanied us as we left in the taxi, really reinforced our reasons for travelling for an extended period.

To my surprise, Zerina turned up to say goodbye; she really is someone I will miss with all my heart. She has been nothing but supportive and has left a lasting impression on both of us. Without her in our life, it would have been all the poorer; she is definitely a friend for life.

When the taxi arrived at 9.15 am, I was truly glad to say goodbye. There have been too many tears over the last few weeks, so many, that I think Darrell and I have just been feeling drained and in need of solace. I have never been good at showing emotion anyway, so driving off in the taxi, we both gave a loud sigh of relief. Of course, we are sad to say goodbye, but this extended farewell party had gone on far too long, and we were both happy to just finally let go!

Sat at Fratton railway station, we talked about our life with family in Portsmouth. It was a deep and meaningful conversation, one that we both needed to have. Thoughts and feeling finally laid to rest, we could now move forwards onto the next stage of our adventures. As we sat there lost in the moment, my Cousin Joe turned up, followed by an old friend Paul, from The Newcome, who both made their final farewells, and we all gave each other a well deserved hug. As the 10.19 am train to Barnham pulled into the station, late, I took one last look at the place and quietly said my goodbyes. I'm not going to see this city for a very long time, leaving content and happy with my decision, was an absolute must. Many ghosts were laid to rest and as the train doors closed behind me, I was satisfied we had made the right choice, to follow our hearts, and leave past difficulties behind.

The journey to Gatwick Airport was a nightmare. Not only was the train late, but we were given the wrong information by the guard at Fratton. Expecting to change at Barnham, we were told to actually remain on board, where another train would link up, and we would continue on our way. It was all rather confusing, especially with rail works ongoing and the train having to terminate at Three Bridges, one stop away from Gatwick. Suitably annoyed, I got off, along with hundreds of others, jumping on the next one to Bedford. Both Darrell and I looked at each other shaking our head in disbelief, just glad to be finally leaving the UK, never wanting to set foot on public transport again.

I could certainly tell I was at Gatwick Airport when In arrived, the disorganisation and lack of information was noticeable as we walked around. With a few hours to kill, we ended up in Jamie's Coffee Shop, drinking beer and consuming what I can only describe as the most expensive sandwiches known to man. Forty pounds poorer, we checked into our flight.

I had paid for an all 'bangs and whistles' ticket, which included speedy boarding. We walked past a long line of disgruntled looking people and headed to the self check in desks. Having not done it before, we both made a mess of the whole thing and had to call a member of staff over for help, who equally didn't know what they were doing. With only one bag checked in, she reluctantly came up with a compromise that allowed us to finally go through security and into the airport.

The process of going through the security checks was easy enough, although far more intense than it was in the past. I was held back for fifteen minutes, where they swabbed my bags, asked me some questions and after a brief talk with a colleague, ushered me on my way. Once on the other side, we made a beeline for a very packed Wetherspoons, but soon thought better of it, and made our way to another restaurant on the other side of the terminal. By now I was as grumpy as hell, Darrell more so, so we just ordered a very average burger each and a pint of beer.... and what did we pay for the gastronomical delight?... A hefty seventy pounds! I was fuming to say the last.

By the time the plane took off, I was subtly intoxicated; relaxed, in astonishment, I had a very pleasant flight, a far cry from flights of the past. It was smooth, enjoyable, especially not having to wait in line with the great unwashed, and almost put my faith back into Easy Jet as an airline. On landing, my bags were even there on time which was equally surprising, comparing the experiences of other passengers, using this popular airline after the pandemic. Of course, I'm not counting my chickens yet, until we fly to London on the 14th September, but fingers crossed for an uneventful return.

Despite leaving the UK half an hour late, the flight landed in Split on time. Both of us could finally breathe a sigh of relief and start our journey around the world. Last night I slept like a baby, for the first time in months; this is a trip to reconnect with the World first and foremost, but this first leg is about having time together, with our Croatian family and above all relaxing, after the most difficult few years of our life!

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