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Ramblings of a retiree in France
One from the vaults: Double booking
We’re heading way back into the archives today, to January 2014 to be exact. That’s eight years ago! However my beloved still hasn’t gotten out of the habit of double-booking himself despite the limited opportunities currently available. I’ll just say leopards and spots, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
My beloved has double-booked himself again! This happens more times than you might imagine despite him keeping a detailed diary. I can only conclude that he gaily accepts all and any invitations without first checking his agenda. This time he’s told a client he’ll go to an exhibition in Singapore which clashes with our departure for the 2014 Tour of the Basque country. After last year’s horrific weather he did say he wouldn’t be coming this year. However, when I made the hotel bookings last November he affirmed his attendance. We’re now looking into options as to how he can join me in the Basque country.
His oversight does however have an upside. Freed from the restrictions of having to fit in with his ever-changing timetable, I can now drive down to the Basque country at my leisure, leaving when I want and stopping en-route where I want. A whole new world of possibilities has just opened up and it’ll also give the recently acquired Tom IV a good run out.
Meanwhile, I’ve been looking at possibilities for my beloved. The best option seems to be a routing via London Heathrow, followed by a day or two working in London, before hopping onto an evening flight to Bilbao from where I can collect him. This means I should have anywhere between 3-5 days flying solo. Time to make plans.
Typically my beloved will arrive back from a business trip several hours before we leave on holiday. This way he just pitches up and everything’s been done for him. Not for nothing is he known as “The man who just turns up“! If he’s flying long-haul, I’m always concerned as to whether or not the flight will be on time. And, if not, whether it’ll dismantle our my plans. This did happen on several occasions when we were living in London, despite our proximity to the Heathrow Express service at Paddington. This has occurred much less often in recent years largely because we live so close to Nice airport and many of our holidays are now undertaken by car.
Nonetheless, I have taken the precaution of checking that my beloved has all the key dates for 2014 writ large in his diary: the last week of the Giro d’Italia, the first week of the Tour de France, the Clasica San Sebastian, the World Championships in Ponferrada. That’s right, pretty much all our holidays revolve around one cycling event or the other. I wouldn’t have it any other way, nor would he. It’s taken us to some marvellous spots, we’ve met tons of interesting people and made some lasting friendships. Vive le cyclisme!
View from the Back 
It is a good thing you love him 🙂
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Isn’t it just!
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I had to backtrack on this. I was a few lines from the end when I noticed the year 2014! And now I’m unsure of how managed to miss the year 2014 popping up throughout the post… and there was I thinking I was a pro at speed reading!
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No probs!
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Overbooking is stressful to me!
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Exactly
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I can relate to that. I am hopeless with diaries.
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😎
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