The Return Home
The night before leaving we were in Niagara.
I couldn't check-in until 24 hours before my flight which was at 23:50 the next day so I waited to check-in and at precisely 23:50, I logged in and started to check-in, including taking the option to upgrade to business class. However, the card I used had a problem and by the time I sorted that out (probably less than a minute later), the option to upgrade had vanished - somebody else had bagged it ! Grrr!
VERY annoyed, I went to sleep and woke early the next day.
Packed and left the hotel at 08:30 for the drive to Toronto airport.
Stopped for breakfast in Niagara on the Lake then continued to the airport.
Saying a final goodbye and massive thank-you to both Sabine and Raymond, I went to check in.
No queue at all for 'priority' passengers - which I was in 'Premium Economy' but they wouldn't take my bags until 4 hours before the flight departed so I had to drag them around until 19:50!
With NOTHING in the departure terminal , I went to the Arrivals but was stopped by a security guard who asked what I was doing. When I explained I was here until 23:30 and wanted something to eat/drink, she kindly led me though to the arrivals area where I got a (final!) decaf tea from Tim Horton's and set up laptop at a table to take 2.5 hours to drink it!
Finally able to drop my bags around 18:50, I went through security then only had another 3 hours to wait!
More keyboard work but nothing else to eat or drink until the flight was called at 23:20.
Boarded and located seat 12A which had plenty of room as it faced a bulkhead and no passenger in the next seat meant I had even more room to spread out (still not as good as business class though!)
Finally took off at 00:15EST - 05:15BST.
Uneventful flight and landed at Heathrow just after 11:00BST although it took a further 25 minutes before we were allocated a gate to disembark!
Joined a VERY long queue for passport control but was through there just before midday then tried to find car hire place - they don't make it clear you have to use a shuttle bus!
Took delivery of my little car - and checked the tyres VERY carefully after the issue on the way down from Lancaster and was on my way by 13:15.
Joined an immediate queue on the M4 and M25 but eventually got to Lancaster around 19:00.
Parked car and checked-in to the hotel then went for a very welcome drink in the local Wetherspoons - first 'proper' beer for almost 3 week!
The next day, I returned the car and got the ferry back to the Isle of Man where friends collected me and took me home - then we all went to the pub! What else?
THE END
of a fantastic journey.