Braving Heathrow airport

Arriving in Heathrow airport is one adventure, leaving from there is another! Hired car fuelled up and returned we head for T4 to store our newly acquired suitcase until our return from Paris. We consider that since the new bag is in the left luggage store we are still, technically, travelling just with the trusty carry-ons.

Checked in we confront the first job creation scheme where an officious little man insists that we can only have two items of cabin baggage and both must be no more than 12 kg, and that the captain could ring him to ensure he has personally checked every passengers has no more than the 12 kg...... yeah, we know that but he won't give us a label until we consolidate the stuff. He is very rude and even chases us to the repack area but then changes his tune when Mary makes it clear he is being reported for his rudeness. He is a little contrite and suggests he will let us through this time as we are new to the rules! All the time talking to Philip and ignoring and talking over Mary. Not an easy thing to do or indeed a wise thing to do. He is reported nonetheless and while the person we report him to seems disinterested she finally concedes this is not the first time and it looks like time he was moved on.

This left us free to enjoy the second job creation scheme where every gel, paste, unction and potion had to be removed from its already see through container and squashed into a plastic bag, only one bag per person mind you, so the bag filled pretty quickly. The security screening person did say she liked the colour of Philips lippy!

Once behind the barricades we are free to cruise Harrods etal and reflect on the fact that if we now lash out on bottles of Moët and slabs of Toblerone we might be over the magical 12 kg, but we could share it with the captain!