All morning I had been having a nagging doubt about flying, I know almost everybody gets it before getting on an aeroplane but I just felt there was something not right about leaving today. I put it down to being emotionally drained from saying goodbye to everybody over the past week. On Monday there was the meal at Chiquitos with all of my lovely girls, on Friday a fantastic leaving party, where the Big Bad Wilfs made their performing debut and we blew the crowd away. All the important people in my life where there, fantastic family and best friends and it was a fab evening. On Tuesday I had said a tearful au revoir to Dad, Em, James, Adam and mum which left me emotionally exhausted and tearful on the drive home. Then on Friday I said goodbye to Lissy, Annie and Jack and in the evening played another gig for my friends 60th birthday after which I said goodbye to my brilliant and much adored bruv. All this was bad enough but I knew that tomorrow we would be driven to the airport by Louise and I would have to say goodbye to my goreous three for at least 10 months.

So there we all were at Heathrow airport Terminal 5, ready to check in and start the great adventure.......

When we reached the desk the BA attendent told us to go to the internet cafe and apply for an ESTA visa. She told us this was standard procedure and hundreds of people do this daily just before their flights (we had been previously told that as we were not officially entering the U.S just transiting through Miami, not even collecting our bags, that we would nt need one) anyway, off we went to log in and discoved that there had been a massive storm in Miami and all the computer systems were down, we couldnt get an ESTA and without one we couldnt fly. I bloody knew it!!! I knew we werent supposed to fly today!!

So having hugged my three harder than I ever had before and having told them that I love them all more than they can possibly know and that they must look after each other, stay safe and healthy, live within their means financially, drive carefully (Louise) dont break any bones (Thomas) and stay in touch (Joe) and always remember, above all else , to BE NICE!!....we found ourselves driving away from Heathrow airport back to Portsmouth........gob smacked!!!

The storm in the U.S. passed, we got our ESTA visas and decided to stay in London with Rays brother and go sightseeing as some kind of compensation and as a positive start to our world trip . I made a conscious decision not to hook up with the kids again before we fly......dont think they or I could go through that again!!!......anyway we fly on Tuesday July 3rd.......hopefully!!!.....