(Nice calming sky, by Ashleigh)

As I write it’s Sunday morning. We’re off to Wales today, by ferry, at 2.30pm from Rosslare. Just now, less than thirty minutes until we leave the house, I logged onto the ferry company website to confirm the sailing times. Funny thing… our ferry wasn’t on the list. There’s no ferry leaving at 2.30pm! I looked again at our e-ticket. Oops….

Nooooo! I have booked us onto the 2.30pm ferry from Fishguard (in Wales) not the 2.30pm to Fishguard….

(Nice calm water, very small boats….)

There was a moment’s silence before the adrenaline rushed in. Then, my heart started pumping and I grabbed a phone, found a number and paced as I listened to the holding-music. When a human answered I told him everything….. Daughter leaving home, we’re bringing all her stuff, just dropping her off, I made a mistake, no ferry, what’ll we do, what can we do? are there any other ferries? can you help? He asked, …and you are in Ireland? I took a deep breath, checked and replied, yes, yes I am in Ireland. When he understood what I had done he asked me to wait while he put the phone down (no music, only the soothing sound of his fast tapping on a keyboard) and changed my booking. He was calm and kind and he fixed everything. And there was no charge. (Three cheers for ferries!)

(Nice calming flowers)

We will be on that 2.30pm ferry from Fishguard, tomorrow. We will be on the 4.00pm ferry from Dublin today. Right now, we’re still in Ireland. Sometimes it’s useful to check where we are, right now……. because our thinking often takes us to where we will be tomorrow.

Thank you nice man in the Stena Line office in Dublin, Mairead.