vendredi 3 juillet 2009

What time is it? Mother time...

Yesterday was hot. I’m not complaining – Lord knows we don’t get enough warm days around here – but it was hot. Sweat-trickling-down-my-ass-crack hot. I know, you didn’t need to be told that, right?

So after a day of sweating in an office with windows that can’t be opened (because of the construction site next door), I ran home to change into shorts and a t-shirt. I had to be at the airport to collect my Mother, and if I was going to brave the RER B, it certainly wouldn’t be in my work clothes.

The RER B was as bad I had thought it would be, so, even though the quick change was a nuisance, it turned out to be a great idea. Arriving at the airport, I was happy to step out of the sticky train and into the airconditioned loveliness of Charles de Gaulle.

I say loveliness, but as anyone who has been there knows, CDG is not lovely. It is impressive and utilitarian, but not lovely.

I got to the arrivals just as my Mom’s flight was declared to have ‘landed’. ‘Posé – 19.40’, said the screen.

And then the status of the flight didn’t change.

I waited, and I waited. The Air France desk knew nothing.

An hour after the flight landed, my mobile rang.

"It’s me" said my Mother. "I’m still on the plane"

Whilst I’d been stuck in the bowels of terminal 2, I hadn’t noticed the weather outside. It had changed from hot and sunny to hot and stormy. With thunder, lightening and torrential rain. And therein lay the problem.

The aircraft was at a remote stand, and they couldn’t get the passengers off the plane and onto a bus until the risk of a lightening strike had passed.

An hour later, she called me again.

"I’m still on the plane, but it’s all ok" she said. "I have a ham sandwich, an orange juice and I can use the toilet whenever I like". Whoever said she was difficult to please?

Two hours later, almost three hours after the plane had landed, my Mother emerged from the French customs area.

I gave her a hug and the usual "welcome to Paris" and then realised that something was a bit odd. Her outfit was fine, her hair was its usual self, but the accessories….what was going on?

"Are you wearing three watches?" I said, looking incredulously at my mother’s wrists.

"Oh, erm, I suppose I am, yes" she said. "I couldn’t decide which one looked best."

"So you decided to wear all three?"

"Well, to be honest, I put all three on to see which one looked best and then forgot to choose". She said, sheepishly. "To be honest, I hadn’t really noticed it until you said".

And there we go. She’s here for the weekend.

Let the games begin.

18 commentaires:

Anonyme a dit…

Enjoy!

And no you didn't have to tell me about the sweat thing because it's way too warm in NL too and I had the same thing yesterday. Send some bad weather over please?

Anonyme a dit…

great I wait for the tales
puts a whole new take on a week end in Paris.
She is a star you rmam

Anonyme a dit…

Oh my god I LOVE your mum!

Daryl a dit…

J'adore Maman.

Shut up, she's started a new style, all the passengers on that plane are now wearing 3 watches .. and all the watches are set to UK time!

Anonyme a dit…

Woo hoo, Mother is visiting. It promises to be a fun filled weekend. Enjoy and be sure to tell us all about it.

The Pixy Princess a dit…

*rubbing hands in glee and expecting really good blog posts about mom's visit*

Swearing Mother a dit…

Sorry, I don't buy that I put on three watches and forgot to choose rubbish - she's obviously a fence for knocked off Rolex, they kept her on the plane so they could search her luggane, and now they've let her off so the police can follow her and find out who her source is.

Simple. Your Mum's a fence for a ring of international watch smugglers.

The Mutant a dit…

Oh christ, sounds like my mum... you sure we're not brothers?

travelling, but not in love a dit…

Marjolein, we need a little breeze, that's all, he he

VM - she is a star...a worrying one though.

Big C, you want her? you can have her!

D, she'd made new friends by the time the plane disembarked....not one for sitting quietly, my mother

travelling, but not in love a dit…

Rob, no doubt there'll be tales to tell

Pixy...watch this space dear!

SM - nothing would surprise me. She's like Arnie in True Lies. Everyone thinks she's a 'middle aged' retiree who does the garden but really she's the leader of a super-spy ring....

Mutant, I hope not. That'd be too wrong....

Anonyme a dit…

Aw your mum sounds lovely. Sort of like the 'dreamy' type of people that everyone loves.

Here we've had hot weather all week. At least you get the sweat down your crack - I've got it down my cleavage.

cb a dit…

I rather thought CDG was pretty. I mean, after you've seen the shitholes of Laguardia, Miami, LAX, Ronald Reagan, and Des Moines International, then CDG is positively "Versailles"!

Thank god my flight didn't make you wait!!

travelling, but not in love a dit…

Poser, the thought of your sweaty cleavage must be enough to put the boys off their exams, no?

CB - boy, you were a good visitor. Arrived on time and not too much trouble either. A pleasure to have ;-)

aims a dit…

Love your mom sweetie - and love how she drives you crazy!

Summer? Hot? We set a record low here on the 2nd of July. Crap.

travelling, but not in love a dit…

Oh Aims, it's hot here. Too hot. And I'm off to Turkey this week. How freaking hot will that be?

Ben a dit…

"I have a ham sandwich, an orange juice and I can use the toilet whenever I like"

You don't get that on EasyJet.

travelling, but not in love a dit…

Ben, you're more likely to get it on easyjet than ryanair. Hateful people.

Louise a dit…

Today (or the day written about) your mother is a jewel!