Meanwhile, over in Bangkok last week, Janine went to get a flight home to London and turned up... 24 hours too late! It then dawned on her that flights scheduled after midnight are officially the next day, so in practice you have to turn up on the previous calendar date.

Not that I'm one to criticise... (see Gate 8E story below)

More on Wendy's mugging
Wendy got mugged on Wednesday night. Two brave teenagers jumped her from behind and knocked her to the ground, and grabbed her bag. In a satisfying twist, her bag contained only the princely sum of 5 quid and some Christmas decorations (don't ask).

Anyway, thanks everyone for asking about her - she's OK now - just a few bruises and she was a bit shaken up, but otherwise nothing serious.

The police have got a lead on the tinsel and some youths are assisting them with their enquiries.

Black Wednesday
I don't know what it was about last Wednesday but it seemed to be the epicentre of misfortune, some of actually rather sad. It just amazes me that the following can all happen within the space of a few hours:

• Nina's grandad died after a long illness


• I had to go to hospital for treatment which involved a blood test - my absolute worst nightmare


• Wendy got mugged


• Rupert, a work colleague, passed out at work and was carted off in an ambulance


• Another friend (who shall remain nameless) has suspected bowel cancer

!!!

Matthew and Nina came back from New York at the weekend after a holiday over the pond. Til was running the marathon at the weekend and they had faithfully promised to come and pick her up.

Such was their loyalty that when they were offered free flights to anywhere in the world if they would volunteer to be bumped off the flight, they declined and came home on time.

Til, meanwhile, did about 15 miles of the marathon before straining her calf muscle, and retired to a hot bubble bath. Matthew and Nina turned down free flights for... nothing!

Looking for the key
A strangely misfortune-free day spent painting Wendy's flat was compensated for by Til's arrival in the pub. At closing time, panic ensued when she realised that she had lost her car keys. She had us all pulling the pub apart and turning everything upside down in the fraught search for the missing keys. Matthew deduced that someone had nicked them and was waitin for us all to go home and then nick the car.

An hour later we were on the verge of calling the police as we stood outside the car, when in a moment of lucidity, I tried the car door. It opened, and there were the keys, sitting in the ignition.

Blond joke:
Q: Why did the blond go shopping in Gap?

A: Because she had lost her khakis (car keys - geddit??!!?? )

Aviation: a near miss
Waiting for a flight to Edinburgh at Heathrow Airport with Peter and Simon, we were sitting in the departure lounge. Simon informed us that the plane was leaving from gate 80, or so I thought. With time to kill, we browsed in the gift shop. Then, suddenly Peter and Simon had vanished.

Knowing what a hard time I'd get if I was late, I thought I'd better get up to the gate rather than look for them, so off I went. Better also phone them to let them know I was heading up there, or I'll also be in trouble for wandering off without telling them, but....both mobiles were switched off.

Arriving at gate 80, not only were the boys not there, but the gate was devoid of both passengers and plane. Then an irate Peter phones me. They are at gate 8E, not eighty.
Bugger.

I did in fact make it to the plane (after persuading security to let me through a locked glass partition) in good time and joined the queue of remaining passengers.

A near miss.