Just a quick note to let you all know that I made it to England with DH, Macbeth, Brownie and Goldie. All is well and I am huting for a place to live. (not easy with three pets)
The trip over was terrible. It started the day before we flew out. During her vet exam to fly our vet found a growth on Brownies tongue. She went ahead and did the biopsy which ment the Brownie spent her last night in the states in the animal hospital.
Very early on Thursday morning my sister woke me up to tell me she didn't think Heathrow would be open for us to fly into! I will not go through the many renditions of if...why...and/or how we would fly. The biggest issue was repacking our carryones to not have any liquid or computer or anything else that may cause a problem. Just when you think you are packed.... I ran and picked up Brownie that morning and we shipped her in hopes the biopsy would come back OK. The pet folks picked her and the others up at 1300 for a 1700hr flight on Briish Airlines. My DH and I were flying American (American is not approved by the Brits for animals) and we left at 1500 for a 1930 flight. When we got to the airport the line for check-in was huge...it took over 2 hours to get to the desk. During that time there were rumors about cancelled flights, new restrictions, you name it! The excitement really started when I got to security carrying my medicine (preloaded syringes)...this was only the second time I was stopped by airport security in about a dozen flights. It took a while but I got through. We landed in Heathrow only about 30 minutes late. We thought it wouldn't be too bad. We spoke too soon.
If you can ever avoid bringing and animal to the UK do it at all accounts. It was hell. First the pets were about 5 hours late in landing. Then the date on the top of the letter from the Vet in Georgia was different from the date on his signature (he started the paperwork the day before the save time when we got the rabies shots!) We had to wait until the vet's office in the US opened and he faxed a letter saying it was a mistake not an attempt to defraud! Needless to say we didn't leave the animal holding area until almost 1700 local time and didn't get to our hotel until 1900...too late for the cattery so the all the animals stayed with us that night! (The owners of the hotel have been really nice.)
Exhuasted doesn't even come close to how we felt the next few days! I've only just gotten enough energy to start seriously looking for a place to stay. So far the three we've seen have been really disappointing. Wish me luck.
I did find a sewing and quilting store that works on Vikings! A little bit of progress. I have to admit to being very homesick.
15 comments:
Wow! What an ordeal. It is amazing how some little thing like a date being out by one day can cause such huge problems these days. THe bright side is that hopefully these precautions make it safer to fly. We are flynig to San DIego on Saturday and I am really glad we are driving home. Flying is for the birds these days.
Hang in there - there's a special place in heaven for some one who loves pets that much....
Melanie
So sorry to hear about the travel ordeal. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that the rest of your settling in goes betther than the trip itself. And keep us posted on the biopsy results -- I'll be keeping my fingers crossed on that one too!
sounds like you've had quite the adventure. Glad it all seems to be working though -- you and the catrs got there in one piece, together...
I'm sorry but I had to laugh at finding a sewing store but not a home yet!! Priorities are just right!!
Good luck with the search!!
glad you are all safe and sound, sorry to hear all the drama you had to go through...oh my. good luck with finding a new home...! and big hugs for going through all this.
All sounds horribly painful, but glad you made it there safely. Fingers crossed little Brownie is okay. Hang in there- you'll find a great place to live.
Oh Sio, what an ordeal...and why the heck did this have to happen just NOW?? So glad you landed safely, and eventually all got worked through.
I'll hold good thoughts for you finding the perfect place very soon.
Big hugs for being so far from home, Finn
Well, you have your priorities straight! A sewing shop, THEN a place to live! How funny. Seriously, I hope you find a place soon. I can't imagine living in limbo like you are. Having lived in this house 19 years come Monday, the thought of moving does not interest me....especially across the ocean! Good luck finding a place!
good to have you over here safely - you'll find somewhere soon rest assured - the right spot for you is just waiting to be found - welcome to England
Nice to hear from you, although sorry to hear it was such a rough trip. I can't wait until your settled in and somewhat back to normal!
I'm so glad you are there and are all safe, I worried about that with the whole thing about the liquids, etc. Lucy and her family got caught up in that travelling from SLC to Atlanta! I can only imagine it was worse for you leaving the country.
Looking forward to whatever updates you can post. Dave has his MS 150 ride coming up. The info is on my website, and he wants to put your name as who he is riding for. I hope that is okay with you! Also..feel free to forward the site info to any family members or friends if you want!
Bonnie
What a heroing account. I wish you all the luck in finding a place to live.
Welcome in europe! I can't wait to see pictures of england. It is a beautiful country! One of my wishes to visit once. special Scotland. that is a rough country . Home you feel soon home there
I hope by now you've found a place to stay that is comfortable and homey for you and the pets. What a horrible time you had getting there, though! And what did you hear about Brownie's tongue? Are you staying in the London area?
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