Homeward Bound

Pete set the alarm for 05:00 but got up at 04:30 for a shower and tea making, which meant Alison was in the shower for 5 o'clock.
The remainder of the fruit bowl was consumed for "first breakfast" and the luggage was taken downstyairs at about 5:50.  The first shuttle bus to the station was due at 6:20, so we had 30 minutes to spare.  Took some photos in reception and went out side to see the New Year's Day crowd returning from the Victoria all-night flower market - we needed fresh air before our 20-hour trip home!
The bus duly arrived on time and did the hotel rounds picking up no-one else en route to the station where we arrived at 6:35.
Bought the train tickets for the airport express, obtained the refund on our Octopus cards and checked in at the station about 10 minutes before the two-hour deadline for our flight.
We then went down to the platform, where there was a waiting train, which whisked us to the airport in 25 minutes. Breezed through security and found ourselves at the immigration desk barely an hour after leaving the hotel - try doing that in London.
Second breakfast was had in the lounge at about 08:00 and we were called to board the plane at  08:45.
It seemed an age before we took off, as we were taxiing for miles along a bumpy road to the runway.
Breakfast number 3 on the plane and then got the bed out for sleep number 2.
Peter managed to watch 2 and a half episodes of the Lord of the Rings and was more interested in identifying which parts of the NZ scenery he could recognise than following the story.
Alison started to watch Lincoln and woke up when it finished.
Night flights seem to pass much quicker than day flights.
We landed on time, but at the furthermost outpost of Terminal one, so walked for 20 minutes before we arrived aty immigration and the luggage belt.
We picked up a trolley, relieved that we did not need a pound coin as we did not have one!
We failed to find the driver for our transfer to Gatwick, rang him up only to find that he had sold his business but had not thought to close down his booking website.  Never mind, we found the coach station, Alison had the foresight to buy some drinks (which gave her the pound coin we would need at Gatwick) and we setlled down to watch the sleet as we were driven to Gatwick.
The very kind lady at checkin said we were slightly over the limit for our checked luggage (actually it was 13kg over weight), but did not charge us as we were transferring from an international flight.
Alison fell asleep as soon as she had sat down on the plane, so missed her free coke.
We arrived on time and were pleased to see Simon meeting us in our estate car (big enough for all that luggage).  The automatic heating control had duly switched on the heating so we arrived to a warm house and found a newly completed wardrobe enclosing the hot water tank in the dressing room.
Cases left unopened until the morning!
And so to bed.