It was a debacle. Rachel, Johanna and Grandma were due to fly into Coolangatta at 10pm. Colin, Heidi and I headed up to Tweed Heads/Coolangatta in the afternoon, perused the shops, walked along the foreshore, had some dinner and passed some time in a coffee shop. We arrived at the airport 30 minutes early only to find security had closed (the last flight out had left), too bad for the people waiting for the two flights still to arrive. You couldn't access the gate lounges. We waited near the baggage collection checking the Tiger flight details on the monitor. There was no ETA. Around 10pm Colin went to ask if the flight was on time, only to find out Tiger Airlines is not in this terminal, it is 1km around the corner. There were no signs anywhere indicating this! We dashed out, joined the queue to pay for the parking ticket (a Virgin flight had not long arrived) and headed to the Tiger terminal, texting Rachel to explain our delay. Having our children arrive and my mother in a wheel chair (broken leg) without us there to greet/help them wasn't what we had planned.
We found them at the baggage carousel. The flight had arrived 30 minutes early. Being wheel chair bound Grandma was the first on and last off. During the flight she was asked if she needed a wheel chair at the other end (hers was in luggage) or could she just hop, it wasn't far!! She replied that yes she did need a wheel chair. On arrival, no wheel chair. To cut a long story short the Tiger service and help on arrival left much to be desired. The three of them had managed with a good dose of humour.
When we finally arrived at Brunswick Heads it was obvious it had been raining. The bright orange and purple sky, lightening and thunder we saw and heard in Coolangatta earlier in the evening had been through our caravan park and oh dear the tent flaps had been left open (no hint of a storm when we left in the afternoon) As we pulled up at 11.30 pm it started to rain. Where to begin. We almost tipped Grandma out of her wheel chair getting up the kirb, there was lots of shooshing and be quiets (most people here had been asleep for a couple of hours) - Rachel is as enthusiastic and exuberant as her father and loud with a capital L, bags and suitcases were stowed in the caravan wherever there was a hint of space and while all this was happening Colin was assessing the damage to the bedding and belongings in the tent. Colin and I had moved our stuff into the tent, we figured getting into a caravan and our double bed was enough of a challenge for a Grandma with a broken leg, getting in and out and up and down from a mattress in a tent was asking a bit much.
The ''damage' was not insignificant, as Colin groped his hand in the light of a torch he discovered a pool of water, right in the middle of his sleeping bag!. Bag, sheets and part of the mattress were all wet, so was some gear stowed at the front of the tent. All the wet stuff went on the clothes line, over the outside table and chairs, all squished under the roll out awning. Around 12.30am all was done that could be done. Colin and I shared a single bed mattress, a sheet and a sleeping bag. In getting ourselves organised I said something along the lines of "I don't want you to be uncomfortable" and we both stiffled uncontrollable giggles at what, given the circumstances, was a ludicrous statement.
What was that yurting mantra stuff......be thankful, whatever happens, happens.
yurting