I need a miracle

Well, what a mad, mad few days. My stress levels, unusually for me, have been right up there, and I’ve decided that I need a long weekend, somewhere hot, and I need it NOW!

So... E and her friend were supposed to have left on Monday morning... in fact, we all got up at 4am and I left them at the airport precisely as planned. Two hours later, as I was getting down to some emailing and generally planning a complete clean-up of what looked like hurricane wreckage, I heard the front door open and my daughter’s dulcet tones... “Dad... we’re home!”

She'd been turned away on the basis that the photocopy of her permanent residency card was insufficient, and the last 48 hours have been spent trying to organise getting her home. Her friend was packed off last night, and as I type this post E will be sitting in the reception of the US Embassy in London, hoping that they issue her with a transportation letter to enable her to get her (rescheduled) flight this evening. Aside from the fact that I’ve had her here for a couple more days - which has been great - the whole episode has cost me about £1200 in spending money, fees for rescheduled flights and the transportation letter, and lost work while I’ve run around London trying to look after them and get things organised. On top of that, I have major IT problems that are making any work I manage to do a complete pain in the arse.

Oh well... E should be back home just after lunch, fit to fly and ready to hop in a cab at 3.30 this afternoon. She’s now missing school, and whilst she’s coped reasonably well with all the stress I have a suspicion that the shit will hit the fan if things don’t go well this morning. And I’m going to try to get my laptop sorted out in the meantime. Somehow, I think I need a miracle, and miracles are in scarce supply in my experience!

Not a good week, then, although thankfully last weekend was different. I spent Saturday night with the “friend” I mentioned a while back, and managed to let off some CFG-induced steam with a rather fantastic night of carnal acrobatics. (I did warn Emerald Eyes that my problems on the romantic front were unlikely to keep me out of mischief, and as always I was as good as my word!)

Oh, and thanks, incidentally, for all the comments on my Musical Monday post and to anyone who joined the fun on their own blogs. I was just a bit too sidetracked to respond to the comments, but they were much appreciated. I already have next week's selection organised... a little more mainstream, perhaps, but phenomenal nonetheless. I can't wait!