Urrrgh! Another night without much sleep… apparently, Ella, the Black Labrador owned by Dave and Kay woke up in the night and had a coughing fit; I actually thought it was one of the blokes being sick. Whatever, it woke me up in the early dark hours of the morning and I never returned back to sleep, but gradually became colder and colder until the sound of the Boulanger van horn at 06:50 made me get up to buy the fresh bread.
We removed the soaking wet covers off the glider and laid them out in the oil seed rape field to dry whilst we placed the glider in row 8 as per the gridding instructions and then went to briefing. The Director announced that today was expected to be the best gliding day of the week, and they duly lengthened all the tasks accordingly. So, for the ‘Feminin’ Class, they set a 311km fixed task, with a first launched planned for 12:15.
Time was tight, so I quickly made a sandwich for lunch and went out to the glider to programme the instruments. I have to say that the weather didn’t look particularly hopeful considering the Director’s predictions. In fact, the Brits all went back to the camp site to make tea….what else would we do? We pondered the day and Steve stated that he didn’t think we’d be flying at all today, at which everyone called him anything that they could to do with being pessimistic!
First launch was delayed, and then delayed again and again, until at 14:30 the Director scrubbed two of the classes, just leaving us and another class on the grid. He then finally scrubbed us at 15:00. So much for the Director’s assumption that this would be the best day of the week!!! Steve was right after all!! So, back off the grid again and back to the glider parking area.
We tentatively decided to go back to the Super Market to buy some provisions. First I tried to use my debit card in a cashpoint machine but it wouldn’t work/be accepted, just as I suspected from my attempt yesterday. We therefore managed to get some cash using my credit card, and then pay for the shopping using the same card. Back at the camp site, I phoned the Bank again and had them telling me that there was nothing wrong with my card, and that I’d successfully spent £35 at 12:40 today. We’d not been anywhere, had not used the card because I was not able to, and were by now getting extremely frustrated with them because they were insisting that the card had not been stopped. As a precaution, as I couldn’t use my card anyway, they have now put a stop on that one too. We are down to the one card which, as Steve was now on the phone talking to a manager, I heard him repeatedly say that they must NOT stop this last card that we are currently using. Watch this space…My normal response is not to tell someone not to do something if you don’t want them to do it!
I have to say that not all the bad luck is just going our way; Ayala broke her front tooth on the crusty French bread, and Ella the Black Labrador has picked up several ticks, and became so unusually unwell that Dave and Kay took her to the vet.
We can only wait and see what tomorrow brings.
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