Will Not Wilt

Our 3am rescheduled flight was very quiet. The pilot apologised but despite what you see on the 'reality' tv airport shows where everyone kicks off and has a pop at the counter staff (who obviously have control over airline schedules), everyone knew it was just a thing. 'It is was it is' and we were all just grateful to be on our way back. (Remember the volcano!?)

Landing in England and getting to the minibus was possibly the most depressing thing ever. I love my country but the grey grey drizzly schmizzly fog that was smothering us (July! Ju - flipping - ly!) was just shit. As all Brits abroad do, we return to the UK in shorts and t-shirts with an optimistic grin on our face and an optimistic gin in our bellies. Both turned sour....

Lack of sleep hadn't helped either but hey ho.

Because it was now Monday morning, and we all had work to do, some of us went straight to the office and others (including me) managed to squeeze in an hours sleep before getting to work for 9am.

It was actually quite a fun day, despite being one of my longest. Everyone was wiped out but we'd had a great weekend - a brilliant weekend - and there was camaradarie in our plight. And that was what the weekend was all about for us.

The boardroom floor provided temporary respite as some of us decided sleep was more important than lunch...

The second group of Barcelonateers were heading back Monday Afternoon - but instead of going home, they got to the office as soon as possible to let the rest of us go home and get some vital zzzzz's.

I've got to say - the people I work with and the general feeing of 'We're in this together', is awesome.

So.... I didn't take hardly any airport photo's - I wasn't sure of security implications etc. I did get one of 3 of my colleagues, 2 of whom are gorgeous and one of which is 'meh', in front of the departure board, but I don't think they wanted to be BlipStars, so I didn't blip it.

I went in the garden on Monday after work and just snapped (not as in 'went mental', but as in 'pointed my camera and hoped for the best'). I was so tired so apropos of nothing I went for the emergency wet flower blip...

So Barcelona? Awesome. Beautiful. Buzzing. Authentic. But.... as my mates got robbed, how can I recommend it? Should I put a caveat on or should I say don't go to the place until it recognises that the tourism that sustains it will eventually lose patience? It's not a poverty stricken country - the street crime is part of the economy and there is no doubt whatsoever that it suits certain people, who take their daily cut of the profit, to keep it that way.

If you've missed any of the Barcelona Blips;

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Same old excuses from me about catching up... I'm trying, I really am!