A Personal Thank You to Guernsey’s Aurigny Airline

Thank you to Trudy
on flight GR769 Fri 12/06/09 19.10

I’d held it together all week, Sunday to Friday on a Specsavers Bootcamp course designed for ambitious ophthalmic opticians, dispensing opticians and retail managers aimed at future Joint Venture partners (directors) of your own business…with that in mind, this professional intelligent usually composed lady late 30s (me) sat sobbing uncontrollably in seat 3A on the manchester tarmac in the aurigny plane bound for Guernsey, tears rolling down my cheeks.

Real tears, relentless, wet and there so obviously there.

Are you ok a stewardess asked?
Are you worried or scared of flying?

I laughed through the tears – she probably thought I was mad

I’m ok I managed to nod, tears splashing on my magazine

I worried a little that she thought I may have been a neurotic threat to the flight safety and marked me as ‘one to watch’ Captain. That made me laugh. I’d thrown myself out of a fair few planes, always with a parachute; I’ve dived 98m on SCUBA with mixed gases, and 80m down in caves, and on many a deep wreck in the ocean, I’ve swam with sharks and abseilled down waterfalls, trekked in the jungles and mountains of Borneo, skiied in the Canadian Rockies, galloped on Sultan of Brunei polo ponies…

but oh my word, it hit me, I missed Guernsey, I missed my 22 month old daughter, I missed my Guernsey partner. I missed my house at Albecq, the sea the waves, my strawberries growing on the lawn

And there I was sobbing like a teenager, yet more still, like a child.

At that moment I realised for all the travelling, all the training, all the searching I had found my home. My heart. My soul in the heart of my daughter and the land of my partner.

I thanked the stewardess and tried to explain my sanity (traditionally always difficult, initial impressions given) She gave me a smile that reminded me of an Irish homecoming, which said ‘Its ok, I understand’ And I thanked her for allowing me cry.

When you realise your true home, emotions well up inside and explode when you least expect it.

Aurigny,
You carry people back home
You carry dreams and inspirations
You are amazing
You carry the power of Guernsey on your wings
And the duty of care for your passengers safety, safely home

And for those on business you carry a pride
Proudly presenting them our island
Proudly a service, regular, professional, reliable
You are the essence of the Channel Islands

My tears turned to thoughts and those thoughts now words, being read by you.
Thank you aurigny for bringing me back home.(and we arrived early!)
Thank you Trudy for being understanding

lots of love

Internetpixie (Optom, mum, ex-adventurer)