Off on my travels again! This time to visit my daughter, Lucy, who has been living in Dubai for the last two years. She has a rather fab apartment in Dubai Marina and it will certainly be no hardship to keep her company for a few weeks. She will be working during the week but we will make the most of the weekends – visiting Fujairah and hopefully Abu Dhabi – and taking in the Dubai Expo too. My younger daughter will join in for the last 2 weeks – it’s going to be a Boler Ladies Get Together.

Had my PCR test on Thursday afternoon – Express Test at Gatwick. It’s a bit of a hike, especially given the petrol shortage, but actually we’ve got quite a lot and our car is a hybrid so it lasts a long time. I find Express Test very professional and very quick. About 24 hours. And …. phew….. it was Negative so I have my Fit to Fly Certificate. I’m flying Emirates and they had a discount code for Express Test, so it cost me £49.

Got packed today – 25kg – and printed out my paperwork as well as having it digitally. It’s visa on arrival for Dubai, just have to show my vaccination status and the PCR certificate. Lucy will meet me at the airport tomorrow morning.

The packing was slightly complicated. I’m going straight from Dubai on 22nd October, to meet Bob in Cyprus, again flying Emirates into Larnaca. We are staying there till December 8th. So, I have had to pack Dubai clothes for 35C including perhaps some desert days and a lot of beachwear and smart restaurant clothes and also clothes for Cyprus where the temperatures will be less than that, probably in the mid/high 20s in the day, cooler by night, the odd rainy day…… AND – rather exciting – we are going to a black tie dinner while we are there, so have to pack for that too. The packing cases are being invaluable as usual.

Bob drove me to LHR and dropped Daisy back at her flat in Chiswick too. The journey was pretty horrendous. Winds up to F8/9 and absolutely torrenting down. There was a lot of standing water on the motorways in places and of course, much spray. Anyway, we left in plenty of time so other than being stressful for poor Bob, it was ok.

Terminal 3 was very quiet. I walked right up to the check in desk – no queueing at all and I was checked and had my boarding card within 5 minutes. She just asked to see my PCR test certificate, not my proof of vaccination. Security was much the same – straight through.

So I am writing this in the departure lounge, having had a mega spray of Penhaligon Cairo from the duty free shop as I walked through. At the point I checked in, I had a row of three seats to myself on the plane so I hope that lasts. I land in Dubai at about 630am local time, that’s 330am UK time. Hopefully arrival will be as smooth as departure. Will let you know tomorrow….