Tunisia 2024 - Failed 1st Attempt Thanks to CloudStrike

Our summer family holiday got off to a very bad start on July 19th when CloudStrike made a Microsoft SW update and caused a global IT shutdown resulting in over 5,000 flights around the world being cancelled. 

We set off for Luton airport around 11am with no idea there was a global IT issue and all we had received was an update from Tui that our flight was delayed an hour until 5:40pm. Me and Brandon had worked forward with the flight time, transfer etc and reckoned that still gave us time to hit the bar for a rum and coke.

Once we dropped off the car we entered the terminal and it was absolutely mobbed with people and queues just seemingly going everywhere with no check-in terminals open. After about an hour we managed to check our suit cases on and headed through security to get some dinner.

We went in to this Italian restaurant and had a really nice meal and a sit-down whilst we watched the notice board worryingly showing more and more flights coming up red and cancelled, but still being optimistic about our flight (the only Tui one on the board) which was orange and showing an estimated time. However our day was about to go from bad to worse as I took Holly to the toilet and then heard over the PA system that our flight had also been cancelled and we needed to go to Gate 6 to retrieve our cases and exit the airport.

After a long wait to retrieve our cases and an even longer wait to find a Tui rep, the story started to unfold regarding the global IT issue. Initially it looked like Tui were going to re-schedule the flight and get a taxi for us all to a hotel in Milton Keynes for the night. This then changed to a coach being arranged which was apparently stuck in Gatwick. The we heard that Tui were having a crisis meeting with a possibility of the flight and holiday being cancelled. By around 9pm worst case scenario was confirmed and our whole holiday had been cancelled. We all felt sick to the stomach having been so excited for this holiday and poor Holly was in tears.

Anyway we pulled ourselves together and called Purple Parking to let them know we needed our car back. As they had already moved it to a long stay car park we were told to wait in the terminal as it might take them up to an hour to get our car! Eventually we arrived back home around 23:45 having spent circa 12 hours and going nowhere over than a day out in Luton airport (oh and on the hottest day of the year with temperatures hitting 32 degrees).

Having spent 2 hours on the phone the next day we have now managed to re-book the same holiday through Tui, but flying out of Gatwick on EasyJet and leaving on July 23rd now. Thus we have had to reduce our holiday from 14 nights to 10 nights now, but at least we will still get a holiday and at our original destination 🤞.

I am now out of pocket significantly having incurred lots of cost to get us to Luton, fed, hydrated, car parking etc which somehow I have got to claim back through Tui or the insurance. Not only that I have got to try and re-book our two day Sahara visit, check-in for new Easy Jet flights and get some food in for the next few days as we had emptied the house expecting to travel on the 19th.

It was all smiles when we arrived at Luton and was quite near the front of the queue to check in for our Tui flights.

It was quickly evident there was a big problem as the airport was bedlam.

No real order to the queues and not a single check-in desk open due to CloudStrike.

Patiently waiting for news of a re-scheduled flight or a taxi / coach to an overnight hotel.

Our bags retrieved, but it quickly became evident we were going nowhere today.

Holly kept smiling, but those smiles soon turned in to tears when we were given the bad news that our whole holiday was cancelled.

A very unhappy Holly sitting on the Easy Jet scales as we seeked anywhere to sit down for a while and take the load off of our feet.

Me trying to entertain Holly with coin flipping, making her a prisoner in the retractable barriers and any other means.

But we waited for nothing and ended up going back home!😭

Summer Holidays Begin

So all the kids have now broken up from school for the 6 week summer holiday. Last week Holly had her end of year school picnic which Tina went along to whilst I was still working. They managed to take a lovelt class picture which has all of the kids in the PE kits and thus prime coloured T-shirts making it look really cool. Holly is in blue for her PE class.

Holly's Year 5 class end of year picnic photo.

Tina packed up a picnic and joined Holly for the end of school event which fortunately was nice and sunny.

Travel Vaccinations Done and Counting Down to Holiday

Busy week this week with some final prep before holiday in 6 days time. Really getting excited about our forthcoming trip to Tunisia and for the kids their first trip to Africa. This week we have all had to get our vaccinations in check which has mainly been an Tetanus boost (where required) and the Hep-A. Airport parking is now booked and the suit cases are out to commence packing. We will soon be on our way and basking in 30+ degree heat for 2 weeks.

Vaccinations complete and ready to travel to Tunisia, Africa.

This time next week we will be calling this place our home for a fortnight!

I think those pool loungers are going to be very popular given the current heat wave out in Tunisia.

Chelmsford College Taster Day for Joshua

Last week Joshua attended the taster day for the Electrical Installation  course at Chelmsford college. He seemed to really enjoy the day and from what he told me (and quite surprisingly) he seemed to be one of the better students to attend the day. So much so that in the afternoon that had to put their creative hats on and make a character out of electrical installation components. Joshua made a model of Snoop Dog including chains and insulation tape dreadlocks which won him best of the day and a prize of a tape measure to start his personal tool kit off!!!

Between Chelmsford and Southend he definitely seems to be swaying towards Chelmsford at the moment, but it all hangs on whether he gets his GCSE results. August 22nd is results day and I will be taking the day off of work due to the fact that if he does get the grades he needs then we will be heading straight down to the college of his choice for enrolment. 

Would you guess this is Snoop Dog?

Either way the lecturer was impressed and he won first prize for his effort.

Science Award for Brandon

Really pleased to see that as well as getting awards in English, Brandon seems to be doing very well in Science and this week came home with a certificate for outstanding performance in science class. Even he joked that this is getting a bit of a regular thing now. He has also got some of his mock results back and Geography he did very well getting a 6 without doing any revision. So he should easily be knocking the up to a 7/8+ come exam time next year.

Earlier this week he also had a bunch of industry experts come in and talk to the year 10's about future opportunities to consider. Brandon seemed really excited about the presentation he received regarding the Ford higher level apprentices (so could he be a 2nd generation Fordy following in his Dad's footsteps?). I think it will be tough to get an apprenticeship as the competition is fierce and it isn't like back in my day when they recruited some 120+ apprentices a year.

Brandon does it again with a certificate for outstanding performance in Science.

English Celebration of Excellence for Brandon

On Thursday of this week I had the absolute pleasure of being invited to the Beauchamps English Celebration of Excellence presentation evening. Brandon has worked so hard at his English and really seems to enjoy it. With his exams out of the way we eagerly await the results to see if his hard work paid off. But in the mean time he was awarded a certificate of achievement for excellence in English. Super proud of him. Unfortunately no photo's yet as the school took pictures due to data protection etc and have not yet sent them through.

Certificate of excellence awarded to Brandon in English.

Norovirus Illness Update and Wildcats Football Presentation

I haven't blogged in a while for two reasons, firstly despite being summer there hasn't really been a whole lot going on, and then secondly we have all been quite ill first with a bout of man flu and then with what we think was Norovirus. The Norovirus was grim and all started Monday last week when Holly was sent home from school having been sick twice and was literally then up until around 2am that night throwing up every half an hour. Not only did this wipe her out for two days, but by the following night it had spread to me, Tina, Josh and Brandon. Our house was like the night of the living dead and thankfully we have 3 toilets because at one point in time in the early hours of Wednesday morning there was one of us bent over every toilet being sick! Fortunately we are all recovered now and counting down to holiday in 13 days time!

Anyway during the illness Holly did manage to squeeze in another football presentation with her Wildcats team and on Sunday when it was nice and sunny we managed to get out paddle boarding again. We even managed to drag Josh out with us, albeit he didn't go on the water.

Holly wiped out for 2 days with Norovirus.

Holly receiving her medal from Freya her Wildcats football coach.

Another medal and some sweets from presentation day.

Team photo with some of the Wildcats girls and coach Freya.

A spot of lunch after some paddle boarding at Paper Mill Lock. Yes I had the cream scone as always.