[Good guy]

Less a hijack, more a hitch-hike!
I always envied the ease with which people in the south of England could get to the continent. It was really brought home to me one day when my grown-up son, who lived in London at that time, phoned to ask whether I was busy the next weekend. Turned out he had been let down by someone and had a paid-for first-class ticket to Paris via the Eurostar. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance.
Free champagne all the way and we met some MPs from Mexico who were travelling back to Paris. We had a lovely weekend together - it was my first visit to Paris but my son knew his way around there already.

[Margo]

We always travelled by channel tunnel. Loved it as we was in France in half hour where it took 2 and half hours

[tagwex]

I was offered a job as a section engineer on the chunnel. Great pay and bonuses but 3 weeks on 1 week off. Didn't fancy it as the kids were young at the time and I didn't want to be away from home. Plus there was NO way that I was working underground either.

[Good guy]

You'd have been outclassed anyway, Tagwex. It was tough men from Arranmore and Tory Islands that dug the tunnel - together with much of the rest of the UK's underground infrastructure. I have the privilege of knowing some of them.

[tagwex]

Outclassed? Really.

[Sue Deacon]

[Greengage]

Potholing did a bit of that too, until a little scare then retired immediately. You should read the story of Dead Mans Handshake.

[Blowin]

The Chunnel has done an excellent job of hoodwinking the public with their 35minute message but, if you've done the damned thing as often as I have, you begin to spot their ploys. They're intent on getting you to go via all the 'facilities' - and spending money in them - before you actually reach the train, and I once calculated that, to get a coachload of passengers from the UK to France was, on average, 15 minutes quicker by ferry. Customs/immigration far more relaxed. Very little waiting on the dockside. Everything you need is on the ferry as you cross and, if you're travelling on, the break on the boat recharges your batteries so that you can do another three or four hours the other side before needing a break.

[Margo]

As stated the Chunnel workers got paid really well. My X son in law worked for them and the pay was superb. But a lot of problems came later when a lot of them moved into really expensive houses as they could afford the mortgage. Then when the tunnel was finished we had so many houses round our way being re-possessed because they couldn't keep up with the mortgage payments. So a housing association bought them all up and put the dregs in them. A beautiful housing estate ruined by constant raids for drugs etc.

On saying that I still prefer the tunnel to travel. We didn't have any problems getting through security or customs and drove straight on and off at the other end and driving to usually St Omar or surrounding area

[Good guy]

Interesting about the caving, Greengage. I did some of that too, in my 30s mainly. My sisters, who are a lot younger, got me and my ex into it. But we gave up, mainly due to not wanting to leave our young children with my parents. It was mostly the Marble Arch system I was in.
Then I went back for another go after the marriage break-up. My head must have been in a bit of a state because I had my one and only panic attack, in a cave I had been through before. Most unpleasant! But I went back into a different cave the next day, just to make sure I could. Since then I've been in a few show caves with no problem. I find them fascinating.

[Greengage]

I did a lot in the Burren, No problems crawling through small openings or deep water but missed an exit once, very small side tunnel, thought we would never find our way out, lamps running low, Once I saw light I said that's it, Chris Bonnington once said the difference between adventure and death was knowing when to turn back. Pity Ueli Steck didn't listen to the great man. Watched some of his videos and he was playing close to the edge, Want to see another lad live the edge watch Alex Honnold, utube him on El capitan. Anyway back to Gardening next post. Off Fly fishing on Lough Conn the mayfly hatch is on and the fish are biting.

[Greengage]

Well I told you I went fishing but all did not go well, my friend Micheal did not have a licence, so this is what happened when caught with some fish.
He is approached by an Inland Fisheries Officer who asks him for his fishing license.Michael replies to the officer, “I wasn’t fishing and I didn’t catch these brown trout, they are pets. Every day I come down to the water and put these fish into the water and take them for a walk. When I’m ready to go I whistle and they jump back into the bucket and we go home.”

The officer didn’t believe him and he reminded Michael that it is illegal to fish without a license. Micheal responded, “If you don’t believe me then watch,” and he threw the trout back into the water.

The officer says, “Now whistle to your fish and show me that they will jump out of the water and into the bucket.”

Michael turns back to the officer and says, “What fish?”

[tagwex]

Keep a cigarette lighter at hand and when officer is seen burn the line. You have lost your tackle but by the letter of the law you are not fishing.

[Good guy]

That sounds like a very fishy story to me!
We have gone from the bulb fields of the Netherlands to the supermarkets of France, the Channel Tunnel and Ferries, limestone caves of Fermanagh and west Clare, to a lake in Connamara. Quite a journey for one thread! It would rival Jason's Golden Thread!

[tagwex]

And I was outclassed apparently.