and i will need a holiday from my holiday!!
It has been a little bit manic over the last few days. Planes, trains, automobiles, insurance, relatives, friends, and even Johnny Wilkinson. Yup, he was on my plane out of Marseille on Saturday morning. I was toying with the idea of getting the whole plane to join me in a chorus of ‘Oh Johnny Johnny – Johnny Johnny Johnny Johnny Wilkinson’ but instead i sat and chatted with Jo. Havent seen her in a few years so you can imagine my surprise when i saw her in the queue for the squeezyjet plane.
So we chatted all the way back to a rainy and chilly gatwick.
But let me backtrack a little. I arrived at Marseille MP2 terminal – this is the ‘budget’ end of the main terminal. I got dropped off with my bags (well, 4 bags and a surf board) and reached over for a trolley. Needed some coins to release it and i didnt have any change. Dilema! do i leave all of my gear on the pavement while i go and get change for the trolley? No, i dont think do. So i managed to carry/kick all of them into the terminal and joined the check in queue. Got to the front of the queue only to discover all they would do at this point was weigh my gear and stick labels on it. I then had to carry it to the conveyor belt where it would inevitably be sent to the plane. I was beginning to wonder if i would have to load my own bags onto the plane too. I often wonder how much the airlines save by doing this. I have flown from Marseille main terminal before for about the same money (extra luggage accounted for) so where does the advantage come from?
Now, the only thing that pisses me off with squeezyjet is that scrum to get on the plane – surely it wouln’t cost much more to have allocated seating ? On this trip, i finally realised why they do it. As i was standing in my Nº 8 position at the back of the mass huddle, I noticed wilko shouting to the scrum half for the ball. Sadly the ball never popped out and Wilko had to board the plane behind everyone else.
I have to say, he came across as a person that doesn’t use his fame for his own gain – i like that !!
So i would ask you all to join me in a salute. You know he’s worth it, we all remember where we were when that last few seconds drop goal was punted over the bar against the ozzies all those years ago. I am told, there is still a dent in the ceiling at Tricky Dickies where my head connected as that ball went over ! So, gather all of the people in your house right now, infront of the screen. have a video camera or web cam at the ready to record the events, then add them to youtube and post the link here on my blog or on my fb page but to it
3 – 2 – 1 – go
‘Oh Johnny Johnny – Johnny Johnny Johnny Johnny Wilkinson’
There – now we are all feeling better. I wonder how many wilko salutes i will have on my profile.
Right, just about up to date i think. be sure to drop by soon and see what else is happening. the summer updates will be comeing thick and fast
The November Archives 
June 2nd, 2010 at 14:13
François Pinar
June 2nd, 2010 at 09:23
johnny who?