Saturday, September 13, 2008

Mrs. Lear's Dunkirk

The potential relaxation of the 100ml limit of individual cosmetics on planes can't come soon enough for Mrs. Lear.
On the recent trip to Italy, she had bought a new suitcase ( large) and then discovered that it didn't fit in with Ryanair's requirement of 15kgs - or pay £12 per kilo overweight.
So at the desk she unpacked the books and her washbag ( the heaviest item in the case) and shoved them into her handbag.
The only problem was when she got to security, her nearly new extremely expensive face cream came in a jar of 125ml.
" In the bin" says the heartless security man.
" Not bloody likely" says Mrs.Lear, and walks back out to the check-in area.
Casting about for something, she spies Nivea cream in 50ml jars -£1.99 each. Done deal.
Only then she has to empty out the cream into the bin - very messy. The remains are smeared on her face and arms.
The extremely expensive jar is decanted into the two jars - even messier - and THERE IS SOME LEFT OVER! So she smears that all over her face, hands, arms and anywhere else visible.
By now she is smelling quite divine, and looking extremely greasy. She rubs and rubs, but there is so much that it won't disappear immediately.
She goes back to security and gets through, with a lot of strange looks from all and sundry.
Once in Pisa, the sun is hot - and she starts sweating under the goo. When she finally gets to the hotel in Camaiore, she just has the wipe it all off and wash the remains away.
But at least 100ml was saved.
UPDATE:
Mrs. Lear has now purchased from Boots an extremely handy little travel pack which consists not only of bottles/jars of 100ml but also pumps to transfer from the original bottles into the 100ml ones for travel.
Why she can't just leave them in the hold baggage, I don't know.