4:30 PM

It was after 11:00 this morning when we got to the counter and were given boarding passes for the 6:40PM flight, which should arrive about 8:00 tonight in Funchal. We were given a meal voucher and after lunch we came to sit here in the waiting area. Two flights have left for Madeira in the meantime, both of them an hour late, so we can't really say that we'll be home before 9:00 tonight. We've sent out word to various members that it would be wise for them to plan to take the services tomorrow as if we weren't going to be there. Abbie may not be, actually. Exhaustion from the trip and a cough and sore throat picked up on the one rainy day in England may keep her home tomorrow. Even if we are there in body, I'm not certain that we'll be fully competent mentally. Some people probably think that of us under normal conditions, and believe me, these last couple of days have been anything but normal.