While everyone else on the plane home carried on their bottles of drink and boxes of perfume I carried on a large cardboard box - carefully sized by me to fit into the overhead locker - and lurking inside was ..... a bougainvillea plant. Yes, it's true. The man we bought it from had loads, all different sizes and shapes alongside a dozen or so hundred year old Olive Trees.

But the plant was almost our downfall. We had taken small wheelie suitcases so that we didn't have to check luggage in but because of the plant, we did have to check them in on the way back. Our flight landed at midnight and we planned to get the 12.35 Gatwick Express. However, there was a baggage handling problem and we had to wait for ages, and ages. The bags eventually arrived and by miracle ours came out first - just as well because we ran all the way to the train and caught the last one with four minutes to spare!

I hope it doesn't die!

UPDATE August 07: It still lives and is full of beautiful flowers.