Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Barry argued that I needed to be on the ground in Dublin to promote our wines if our
second shipment was to be a success and wisely advised me to start promotion of our first
vintage, which was still on the vines.
I booked my flight and Sean launched our second direct sales campaign via email. Mira-
culously, a diary I had written about our move was published in a newspaper that Saturday
with a full-page cover photo. The editor had been promising to print it for months and
his timing could not have been better. In less than twenty-four hours we had thirty orders
through the website.
It felt strange going on a business trip after a year of DIY and babies. As I packed my case
I felt disconnected and unsure of myself. In my previous life as a consultant I was some-
times on an aeroplane every week. Minutes before I left for the airport an old colleague
called to say she had a radio interview for me. I was excited and delighted by the oppor-
tunity but also worried about how I would handle being back in a professional environment
and being interviewed on national radio.
Leaving Bordeaux airport, I felt like I was in no-man's-land: not yet a French winegrower
but no longer a high-tech city girl. It seemed like a lifetime since we left the city.
After landing I picked up my hire car. As I drove off, my hand kept reaching for the door
instead of the gear shift. The oncoming car stopped dead in its tracks. The fellow inside
waved me out, making sure I was well out of range before proceeding. I saw him mouth
'crazy fool' as I drove away and realised I was on the wrong side of the road.
A few minutes later I felt confident enough to turn on the radio and was transported back
into city life. The discussion hadn't changed a lot: traffic, property, football. The cityscape
had been transformed. In nine months old familiar streets had morphed into Euro-chic.
Down-at-heel chip shops and newsagents had been replaced by coffee shops and up-market
grocers. The O'Briens' home, too, had been transformed: from dark and old-fashioned to an
open-plan, natural-light haven. We swapped stories over dinner, trying to cram months into
one night.
I arrived for the radio interview the next morning shaking with nerves and praying for a
calm voice. The show host put me at ease as the ads played. By the time the break was over
I felt like we were old friends. For the next fifteen minutes we talked about our new life.
When I got back to base Aideen danced around with delight.
'You were amazing!' she said. I blushed. Aideen is a professional life coach and great at
providing feedback. That week she did wonders for me, boosting my confidence that had
plummeted in a year of rolling paint and changing nappies.
'How did you do it?' she asked. 'You sounded so natural. I was jumping round the room
the entire time you were on air.'
It was easier than any other interview or professional talk I had done, perhaps because I
was talking about our life and passion.
'The only mistake you made was using some French words without translating them.'
