Although I was living in London at the time, I was house sitting in East Grinstead for my parents that night, as they were on holiday abroad. As it happened, I had changed franchise within the same car rental company that day and had to go to Gatwick Airport the next morning to change my company car; all was going to plan until I was awoken by a tree banging against the bedroom window. It was apparent that the power was off but the radio was battery powered and therefore usable, so I put it on and heard what had happened; the local station was saying there were trees down everywhere so to allow lots of time if driving.
I got dressed in the dark and went outside to my car, which had the bough of a rather large tree sticking out of the back window! The neighbour helped me get it out and I found the car driveable, so set off for Gatwick Airport to hand in the old car for one belonging to the Central London franchise I had just started with. It took three hours for a journey that would normally have been 20 minutes and when I got there, I found that had dressed myself in the most revolting Hawaiian shirt that was only ever for daft parties!
