Claire Byrne

My 4 year-old and I were verbally assaulted tonight while pre-boarding our flight back home to Barcelona. When I say it doesn’t matter how many videos you’ve seen on the internet believe me when I say that NOTHING can prepare you for being in this situation. I’ll record a video when I’m home, calm, and can recount every detail clearly. It was surreal. The restraint I had to exercise was excruciating. But I held the line. As the insults turned to expletives and the expletives escalated to name-calling, I flagged a crew member. As you can imagine, they had already threatened to do the same thing in an attempt to intimidate us and flip the situation in their favor. When the flight attendant arrived, the masks went straight up. We explained to the flight attendant that came over that we felt unsafe, and immediately asked for them to be re-seated. She flagged another attendant who then called for a gate agent. They said they’d be right in to assess the situation. We waited patiently for a gate agent as the plane began to fill. After thirty or so minutes, the agent appeared down the aisle. They stopped next to me and stood to face the couple. I braced myself to have to recount the story. Instead, they were informed that they were being removed from the flight. The captain refused to fly with them onboard. I held my face. His mouth flew hung open. His partner feigned confusion, indignation, and tears. (Yeah. They were EXACTLY the tears you think they were.) Once it became clear that the decision had been made, it was like a switch went off. They proceeded to give the now full plane of passenger an encore. The agent didn’t miss. “Yep, that’s exactly why. Come with me, sir.” The man continued his tirade as he and his lady gathered his belongings and were escorted off the plane. Once they were deplaned, several passengers and crew-members came by to check on us. Overwhelmed that for once in my life, I didn’t have to explain myself in a situation where a white man and white woman tried to actively rewrite the details of the story to paint my child and I as the threat, I broke down. This should NOT be happening in 2026. But I glad for those that stepped forward in support of me and my baby. We’re airborne now. I’m still a little shook. Justice may be scarce on this timeline in human history, but our United Airlines crew and captain did right by me and my child tonight. Let this be a message to the underestimated and a warning to the entitled: Stand up for yourself. EVERY time. You just might be surprised by who (and how many) stand with you.

Superb evening at my Berkhamsted Supper Club….waaay more entertaining than Netflix! Tonight my dining companions consisted of a judge, a close protection officer and a former police officer. Their stories were better than Mobland! I sat enthralled as they recounted tales of gruesome murders, devious espionage and villainous wrongdoings. Slowly the stresses of the day melted away and I felt…happy. From all the smiley faces around the table it seemed as though everyone else was enjoying themselves just as much. The food was amazing and our hosts at Faire were extremely welcoming. Thought you might enjoy the photos!

I might have to change my LinkedIn strapline to the 6am Accountant soon! The natural order is changing.. Winter is Coming! And.. Wait a Minute Mr Postman! Sussex businesses strike again… I found this brightly coloured envelope at my door! Print is most certainly not dead in my world… and since when is a Milky Bar the size of my thumb 35p!? In my day a bar like this size was 10p for sure… just like the Freddo! So who is sending me actual post… It’s only the Sussex Sheriff himself Mr Steve Wilson - thank you very much, I still love receiving actual post (except the brown HM Revenue & Customs letters)… Wilson Design Associates helped me out with some 1 year AEK Accountancy merch (& the logo too), so I certainly recommend.. I really do love supporting local businesses, Wilson Design Associates are based in Chichester. Steve was patient, very honest and super helpful throughout the whole process. Thanks again Sheriff Steve (not the High Sheriff gary shipton - don’t want anyone getting confused). This edition also features our friends down at Tradermate Jargon Free Bookkeeping too - the Xero specialist bookkeeper, CIS superstar herself Claire Byrne - brilliant advertising again. Thanks Steve Wilson - I’ll enjoy my bite of Milky Bar with my morning cuppa! And it’s got me thinking what AEK Christmas merch I might want to invest in, watch this space! Have a great day from AEK!

How am I supposed to compete with this? 😂 I know the big alcohol-free brands are pricing aggressively, but damn. £4.75 for four Coronas. £5 for four Madris. In a petrol station, not a supermarket. That’s basically £1.20 a bottle. Which is crazy when a can of Coke can cost more. So it can't be just about scale. I can only assume part of the game here is getting people to try alcohol-free more casually. Making it feel normal. An impulse buy rather than something you specifically go out to buy. That’s what I want Road Legal to be that impulse buy too. The difference is, I’m never going to win a price war like this. So I need to fight somewhere else. Somewhere a beer feels slightly unexpected. Somewhere you’re driving to, driving from, picking something up, passing through, and you have that little moment of: “Hang on. I can have a beer here?” I’ve got a few ideas. More soon.