Some times things don’t go to plan. We all have the odd minor disaster from time to time and once in a while, if we’re unlucky, a major one. Often a disaster can turn out to be a blessing in disguise, even if it takes a while for that to become clear. In early January 2013, I had a day that seemed to be all about disaster of one kind or another.
10 January 2013
This morning started badly and, for once, it wasn’t food causing the problem. Commando works nights which means he has to sleep during the day. Because he goes to bed before I get dressed I have to get all my clothes out in the evening otherwise my rummaging around in the dark would spoil his beauty sleep. This morning’s choice of outfit was brown, tweedy trousers from Next. Late last night when I was pulling random things out of the wardrobe, I forgot they were a bit too big these days and didn’t also get a belt out. I’m always doing things like that. I get out of the shower, go to put my clothes on and discover I’ve forgotten something vital. You wouldn’t believe the number of times I’ve had to rifle through the clean washing pile (good job I’m so bad at taking it upstairs and putting it away really) for knickers or socks. So this morning I was mostly hoiking my trousers up at regular intervals. Luckily they’re not so big they actually fall down.
How come I can be so organised at work and so useless at home? A while a go I had to spend the whole day with no knickers because, for once, I did actually take the washing upstairs and put it away. Good job I always wear trousers really or that could have been a major problem. Maybe I should devote more time to planning chez moi. Still I’ve got a long way to go before I can beat Mr Bumble on the planning disaster front. Normally, before one of her marathon jaunts, she is still packing on the morning, has lost several vital items and is sewing things on her bra on the flight or train, depending where the marathon is. She’s just set off for Florida for the Disney marathon and Goofy half marathon (Goofy because you’ve got to be nuts to do both). This time, according to her posts on WLR, she was all prepared a few days before and we were all shocked.
We should have known nothing would be simple where Mr Bumble was concerned though. Yesterday morning, when she went to pick up her currency the office had closed early so she had to spend time she didn’t really have ordering more online to be picked up at the airport. For Mr Bumble this was just a minor blip in proceedings. She finally left home to drive to the airport three hours later than planned but, as her flight left at some ungodly hour and she had an overnight hotel near the airport, she didn’t have to worry too much about the time. Half an hour into her journey she had a call from her husband to tell her she’d forgotten the Walk the Walk banner. This was a bit more of a problem because she was in charge of taking it to a special event out there. She had to turn round and drive back to get it. Now she was four hours later than planned, still not a major problem though.
Things really started to go wrong when she hit fog on the motorway. She turned on the fog lights and all manner of alarms and flashing lights started up in the car. When she tried to slow her brakes didn’t work! Heart stopping moment or what? Luckily there wasn’t much traffic around and she managed to get to the hard shoulder and stop by using her handbrake. This made me wonder how I’d have felt if it had happened to me? Luckily the AA picked her up and took her to the hotel. The car is apparently dead and has been taken off to a garage near her home so she is going to have to arrange a coach for the return journey.
Every cloud has a silver lining and it seems that all the delays were a good thing because otherwise she would have been in the rush hour traffic and it could have been a different story. So we all breathed a sigh of relief and settled back to wait for a post on the WLR forum from Floida in the morning, if she could get an Internet connection.
Then, late last night, there was another post. Mr Bumble was at the airport and had discovered she’d bought her husband’s passport with her instead of her own! Luckily her husband was at home when she called him and he had to jump in a taxi with the right passport and hope he could make it to the airport before the flight closed. Quite an expensive trip, with the cost of the dead car, the coach trip home and the taxi fare both ways. More nail biting ensued. The next post came in the wee small hours. I didn’t see it until this morning. Hubby made it in the nick of time and she was on the plane. Let’s hope the next post is to tell us she’s arrived safely with no more disasters. If she can’t get an Internet connection none of us will get a good nights sleep until she’s back home.
After the walk over the New Bridge last night, I decided I’d do the whole thing in reverse this morning. I was hoping for some spectacular views from the bridge in the daylight. Of course it did mean the first part of the walk was the Little Hill but, as I struggled up it, I told myself I was burning a few extra calories. It was a pretty miserable morning, damp and a touch foggy but, as I walked down Peartree Avenue, I was still hopefull of some decent views from the bridge. At the top of the Scary Hill, the one you hope you never have to do a hill start on, I could see right down over the water. A plane was coming in and there was a reassuring pink tinge to the clouds. Looking the other way I could see tantalising glimpses of what looked like a beautiful sunrise through the trees.
To get away from the road, I took the cutway behind the green which also meant I avoided the muddy path across the grass. As I passed the church on the green (the one Richard Parker is buried in) there was a definite orange glow to the sky. Not far now to the bridge and, hopefully, the sunrise. In the other direction I could see The spire of St Mary’s Church and just about make out my office building. At least I think it was my office building.
Finally I made it to the bridge but, by then, the mist was rolling in so the sunrise I’d walked so far to see was hidden. Oh well, maybe another day. From the middle of the bridge, despite the misty cloud, I had a great view of the yachts moored at the waterside, the stadium, the church spire and even the Civic Centre clock in the distance. Close to the end of the bridge I could see the cruise ships lined up, four of them in today. Pity it wasn’t clearer weather. Next time I might try walking on the other side of the bridge too for a better view.
Arabella wasn’t due in today but I wouldn’t have been surprised to see her. All week she’s been a day out, yesterday she was convinced it was Wednesday. She didn’t come in though and I got most of the tasks from yesterday’s meeting done this morning. After a good food day yesterday things didn’t go quite as well today. Maybe it was because I ate less yesterday, or the extra hill walking this morning, but I was hungry all day. There were still some biscuits left in the kitchen when I made my coffee and I have to admit I had four during the day, as well as all my snacks and my lunch. Oh well, one good day one bad one seems to be the pattern right now.
I wonder how Mr Bumble is getting on?