THREE'S A CROWD - A TRIPLET OF DISASTERS

The first disaster -Rob ending up in hospital on Saturday - see previous blog.

The second disaster - Sunday was the day that Tim Shoesmith and I managed to get Rob's car back as it was still at the venue where he'd collapsed. Then I got home from hospital visiting, and popping in to a friend's wedding reception. It was around eleven o'clock on Sunday night. I had been freezing half litre bottles of water and taking them to the hospital so I refilled the empties and took them out to our garage where the freezer stood - with its door wide open!



This was a large upright freezer and the shelves were now dripping with molten icecream, and filled with very squishy packets of ready meals and frozen veg. I just took everything out, put it in cardboard boxes, and chucked it into the wheelie bin. Then I realised that I could cook the raw stuff so I rummaged in the bin and found a piece of beef, two chickens and some duck legs - like anyone rummaging in a waste bin would do!

At four a.m. I was still waiting for the last of these to roast in the oven before going to bed.

The third disaster - Wednesday was an easy day to meander up to visit Rob - who had been suddenly transferred to St. Mary's in London that afternoon! Drove to town, parking in Regents Park and getting a cab to save stress of find somewhere safe and legal to leave the car in Paddington. The trouble started when I got back to the park.....

This car was dead - ded, dead! I couldn't even get the hazard lights to work! So, totally undaunted I called the AA.

No way! They said that my membership had lapsed, the bank had messed up the direct debit, and consequently I couldn't have a man come to rescue me after all!! That was when the week fell in on me. I didn't know how to cope.

Eventually I called Mandy in Bath and she tried to cajoule the AA to no effect; they said I had to take out a new membership, my membership since 1990 was of no use at all. I said I'd rather join the RAC but, according to Yellow Pages, you can only do this during office hours and it was now 10.30. So Mandy joined me to the AA and they said they'd send a man. Whilst this was going on Mandy had also called a friend, Andrew who lived around the corner. He had walked over with a bottle of water and a bag of healthy snacks - but hadn't brought his car....


At 11 p.m. the AA called to say a man would arrive around midnight; I emphasised, once again, that the park gates closed at midnight and both I and car had to be removed long before that. He called back to say a man would be with me in half an hour.... Thirty five minutes later and nothing. Andrew, by this time, had gone to get his Bentley and we jump started my car and the engine started first time. I drove home, heart in mouth, but it's been fine ever since.

And the AA man? Well, we tried to call and cancel but couldn't get through at all. They called me, however, at 1 a.m. to let me know what time they'd be arriving in the park! Next morning I cancelled the membership and joined the RAC.

Yep - they sure come in threes....