Tuesday 16 October 2012

The patience of Job.....

What a time I've had these last couple of days! 

It started well, with Daughter being home from uni this weekend. In order to make the most of the stay, and to get her back in time for a lecture Monday afternoon, we decided the best plan for her return was to drive to Birmingham (119 miles) on the Monday; then Daughter was to catch the train back to Aberystwyth while I  had a break before driving home again. That plan was foiled by long traffic queues - missed the train.

Plan B - park the car in long term parking, then both catch next train. Daughter would miss first lecture unfortunately, and I would return on next train, pick up car and drive home. Foiled again - being unfamiliar with Birmingham, couldn't find suitable parking at a price I could afford.

Plan C - drive to Aberystwyth (122 miles), stay over night, return next day. This necessitated phoning to book hotel, cancelling several things planned for next day, and arranging for neighbours to leave out food for the cats. (Bunny was inside and had enough hay to make do till next day.) Might have worked if I had paid better attention at a junction and not pulled out in front of another car! Managed to hobble car off road and ring insurance people. I am VERY grateful to God that no-one was hurt, and that the other driver was very kind and understanding. Car was taken away to be repaired.

So, Plan D - train to Aber, stay overnight, return by train next day. Of course, I wasn't prepared for an overnight stay so had to buy toiletries, undies, a nightie etc.

So that was yesterday!

This morning, got to Aber train station in good time, bought ticket, boarded train. Then it was announced that, due to flooding on line ahead, we were to go by bus to Shrewsbury (75 miles). Off we went, many of us having a good snooze on the way. We were just 2 minutes late for the connecting train to Birmingham, so had to wait nearly an hour for next one.

Anyway, although now an hour later than anticipated, rest of journey went well. When I got home, after 8 and a half hours of travelling, I found a message on the answer phone from Monday inviting me to a long-awaited job interview TODAY!!! Too late to ring them back, though I did try. Will have to ring them first thing tomorrow.

Image found on Google search.


Ah well, the main thing is that I got home safely, and Daughter got back to uni safely. And I got to read the whole of my Miss Marple book that a friend had lent me!  ;-)

4 comments:

  1. Holy Smokes!!! That was some crazy kind of adventure - at least you didn't end up riding in the back of a refrigerated truck with an accordion player :) (Hope you have seen the movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles)

    Bean

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    1. Lol. No I haven't seen that film, but I wouldn't have been at all surprised to find myself in that situation! x x

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  2. Goodness me, what an expedition. It does seem to be a hazard of daughters and Uni though - I spent a night in Tunbridge having been prevented getting further South (detouring through Ashford in the process) by a carpet of snow, when coming back from daughter at York Uni a couple of years ago!!

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    1. When is someone going to invent teleporting? Make life a lot easier! x x

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