Miracles

We have, as always, fallen on our feet.

We we have fallen on our feet with a thoroughness that amazes even us.

Today’s entry is a happy story of miracles.

Regular readers will know that we have had a difficult few weeks and the promise of more difficult weeks to come. We have been suffering agonies of cash-shortage anxiety, because Cumbria is like the Marie Celeste, or possibly the Titanic, in that it is very wet and empty and sinking fast.

Of course I know the Titanic was not empty. However it was very like the Lake District in that what it was full of was impoverished people who couldn’t get out. Also nobody wanted to go there for their holidays afterwards.

To our enormous joy we found out this morning that we have given the Inland Revenue too much money, and they are going to give us some back.

This is a bit of a reversal of our usual interaction with the Inland Revenue, and I hope they are more enthusiastic about paying me than I usually am about paying them. They had better jolly well realise that no rubbish excuses about cheques that must have been delayed in the post will be accepted.

Such a monumentally generous gesture on the part of the Inland Revenue was gladly appreciated, actually greeted with shouts of relief, and cheered our morning up considerably.

It needed cheering up, because it was raining again, so once we had emptied the dogs we thought that we would do some indoor things.

Mark brought in logs and then took the dogs out for a trip to the farm to cut some holly and ivy to decorate the living room.

I cut yesterday’s soap into bars and wrapped it carefully.

Then the post came, and brought a letter from the insurance company complaining that I had not sent them my documents.

I had sent the documents, and went rushing over to the computer to find the evidence in order to be able to telephone them and defend myself with outraged virtue.

When I turned on the computer there was an unread e-mail.

In order for this to make sense to you I must fill you in with some of the back story, which never made it to these pages. You may be surprised to hear that this was because even I thought it was too trivial and dull.

During our holiday in Disneyland Paris one morning one of the hotel staff said we shouldn’t be eating breakfast because we hadn’t paid for it as part of our package. Of course we had paid for it, and knew perfectly well that we had, and defended ourselves hotly, and in the end she did a grumpy French shrug and rolled her eyes and gave up.

When we got home, during a dull night on the taxi rank during the following week I though I would tell Disneyland about this, because it is not a nice mix up to have to deal with, so I wrote to Customer Services and told them.

They wrote back, weeks later, and sent me a standard letter which said, we’re sorry but we don’t really care, have a nice day, come and spend some more money soon.

This made me really cross, which I hadn’t been before, so I wrote back again telling them that this was a rubbish way to answer a genuine point and that I can tell when a letter is made up of copied and pasted paragraphs joined together and that I jolly well thought that it was a poor effort.

This morning there was an e-mail from them on my computer.

It said they were sorry I was so upset and that to cheer me up we could come and have the same holiday again, on the house.

I had to read it twice.

I got Mark to read it then, and he had to read it twice as well.

They were offering us three days in Disneyland, with two nights in the Disneyland Hotel, including meals, for all four of us, as a present, any time we like.

Mark laughed a lot, wanted to know what on earth I had been doing, and said that it is a real adventure to be married because all sorts of unexpected things can happen.

We lit a candle then, to the kindly Gods who look after us so very well, and after a few moments’ thought, lit another.

Only a couple of days ago we were penniless and in despair. Today we are solvent with a splendid holiday to look forward to.

Life is just brilliant.

I chose the picture because it nicely included Disneyland and Christmas and festive spirit. Also because I am still very pleased with our Christmas tree.

Actually I am pleased with everything.