Damp

We have had an unexpected day off.

This was not planned in the least, but was no less wonderful for that. In fact the reason was not a sudden inclination towards idleness, but because the broadband equipment that Mark needed to be rurally installing had not turned up, and so Ted said that he need not bother about work if he preferred not to.

You do not need me to tell you that he did prefer not to, not least because my taxi was desperately in need of fixing. Looming large in our gallery of worries was a failed MOT that we knew it would have to re-sit before the end of the week.

He had meant to fix it last night when he came home from work, but in the end he did not get back until almost nine o’clock, and we thought that really a bit of a rest was in order, so he came to sit on the taxi rank to earn a television instead.

We did not need to set the alarm this morning, although I woke up at half past six anyway. I closed my eyes again, with determination, and a couple of minutes later it was eight o’clock and time for a less-hurried-than-usual cup of coffee.

It was raining.

It was raining really hard. We have had some brilliant washing-drying weather this week, but not today, and we looked out at the dark skies without enthusiasm. It is very horrible to be fixing cars in the rain.

Of course I was not fixing a car, because my offers of help had been politely rejected. Obviously I had known that they would be, how dreadful to have had to wrestle with spanners and rusty bolts all day.

We emptied the dogs first, which turned out to be a splendid moment, because when we told the Peppers about our day off, they promptly offered to cook dinner for us all this evening. We accepted this without even the smallest pretence at polite  reluctance, and then we had a nice thing to keep us going through the dreary chill damp of the day.

The car turned out not to be quite as bad as Mark had thought. Some bits that the MOT chap had said were broken turned out not to be broken at all, only loose, and were quickly tightened up, and of course you know about the dangerously loose seats.

In the end it was only the ball joint that needed replacing. Autoparts had helpfully delivered one already, and so it went rather better than expected. The rain slowed down a bit, and so he did not get too sodden, and all in all it was not as horrible as it might have been.

I filled in the paperwork for the council. Also I telephoned some insurance companies to see if anybody could insure the taxis for the money that we have already got in the bank. I was very hopeful that somebody might do this, which would mean that we could stop trying to save up any more.

We are saving up for taxi insurance as well, but it is not as exciting as a television, so I haven’t bothered to tell you about it. Some things are too dull for me to write, never mind for you to read.

All of the insurance companies said that they would ring me back, and none of them did, which I took to be a good sign, maybe tomorrow somebody will sigh and forgo their commission.

I finished painting the cupboard under the stairs, and we tidied up a bit before dashing off for our dinner.

It was lovely.

We had dinner in the dining room of their guest house, which made it feel like having a night out in an hotel, and dinner was splendid. There was lasagna and salad and chips and garlic bread, with a pudding mostly made of huge slabs of chocolate and whipped cream.

Also there was wine.

They had pushed the boat out and purchased some wine from Sainsbury’s, which we could tell was up market because it had a shiny black box with a middle-class sort of picture, and a label which said it was Merlot. We have been drinking Asda’s Economy Selected Red Wine in a two-colour-printer box for ages, and this was like nectar.

The thing was that I had half a glass and longed to fall asleep.

It was bright and warm, and the food was hot and rich and good, and the day had been cold and dreary and damp. I listened to everybody talking and felt wonderfully mellow, and peaceful and contented.

We came home early before I started to snore. I get cross with Mark when he does this, and so obviously I could not fall into that trap myself.

I am about to have a shower. I am warm and stuffed with dinner and wine, and feeling very happy with the world.

It has been a lovely day off.

Have a picture of the evening.