Thursday, 8 January 2015

January Giggle Blog - Welcome to Ditzville

It’s 6.50 am and cold. I get in the car, switch on the engine and start adjusting my seat and mirrors. I’m due at my daughter’s to pick up the kids and dog at 7, but it only takes 5 minutes at this time of the morning.

But my interior light won’t go off. I turn on my headlights and put the car in gear (hoping to make it realise I intend to drive off), but the light remains stubbornly on. So I check that I’ve shut my door properly. I have. I fiddle with the switches. The light stays on.

There’s no way I can drive with it dazzling me, so I fetch useful (if somewhat disbelieving) husband. He has a fiddle. Light stays on. “We’ll have to think of some way to cover it up,” I say.

He goes in the house and comes out with some tape and a piece of card which he tapes over the light. He goes back indoors and the card drops off. I stick it back. It falls off. I stick it back. It falls off. The air turns slightly blue.

I’ll have to drive round there holding it in place. Useful husband reappears to find out why I’m still sitting on the drive at 6.58. I’m panicking. I hate being late.

“You’ll have to come with me,” I say. “You can hold the cardboard over the light.”

He jumps in and I reverse off the drive and a dashboard light flashes and an alarm says, “Beep, beep, beep, beep!” A door is open (why couldn't it have said so sooner?). He jumps out, checks all the doors and finds the rear passenger side door isn’t shut properly. He closes it. Interior light goes off.

Absolutely everyone who has been told this tale says right at the beginning, “Did you have a door open?” Well I did check MY door. I just didn’t expect one of the rear doors not to have been shut properly the night before. Sigh. I’ll know better next time.
 *

Here’s Harley enjoying her cosy new bed. It's actually a carrier, but she liked it so much I left it up and she even prefers it to sleeping on the printer. Little does she know she’ll be travelling in it to the vet this afternoon for her annual check-up.


41 comments:

  1. I hope you arrived on time in the end Teresa. Just a little problem, but I bet it was so frustrating at the time. I hope Harley's check up went well and he doesn't abandon the lovely carrying basket - just in case it is taking him to the vets.

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    1. I was late, but got there before she had to leave for work, so all was well, Maggie. Harley's check up wasn't so good - only 18 months old and she has dental problems, so it's an operation for her next week xx

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  2. TeeHee. I can just imagine it all. SO funny afterwards but SO frustrating at the time. Hope all went well with Harley xx

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    1. I did laugh after, Sue - but I didn't at the time!
      Harley has dental problems, so it wasn't such great news at the vet's today. She was very good bless her xx

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  3. Lol! Exactly the kind of thing I do! Our cat, Milo, had his annual check up at the same time as my puppy so we took them together — he wasn't impressed. I think he was hoping for a break from Murray when he saw his carrier!

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    1. I'm glad it's not just me :-)
      We took Dusty along as well as Harley as I wanted to talk to our vet about his ongoing problems too. She was very relaxed in her carrier and I had to wake her up to get her out when it was her turn to be seen. I love your names, Milo and Murray xx

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  4. Ah... that reminds me of the occasion when a visiting grandson, unbeknown to me, had left a rear window open just before I drove through the car wash. Boy, did I get wet trying to close it.

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    1. Oh, Frances - kids and car windows! Must admit it was a grandchild who hadn't shut the rear door properly the night before, good job we love them isn't it xx

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  5. I can just imagine the frustrating scene, Teresa - and that time in a winter's morning! Glad it all came right. That looks a cosy bed.

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    1. I felt such a wally, Rosemary. The bed is cosy, but she's refused to go back in it since we got back from the vet xx

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  6. At least you got there eventually, Teresa, even if it was a few minutes late.

    Our car internal lights stay on for about 30 seconds after we close the doors, and they are then meant to fade slowly- no they don't, it's immediate dark. :D

    At least Harley knows Dusty isn't going to slip in the carrier meanwhile.

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    1. Yes, ours fade, Carol. I was sitting there waiting for them to go off for a while before I realised it wasn't going to happen. I never need to look where I put the key in daylight, but in the dark for some reason I need that interior light. It must be a pain if it goes off straight away xx

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  7. I had to laugh at the card - up, down,up, down. :-) That does look a nice cosy carrier, i think i might trade our old plastic one in for one of those.xx

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    1. It was funny, Deb - and of course I was illuminated so if anyone was passing they would have seen me making a fool of myself!

      I'd recommend the carrier, Deb - it's so much lighter to carry than the plastic ones and it came with a nice little fleecy bed, but she has her cushion in there as well and it's just a quick zip to get her in and out xx

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  8. Our camper van helpfully tells us that doors aren't shut, but not which so I have to run round slamming them all (some are heavy). I'm sure it thinks it's my fitness instructor and claims one isn't shut when it is.

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    1. I hope it tells you before you set off - my car thinks it's funny to wait until I'm actually moving. I think it finds it funny xx

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  9. First thing in a morning! If that had've been me, the air would have been so thick, I would have suffocated :) I'm glad all was well, though. These things are sent to keep us grounded and remind us not to be too serious, I guess. Have a great weekend, Teresa.

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    1. The air did go a bit blue, Nicola - I hope the neighbours can't lip read! Hope you have a great weekend too xx

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  10. Very annoying - but very funny. Well at least for us. Probably not so much for you at the time.

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    1. It was only later when I had a laugh about it I wondered whether to share it, Colette :-) xx

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  11. Hehe, that's funny because it's just the sort of thing that always happens to me, especially when I have to be somewhere :)
    Harley looks very content there, I hope he still likes his carrier after his vet visit :)
    Sorry I 'm a bit late, but Happy New Year!! I hope you all have a great 2015 x

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    1. Things like that only happen when you're in a hurry, don't they :-)
      Happy New Year xx

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  12. Hi Teresa,

    Oh my goodness! You have my total sympathy with that. I've had a very similar experience with the light staying on. Now, if only I could get my fridge light to go off :)

    Cosy cat carrier!

    Gary

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  13. Laughed at your light incident but what about this? Three times this week, I tried to get into the wrong silver car outside my house. What was worse was on the last time I did it, my husband just stood by our own car and watched me while laughing.

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    1. Love it, Wendy! I remember my mum trying to get in a car that was parked in front of mine. I think it was wishful thinking on her part as it was a very smart car :-) xx

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  14. Oh that made me laugh Teresa! I didn't laugh at the notion of getting in the car at 6.50am to pick up children and dog though...brrr! I have a garden light by the kitchen door that was very handy until my husband removed a kitchen cupboard, disconnected the lights within that and disconnected the switch to the garden light in the process. Now I can't switch it on at all...
    By the way, have been trying to comment on your blog over new Year but my comments did not appear. I put this down to post Christmas gremlins so fingers crossed now...Happy New Year! :-)

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    1. How frustrating about the outside light! They are such handy things.

      That is weird about the comments - it has been happening to me too at other blogs. I comment, then it doesn't appear - then you don't know whether to do another one and risk repeating yourself or what to do! Glad your comment came through this time - Happy New Year xx

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  15. Glad we are in Ditzville together, Teresa. Glad you found out what it was in the end. Sorry to hear about the worries with the pets. Xx

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    1. A lot of us here in Ditzville, Susan - we are in good company xx

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  16. What a palaver you had...we've all had similar. :-) Makes for something to laugh about though...

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    1. That is the reassuring thing, Maria - I know it's not just me xx

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  17. So funny, but it's easily done - and better that the door was open than a costly bill for a repair :0) Gorgeous pic of Harley :0) xx

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    1. Ooh yes, Suz, that was going through my head too and adding to the stress xx

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  18. I've done that before - and then drove off as the passenger door swung open - that really freaked me out!

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  19. Hi Teresa, I have just come across your great blog, and some lovely others that you follow. I've just started giving this malarkey a go myself (a new years resolution), I decided to write a fictional blog and discovered along the way that I also want to draw cartoons, talk about odd. It would be great to know what you think http://acurtaintwitcher.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. What fun! I've just followed you - looking forward to popping over at the weekend for a proper read - I love your cartoons! xx

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    2. Thank you for that lovely feedback x

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  20. I clicked the button to lock the car outside our local library. Nothing! Clicked again umpteen times and still the car wouldn’t lock. So I had to leave it unlocked, hoping no passing car thief would take a fancy to it while I was in the library.
    Only when I returned and automatically pressed the open button did I realise that’s what I’d been doing all along. I’d been OPENING the car doors instead of locking them. I’m only admitting this embarrassing incident now because everyone else is being so honest. Not my finest moment!

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    1. Lol I've done that too, Rena, but trying to unlock the doors by pressing the lock button! That must have been a very quick trip to the library - you would have been in a hurry to get back to your car xx

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