I was nervous. I thought I’d wake up, peer out of the curtains and there would be three feet of snow and clear blue skies. But no, bogging pishy horror lay outside, now that’s a Monday.
This continued as the boilers I went to service lay inside an unexpectedly locked and empty building. My view of this being a proper Monday was reinforced.
I then went to my folks to see Holly who hangs out there while we’re at work and they were away to the shops. It was going well, until…
Phil texted me, which made me phone Elaina, which meant that we were all in the Tiso cafe within an hour eating Thai Green Curry and cake. (thank you misses). Joy! It came up in converstaion that a Decathalon store had opened at the Fort shopping centre out the east end, so we hurried away into some horrendous traffic to go and find it (via the bank, who wouldn’t accept a cash deposit, now there’s a story worth passing on).
The Fort apparently had no Decathalon, but with concerted use of mobile internet we discovered that it’s welded onto the big Morrisons on the way in, so a short hop and we were there. It’s a vast shed of stuff, but in a different way to GoOudoors, Decathalon at least make their own gear so it deserves to look like a supermarket, GoOutdoors is just cheap and nasty.
We wandered the many aisles, poking, prodding, trying on. I wanted a pink camo sleeping bag for Holly and a brown padded jacket that looked very 70’s, but sense took over and I resisted. I was supposed to be taking dinner home, if I went in with outdoor gear instead there would be a “conversation”.
Elaina got into trouser mischief and made some purchases, Phil mostly stood grinning at my inner turmoil as I tortured myself with self doubt over buying an orange baselayer t-shirt.
“It’ll be rubbish”
“But it’s orange”
The journey home was fine, the roads were surprisingly quiet. I was now running late, so I took a gamble and got home with tasty hot pizza in a box. Luckily it was well received and I was hero for, oh, seconds at least.
“Where’s your car?” I asked Joycee.
“It’s broken down at your folks”
Ah, that’s right it was still Monday after all.
I went round and got it started. Hmm, low on fuel. I run around to the BP garage and fill it up, get some milk and bag of cola chews.
I put the milk on the passenger seat, fastened the seatbelt, pressed the button, ahaahaahahahah bump. Nothing.
My heart sank. Repeated button pressing brought nothing useful. My old man came round to help (all this is happening only a mile from home) and we couldn’t tow it as Renault don’t have proper tow loop, there’s just a “hole” (Yes, yes, I found out later how to work it, but this at 2100 in the rain in a car that isn’t mine), so we pushed it away from the fuel pump and Jimmy went home as I went for a latte from the garage.
Two and half hours later the RAC arrived. The boy in the big orange jacket got in and it started first time for him. I’d been trying it every ten minutes and there was nothing happening for me, the only appropriate response was “Jammie bastard”.
It had been parked on a hill with low fuel, air had gotten into the injection system and screwed up the ignition. The constant trying had worked it out and it was now clear. Oh. Happy. Day.
I got home pretty much on Tuesday, pretty pissed off, and bloody cold too.
Hey, at least it was, by and large, a proper Monday.
ptc,
sorry for the stupid question, but you live in scottland, right? winters sound pretty crappy!
Scottish winters are, patchy shall we say. We pay for those glorious snowy days with weeks of rainy horror inbetween.
It’s worth it, trust me!
And people wonder why my wife and I won’t ever have another French car after our own run in with Renault!
Sounds like you had a ‘great’ day anyway…
I’m just hoping four days at KMF will make me forget the last fortnight.
I assume the Renault is orange. It’s the only explanation for buying one surely? ;-)
I wonder if the RAC man got a nice orange corporate base-layer t-shirt to match his jacket?
Mondays. They used to never bother me but this week… rubbish! Never mind it’s Wednesday tomorrow and I’m off on Thursday and then it’ll be Friday which is almost the weekend!… Can you tell I’m enjoying work just now?! :o)
Anyhoo, I dipped into my ‘new kit fund’ today with a purchase!! That fair cheered me up…
The motor is silver and came home with the misses unexpectedly…
The window winding motor that was recently replaced when it jammed down cost marginally less than my current Mondeo estate did this time last year.
I hate Renault, their cars and their cheating Formla 1 ways as well while we’re at it!
I wonder if the RAC do get issued a corporate layering system. Their certainly not spending my money on increasing their patrols.
The last two weeks have been far from classic, but shopping therapy is as gooda cure as food :o)
Me, I’m packing when I finish this cuppa. I’m heading oot tomorrow.
Alright!
ah lucky you! Enjoy!
I’ve got 2 meetings to look forward to tomorrow…zzzzzzzzzz…
Aye it was a better Monday than I usually have with much enjoyment of the company the food and the fondling of gear.
Even the tussle with Decathlon staff over discrimination on wummins trousers was fun. Principle made me not buy the trousers which were £10 more expensive than the mens
Now Tueday, that has been like a Monday!!
Down with sexism in outdoors gear, I say!
I was cheered through my miserable monday by thinking of the burgundy trail shoes and bright orange kick-arse winter boots waiting at home after a weekend’s shopping spree in the Lakes :-)
I’ve got thurs/fri off. :) I’m a cairngorms kind of a guy, give us a recommendation for an overnighter oot your way. I reckon if you recommend it, I’ve got a better chance of a temperature inversion, given you’re jammy that way…
Ange, meetings are marching, and if you’re marching your not fighting :o)
Blondie, I wasn’t giving the story away, I was looking forward to the write up!
Kate, I heard of the rasberry is it? coloured shoes, good choice. The orange boots will be like a beacon on the snow covered Fannichs ridge in a few weeks.
Here, they’ve been filming Roman stuff up here. “Eagle of the Ninth” starring Donald Sutherland clambering around the Kilpatricks last weekend
Vorlich, I’ve been watching the weather for the weekend as I’m planning a Grey Corries trip, and it’s might be not too bad at all.
If you’re fancing some of my local stuff, the Arrochar Alps have some great camping, and next to the lochs where you’ll get the best of any inversions.
Beinn Narnain’s flat on top, Beinn Vorlich had plenty of scope on it’s ridges.
I’ll report back nearer the weekend and see if I can spread a little jamminess :o)
Awesome, last time I was up Narnain, it visibility was zero, so maybe it’s not a bad option to revisit it. Or maybe I could do my namesake, I’ve never done ‘that one’…
cheers, let you now how I get on
Actually, Haglofs call it ‘mellow red’ – but it was clearly superior to the budgie green ones. I’m very pleased they’ve sorted out the heel cup, and rather unhappy there’s a mid version coming. My wallet is trembling!
There had better be snow on the Fannichs!
I’m looking forward to Eagle of the Ninth – though it was quite devastating to discover at uni that the book was ‘wrong’ :-(
PTC write up done :-)
Vorlich,\ I get the gales and rain today in Kintail, I reckon the weekend might bbe alright!
Mellow red? That’s a colour for slippers surely?
Snow you say? Everything is covered in it, from Ben Lomond to Torridon (I’ve been about today), I have high hopes.
I’m sure the film will be historically accurate.
Ah, Blondie. I shall go look.
Just as long as the white stuff hasn’t been over-enthusiastic too soon, gets bored and goes away before January.
Mellow red slippers? Indeed, I’m lounging in them with my smoking jacket and pipe :-)
Nah, the snow just disappears for the Christmas holidays and then comes back again.