A Bid for freedom.....

I was standing by the kitchen window when a boat hoved into view.  That’s odd I thought the rivers still on SSA. Then I noticed it was the rusty old tub that is moored next to me.  That’s odd I thought it never goes anywhere, somebody must be moving it for some reason.  Then I noticed there was nobody at the helm. Oh dear I thought.  So I went outside and found it had broken it’s stern rope and turned 180 degrees and was now pulling at its bow rope.  It must have decided that today, when everybody was tucked away hiding from the biting wind and the sleet,  was a good day to make an  escape bid.

So I went and informed people that it was seeking freedom, the sort of people that are going to do something about it and not just stand at the kitchen window saying ‘Oh dear’.  The paparazzi arrived first (hence the photo, thanks Carol) and then the waterborne cavalry followed.  The first idea was to push its stern round and then re-tie it.  But although the river has gone down the flow is still strong and once it had reached 90 degrees to the bank the flow was too strong to enable it to be pushed any further.  By this time the rapid response unit, having finished his beans on toast, had arrived so the next plan was to pull the bow along moor it up and push the stern back in to where the bow had once been.  That worked and the rusty old heap is now facing upstream having travelled further in half an hour than its travelled in the last three years.  I didn’t help much I just stood there and said ‘oh dear’.

This morning it’s snowing and settling.  The snow has been forecast for a number of days, so which idiot still leaves her car at the bottom of a steep slope.  The sort of idiot that means to move it later then falls asleep in front of a warm fire while reading a not very interesting book, then wakes up, looks out and discovers all is white and she’s left it too late.  Over the next four days I’ve got places to go and people to see.  The spectre of public transport looms.