Thursday 23rd March 2023 (part 2)

When I wrote Thursday's post yesterday evening, I had clean forgot the reason why i couldn't remember what I cooked for dinner.

As I cooked nothing.

Because Jools and I were on our travels, both to Oxfordshire over the weekend, we both needed a car as we were going off the beate track. We could either rent a car, or we could ask to borrow Jen's.

We asked Jen and she said yes, so we needed to pick up the car on Thursday evening as Jools was leaving forst thing in the morning, and Jen and John when to the Rock Rose for their weekly treat of steak and chips. We could meet them there, and either I or John could take her back home. In fact Mike and Helen were coming too, so we would all meet at half six at the Rock Rose.

Oh yes, the Rock Rose.

The Rock Rose is what is called a "family" pub. Its something about McDonalds and Burger King, but not a real pub, a new build place that does "pub fayre" at reasonable prices, so much so families are welcomed.

We drove to Whitfield in a strm, the rain came down in sheets. We parked near the door and scampered in, waiting for Mike, Helen, Jen and Jon to arrive, we were shown to our table, a table for six, down in the family end of the building. IN an area behind us, one huge family, or several families were celebrating a child's birthday, the parents ignored the children, while the children used the pub as their playground.

I suppose we could have asked to move.

And we were all children at one time or another. But as a child, I wasn't allowed to run around causing mayhem and noise for other diners. Oh no, that would not do.

Trying to ignore the noise and pretend it was a normal evening, Jools and I had a cavery, whilst the others ordered steak, meaning we had to wait for theirs to arrive before going to the counter to get our food, all dry as it was under the heating lamps. And by the time we returned, they had already half finished.

Once we had eaten, Jools took our car home, and I drove Jen's. Again the rain was hammering down and it was dark, in our car the lights come on automatically, Jen's did not.

I was halfway along the bypass when a combination of flashing lights and toots on the horn made me pull over and try to find the swtch for the lights.

None of the switches made the lights come on.

A guy had stopped behind me, and he came over. He said he was a Toyoata mechanic, he reached in and rotated a ring around the switches and the lights came on.

I drove home, unkilled and unharmed.

I'll take that as a win.

Why do every car manufacturer have to design things differently? I once sat in a Merc in a dark car park for an hour trying to find the gear shift, only for it to be on the steering wheel column.

Pah!