On Sunday, I posted some musings, and I mentioned that we expected our first seasonal visitors, one of my stepsons and his girlfriend.

They were late arriving, something always of concern when a long drive is involved. Due to be here by 11am, it got to midday, and then the phone rang.

After turning off the main A47 road just four miles from our house, the car had been involved in an accident. It was undrivable, and three cars had been involved. Fortunately, nobody had been injured.

A recovery truck had been called, and I was able to go to where they were to collect them once the truck arrived to take the car away.
(The damage is so severe, it is unlikely to be repaired through the insurance)

But it was much more complicated than that, of course it was. They had only been intending to stay for lunch, drop off presents, collect theirs, and drive home again around 4pm. Now they had no car, public transport was not an option with no direct train route and a Sunday service, so they were stuck in Beetley, both due to go to work this morning.

Phone calls were made in abundance, but nobody could help by giving them a lift home, or lending them a car. I wasn’t about to make a 260-mile round trip in heavy traffic in the dark, and Julie’s bad back would never tolerate such a long car journey.

So they had to stop the night, miss work today, and I drove them back this morning. So, no serial post yesterday or today, and no sign of me around the blog. I am just back from a 6-hour journey, and looking forward to the dinner I am going to cook soon.

Julie’s son now has to try to buy a car tomorrow, using taxis to visit dealerships close to where he lives in Bedfordshire. On top of that, he is a self-employed tradesman, so lost a day’s pay today, and probably tomorrow too.

But there’s more!

They had booked up to spend Christmas in a hotel in the Cotswolds, hoping to make it special. If they don’t get a car tomorrow, they will be unable to travel to that area, as it is too far to go using public transport. On top of that, they will lose the £500 they paid, as it is too short notice to claim a refund.

As I dropped them off just after 1 pm, I was hesitant when wishing them a ‘Merry Christmas’