Every Day a New Adventure

Fun times all round today. A nice, reasonably civilised, meal with friends. We only took up one end of the coffee shop in question, sampled most of the menu, drank most of the coffee, and attracted just one complaint about the loudness of the laughter. No complaints about the conversational subject matter, so we can't have been that awful.

The three smallest children finished feeding first, as children often do when the grownups are too busy talking, and asked to go down to play.The coffee shop being just minutes from their house, and a lovely safe and traffic free network of footpaths and grass dividing the two, we were more than happy to let them roam free. This wasn't quite what we'd expected to see when we glimpsed them from the window, but hey, wheelchairs are cool, right?

Meanwhile, Miss Mog struggled with some tummy troubles, enjoyed a good cuddle, and the grownups had another cup of tea.

Rounding up the littlies, we sent them on their way home, Mog and I arranging to meet up back at their house with the bus. And so I loaded Mog onto the bus, clamped her in, got her settled with music on the phone, tossed the keys onto the front seat ready to go, folded the lift, slammed the back doors shut, and heard a sickening clunkclink, as the bus locked itself shut. Mog inside, phone inside, keys inside, me outside.

Bother, I thought to myself. Oh what a jolly nuisance.*

Grabbing a couple of random shoppers, I accosted them with my news, and they joined me in checking that all the doors really were locked, and all the windows really were completely closed, and all the keys really were in the front seat, with none carefully stowed anywhere more accessible, and no handy husband with a spare set anywhere.

Thankfully, the Little Princess was happily settled with our friends, although I don't think they'll forgive me for not letting them know what was happening next. AA couldn't help (Note to my US friends; that would the the Autmobile Association, i.e. the "fourth emergency service" and not Alcoholics Anonymous), but suggested calling the fire brigade. Mog decided to celebrate being locked in a hot bus by having a nicely visible even to the untrained eye set of seizures. People suggested an ambulance, I declined on the grounds that the emergency meds were in the bus with Mog, and once we could reach her, we'd reach them too and problem solved.

A nice crowd had gathered by this point, including various men-with-vans, all of whom apparently had no problem jigging their own locks with screw drivers and coat hangers. None of whom could repeat the trick on mine. And then finally the sound of sirens, and a rather large fire engine stormed the carpark, ready to do battle.

Various windows tapped and then taped, ready to be shattered if necessary. Two windows attacked more gently with crowbars and screwdrivers, until one fairly quiet fireman offered his services, having allegedly been a bit of an expert in these matters in a previous unofficial career. A little more tapping and taping, and the window was open; only damage being repairable with superglue (note to self: buy some decent superglue).

One fireman posted in through the open window, head and bottom first, leaving one leg to be posted through after him by a crowd of willing workers. Sadly my camera was still an integral part of my phone, which was perched on Mog's shoulder, and she wasn't in the mood for learning new skills. Shame. Fresh cool air and a slug of diazepam stopped the seizures though, just in time to rescue our friends from the Little Princess, and head on home after a very welcome cup of tea.

And now the Little Princess is fast asleep, having worn herself out telling the tale to all our neighbours, random passersby, and Grannie. And Miss Mog is in bed, but not very happy, with a painful something, but not sure what.

And I'm here, thankful for speedy firemen and the kindness of random strangers who stayed to make sure we were ok, and for friends who didn't mind being late to their own appointments (or who, if they did, hid it well), to look after the Little Princess. But now I had better go and see if I can make Mog more comfortable.

Tia

*Or words to that effect