Tuesday, January 22, 2008

But am I a man or a mouse?

After breakfast, as George was completely out of food, I decided that if I went to the vets’ for more dog food, and to the shops for a few things I needed, first, I could settle down to work afterwards. I left the house at 9.15 expecting to be home in 30 minutes or so; I arrived home 2 hours later!

If I say I’ve been expecting it, that doesn’t mean that there was anything I could do to prevent it. And it has been over a year since I had to call out the rescue men. Yes, Betty broke down. Since winter began, each time she’s started again after stalling at traffic lights, I’ve given a little ‘yes!’ of delight, but this morning it wasn’t just that she wouldn’t start in the vet’s car park: she began to buzz. Loudly. Even after I took the key out of the ignition, she continued to buzz. I got out of the car, went round the back, opened the boot/bonnet and jiggled a rubber hose; she carried on buzzing.

A lady who had pulled into the car park next to me, got out and, together, we umm-ed and aah-ed. Betty stopped buzzing.
‘Try and start her now,’ the lady said.
I had scarcely opened the door before Betty began to buzz again. ‘Oh dear,’ we both said. ‘I think it must be something serious,’ I said, ‘like a um fan belt coming off.’ (I am very knowledgeable.)

I phoned the Rescue Men.
‘What’s the trouble?’
‘My car is buzzing.’

When the mechanic arrived, I turned the ignition key so he could hear the buzzing and there wasn't any. Instead Betty made a sort of rumbling noise.
‘Sounds like a flat battery,’ he said.
‘No, she wasn’t making that sort of noise before; she was buzzing.’
‘Sounds like a flat battery.’
‘No, I know what flat batteries sound like. They don’t make a noise.’
‘I’ll get my charger,’ he said.

It was a flat battery.

At least it wasn’t anything serious.

xx

5 comments:

Elsie said...

I'm sticking with my theory from last winter that you simply enjoy the Rescue Men's company.

Leslie: said...

Well thank goodness that's all it was! We wouldn't want poor George to go hungry, now.

jmb said...

Don't argue with the Rescue men, they know these things. Buzzing? Are you sure that wasn't buzzing in your ears? I guess not since you had a witness. All sorted however by the intrepid of the RAA or whatever initials they sport.

Anonymous said...

The Rescue Men will have missed you Liz. Glad it wasn't a total failure of Betty. Somehow I don't really fancy making a posthumous scrapbook about a car.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Glad it wasn't serious!