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