The long way home

Well seeing as it's Easter holidays (what DO you call the holiday between the spring and summer term when Easter isn't actually in it?), I'd planned to work from home this afternoon in order to give Herring the car and a chance to take a little girl out for the afternoon.

So, I packed up my laptop, went downstairs, got in the car (in the car park, obviously) and turned the key. At this point things started departing from the plan. After a few attempts to start the car, I called Herring and pointed out that nothing seemed to be happening. There's been a relay clicking in the car with no obvious symptoms for a while now, so he got me to attempt a Doctor Who style fix (thump it with my fist), but still no joy.

So it was over to the professionals, in this case the RAC. The lady on the phone took my details and then asked 'Did you have any urgent plans this afternoon?' in the tone of voice that says you may as well resign yourself to growing old gracefully where you are. She assured me it would be at least an hour and a half before anyone came out to me; so I went back into the office!

Half an hour or so later I was called, by someone (possibly called John) who said he was now dealing with my breakdown, and he'd call when someone was coming out to me. Half an hour later I was called by someone who said they'd be with me in half an hour. Their timing turned out to be spot on, I was just wondering if I should be optimistic and go down again to wait for them, when somebody saw them in the car park.

So, I went and said hello, and he proceeded to attempt various things, generally determining that fuel was not getting to the engine. At one point he 'phoned a friend' who clearly had the technical specs to hand in order to work out if the car had a fuel pump in the tank (look, I don't KNOW, I just drive it ok?). He then proceeded to dismantle the inside of the car to get to said fuel pump and after poking it with a multimeter he attempted a Doctor Who style fix with about as much success as I'd had earlier.

So it was time to admit, that no, the car was not going anywhere, and we should take it to a garage (luckily Herring had arranged this, so I could tell him where we needed to go), and he proceeded to pull down a towing kit out of the back of his van and attach the car to it.

So off we went to the garage. We found it (eventually), and found someone to leave the keys with (the proprietor was strangely absent), and he gave me a lift home. So here I am without a car just hoping that the garage man actually knows it's with him and is going to fix it!

Full marks to the RAC though for trying to fix it, and for getting me home. I was really glad of them this afternoon!