Wick (Moss & Diamonds): Week 16, 30 March

It’s generally been another dull week, with one exception, which occurred on Saturday.  As usual, there was a handbell practice in the morning.  One of the other ringers texted early in the morning offering a lift, which I accepted.  It meant that I’d be late for lunch with friend S, as I’d have to get home and head out again instead of going straight from bells.  Accordingly, I let her know.

So far, so good.  When I arrived home, I switched activity bags – knitting in the car, bell stuff out – and set off.  S lives in the upland countryside outside Thurso, and the only roads are single track with passing places.  I bounced around and through potholes until I met an oncoming car less than half a mile from her house.  I’d just gone by a passing place and decided to reverse into it. 

Shadows behind the church gate

This is where things went rather wrong.  I couldn’t see the layby in the reversing cameras and misjudged where it was.  As a result, I slowly, almost elegantly, backed the car into the roadside ditch.  After attempts to go forward and back, I realised it was bootless.  With the car resting at an angle, its nose buried in the gully, I pondered what to do.  The car I’d pulled over for had stopped, and the driver asked if I was alright.  I phoned S to update her.  While on the phone, one of her neighbours was passing, and volunteered to stop by S’s.  After that, every passing car asked if I were o.k.   Plans were hatched by S and her friends, the first being to get in touch with local farmers and the second being to call a recovery service. 

‘Nuff said.

Shortly after this, S arrived and then a local farmer appeared.  He didn’t think he could shift the car, and recommended contacting a recovery company, which he helpfully did.  The first company wasn’t available, the second didn’t have the personnel, but the third would come by S’s after they finished another job.  That being settled, S & I returned to hers for lunch and a big mug of tea.

The recovery company duly called at the house to get the car keys, and almost exactly three hours after the incident, the car was parked outside S’s house.  The car was undamaged, but they said that there was a tin can between the wheel and the disc brake, which made a noise when driven.  He thought that it would eventually wear down and drop out.  We went to the car to have a look. When he put his hand in the wheel to show me, he realised he could compress it, and it fell out.  And that’s the saga of Saturday.  Boneheaded driving, but the car is fine, and I am fine, apart from embarrassment.

Grater and spoon

Because I was at S’s longer than usual, I got lots of knitting done.  So much, in fact, that when I left I was an inch into the cuff of the second sleeve.  With concentrated effort on Sunday morning, I finished the cuff and darned in the ends.  I’ll block it this week.  For the next project, I’m taking a break from ganseys and jumping on the red hat bandwagon.  But mine will be a red hood with attached cape. The pattern is ‘Nottingham’ by Nim Teasdale, available on Ravelry.