a day of two birthday parties

We set off mid morning for a family party in the Peak District. We're barely on the motorway before it grinds to a halt.  Eventually we hear a siren as an ambulance speeds down the other carriageway, before turning and then slowly picking its way back up to whatever lies ahead.

Then another ambulance and a fire engine.  And another.  It must be serious; there are 2 ambulances, 3 ambulance cars, 3 fire engines, 2 breakdown lorries and various unmarked - except for flashing lights - cars.  And a helicopter.

It takes an hour and a half to clear.  When we eventually get going again, there is not a single sign of what had happened. I hope it's all OK.

The weather is atrocious by the time we arrive in the Peak District; the road switchbacks up and down and side to side.  On the tops, visibility is poor as we drive through low cloud.  In the valley bottoms we drive through flooded roads.

We're late of course and when we arrive mid-afternoon, the house is packed; 40 adults and 20 children.  There's a cake (Thomas the Tank) and the party boy blows out the two candles.

It's dark as we set off home and the weather is even worse; fog now and I struggle to remember how to switch the fog lights on.  Rivers overflow and we nearly come to a halt on one particularly sodden road.

We get home about 10 O'clock and as we walk through the Train Shed, we hear the Saturday Night sound that tells us the boys next door are having a party.  Sure enough, the door is opened by a Toilet Roll (see extra, 2nd from left).  Our initial annoyance turns to laughter.  

"I'm a toilet roll"  he says sheepishly.  Not the soul singer then - Lou Rawls? 

He's already a bit 'tired and emotional'.  He apologises profusely about the noise and explains that he did come round earlier "but you were out".  And then as if to justify it, says "it is my birthday" .  With a heavy emphasis on 'is'.  

A few of his pals come out into the corridor and give Anniemay a phone number so that we can ring if it gets too loud again.  It's so hard to be cross, because they are such nice young people.

We don't bother to ring - it's loud, but we're too tired after a long day - and we have earplugs.  Problem solved.