No cover for morons

So everything was hunky dory, we had finally packed all the stuff, the clothes, the toys (mountains of them), the wellies (4 different sizes, 5 in seven months time once Finn qualifies for tripping in the Irish puddles), the hot flask of tea, the cool bottle of mineral water, the biscuits, the goodies from the egg hunt, the egg and scallion sandwiches that everyone fights not to eat, the Chip Sticks, Monster Munches, Taytos (cheese and onion AND salt and vinegar), the entertainment in two separate DVD players for Luca and Mimi (better that than listen to them bickering for 210 miles of twisty bumpy roads), Daddy's Ipod with Daddy's special dodgy mix (Mrs Raheny's favourite has to be Magma...), the comfort blankets, the normal blankets, the extra blankets (you never know once you hit the wilderness of the County Mayo bogland), enough petrol to cover Biarritz - Vladivostok non-stop, new wiper blades to stop the annoying noise that made the inbound journey a living nightmare and a rattly toy for Finnzy-Bob who is always happy anyway, rattly toy or no rattly toy.

But then Dad realised that he still did not have a blip for today, and since Mr Smith has decided to go all arty and experimental, someone has to blip stickers and shop signs and funny promotional poster and unusual road signs.
Mrs Raheny is by now well used to seeing me stop the car in a more or less erratic fashion (skids marks on the road are usually the sign of a particularly good blip). But she is not yet used to seeing her husband get the car stuck in a ditch to photograph a sign that warns motorists against getting their cars stuck in a ditch...
The guys from the AA (not the ones with the 12 steps programmes, the one with the one step programme: "give us your money!") did not find it funny either.
I was reminded that they did not cover instances when the vehicle is immobilised due to an accident or my own [moronic - the guy did not actually say it but strongly implied it, I know, I am very receptive to this kind of vibe...] wrongdoing.

So there we were, stuck in a ditch, with a car packed to the roof with kids, toys, food, DVD players, rattly toys and unimpressed wives...

Option 2 was to call the bro who knows a guy in the next village with whom he fishes from time to time.
John Joe was only too happy to come around in his vintage Massey Ferguson, to see the Dubs stuck in the ditch and have a laugh for himself at how daft one can be, stuck in a ditch 25 yards before the warning sign.

We are back home safe and sound now. Ready to go back to work tomorrow.

Not...