Waiting on the windowsill.

 Put out lots of bird food and mealy worms and organised fruit juice and tea for breakfast while taking  a few quick photos of some hopeful  young starlings on the windowsill.  Nobody came to feed them. Do it yourself time had arrived.  I went off after my spartan breakfast to meet Alison and  Shonagh for coffee and cake at Lochend.  But fate had other plans.  As I was driving up a hilly and bendy bit of road my clutch gave out.  I could either sit still with my hazard lights on on reverse slowly downhill and as I was in a dangerous spot I chose the latter.  Reversing a longish and bendy bit of road is not my greatest skill so luckily I was rescued by a kind bloke who took over and parked the car off road at the entrance way to two rather posh houses.  There was plenty of room and I wasn't obstructing anyone so I immediately phoned RAC recovery then knocked on the door of the nearest house to explain and apologise.  They were very kind and quite happy with where I was. A little later the people in the other house drove in and stopped. Was I all right ? They too were so kind.  Would I like some coffee?  I declined but said I might want a loo later.  No problem.  Come up to the house.  Just as well, as six hours later I was still there.  Eighteen texts full of apologies, how busy they were, how I was their priority etc.  A number of phone calls each checking my registration, make of car etc.etc.  They would text again in half an hour.  They did but nobody ever came to help.  Then someone would be with me in an hour.  They weren't.  Someone else was coming in half an hour. They didn't.  A van stopped and a passing motorist got out to ask if I was OK. Just as I was thinking I would abandon the car and phone Andy to come and get me, another phone call arrived. They would send a taxi to take me home. What about the car?   Someone would be there about seven. Give the key to one of the houses.  I refused. Why should these people be inconvenienced.  Eventually, with great difficulty I got them to write down the details of where I was going to hide the key.  Then I was transferred, in a queue, grilled by someone who didn't grasp I was to get a taxi, transferred again and then in another queue.  I could have walked home quicker.  At last a taxi arrived with a lovely normal human being and we had such a pleasant chat I arrived home feeling much better.  Not long in when the phone rang.  The recovery people were at the car.  Where was I ?  Where was the key ?  The RAC had told them nothing.  Thankfully another normal human being  who found the key no trouble, knew where Alan's garage was, delivered the car to the yard and put the key through Alan's letter box.  Not at all the sort of day I envisaged but just when I was cursing the behaviour of  human run businesses the kindness and concern of ordinary people cheered me no end.