Sunset Silhouettes

Warning - bit of a rant coming up....

I think I'm usually really quite tolerant and rarely lose my rag, but lack of respect and rudeness really pushes my buttons.

Catherine texted me while I was at work because our local Water Company in Yorkshire had dug a great hole in the road right outside our drive. Not a small hole that I could drive round but a crater.

They had knocked early in the day but Catherine being in recovery from surgery was in bed, so she didn't hear. When she woke up and found they'd dug this hole she went out to see them where they said they'd tried to warn her about it but there was no answer.

In other words it was her fault.

There was no warning - the work was because our neighbours are building another home in their garden - so they must have known for a long time they would need to dig.

So Catherine said that we used the drive and I would need to park when I got home, so they promised to cover the hole before leaving.

But of course they didn't - they just buggered off and left the hole.

I could have parked on the street, but I saw red. I called the Water company, and I apologised to the person taking the call - I appreciate that they didn't dig the bloody hole, but I want access to my drive and I want it now.

I was waiting for them to ask why I wanted access... they didn't but they did ask if it was important that I have access to my drive tonight. I said yes it was important, but even if it wasn't important, it's MY BLOODY DRIVE!

If the workmen has said that they were really sorry but the work had taken longer than expected so they wouldn't be able to finish the work (they could have laid a metal plate over it but that's not the point), then I would have been OK with it.

But no - they just buggered off, leaving foam coffee cups and various other debris strewn behind.

So the Water Company said they'd send their contractor round straight away to sort it. I only left it 30 minutes and then phoned again as I wanted the number of the contractor to find out where the bloody hell he or she was.

These people had unilaterally decided that it wasn't important that I park my car in my garage, and whether it was important or not - it wasn't for them to decide.

I'm not a 'moaner' - I understand that sometimes you have to queue and sometimes you get inconvenienced and sometimes things don't work, and sometimes people get it wrong, and I don't let it stress me. But these people had done none of these things. They'd just decided that they couldn't be bloody bothered to fill in the hole and they couldn't be bloody bothered to tell anyone.

So I didn't get the number of the contractor but I was promised they'd be here by 8pm to fix it.

I wanted my walk - I was really annoyed and was pacing the room wearing out a trough in the carpet, so Catherine and I headed out, passing the contractor in the car as he headed for our road.

And it was a beautiful evening - I couldn't resist a visit to the horses :o) These are a different family to yesterday's, the closest had hair that felt like velvet and was gorgeous. I could have spent hours with them and they instantly calmed me down.

Back home and 2 workmen were sorting out the road - I had expected them to turn up with a metal plate to cover the hole so I could drive in, but no. It was a full 'fill-in' job. Hardcore, tarmac, the whole thing. Loud machinery, drilling, shouting at each other as loudly as they could. They just finished at 10.30pm.

I have no doubt they thought - 'he want's access to his drive? We'll give him access to his drive!' and by doing this it's meant I couldn't park until just a few minutes ago.

Because of course - I was being unreasonable in expecting to be able to park in my drive.

The contracting manager is phoning me tomorrow afternoon to discuss my complaint. It's going to be tricky because strictly speaking they did what I asked!

Thanks for the response to yesterday's horses :o) Hope you like these too!