Who ever said "IT CAN only get better"

For the past week or so I have thought that my ancient car has
A) been using a bit more fuel
B) each time I went to fill it and pulled the wee lever to open tank cover , it did not always open
After yesterday's fiasco at Ardbeg by the time we got back to base the only petrol pumps in Bowmore had closed! Hmm I thought what do I do as the needle was almost on empty which again I thought had gone down rather fast.
Do I wait till the Bowmore pump opens an 9am and then hare down to Port Ellen for the ferry for which was leaving at 9.45! or do I doddle slowly down thus (in theory) conserve my depleted fuel? After thinking a bit I decided we should leave the B&B about 8.00 and doddle leasurly down to Port Ellen
Arrived at Port Ellen at 8.30 got to ferry and asked what time did the petrol garage there open. 8 says the CalMac man so I turned and went back the 400 or so yards to said petrol station only to find notice on door saying open at 9am!!!

Anyhows decided to wait it out as I could keep an eye on the ferry coming in the bay. Lady opened the pumps and I pressed the lever to open tank lid.....nothing happened. Oh God not only do I have no fuel I now cant open the god forsaken lid to get the fuel in the damn car! Anyhow after giving it a frustrated thump it opened and I decided to fill up the tank incase I got caught out and couldnt open the pesky lid again.
Feul in Islay as I discovered half way through this procedure is £1.29 a litre! I stopped filling the tank at £80!!!!
Paid the nice lady who said you must have come here running on fumes !
Went to join the ferry que (again) and met up with some of the tutors travelling on foot so offered to take Clare's accordion etc into the car, jumped out leaving my door open, opened back door and lo did the dam car not start rolling back(handbrake has always been rubbish) I couldnt get round the two open doors, the guy behind me was by now a whiter shade of pale and my big cousin inside the bloody car blissfully unaware we were about to prang a frightened tourist with a car with a killer towbar! Anyhows with the adrenalin flowing I managed to get inside and brake just in the nick of time!

Sat in flaming car with heart pumping when big cousin said "I smell deisil"
I got out and looked and underneath the bloody car was a huge pool of my £80 prescious fuel!! By this time the cars started moving and because Calmac had pranged the ferry and could only load from the blunt end (not a sailor so dont know nautical terms) I then started reversing knowing I was leaving a trail of fuel and then realised I couldnt see to reverse as the car had an accordion, a bloody harp and 10 flaming bodhrans all piled high. I gets out and starts chucking bodhrans about then finally reverse on (no bother this time) and hope no one noticed my trail! Not so, deckhand said "your car's leaking" oh is it says I? staring down the big cousin lest she say anything.

I gets out and open bonnet and there is my servered fuel line spraying my epxensive deisil on the deck!!! Arrrrggghhhh

Anyhow as we were not going anywhere for the next 2 hours I knew it would leak no more.
Arrived at Kennacraig drove off and managed to give it a temporary fix and drove home having passed big cousin onto someone else to take her further on to her home.
So day began, fuel dilema, massive payout, fuel leak, car rolling back it cant get any worse says one of the accompanying musicians!!!
Fatefull words as I got a text telling me that the 5 pesky harps that I spent some time logistically getting from a Scottish island to Central Scotland for Monday, the guy texts and says "we don't need them"
I texted back "I am going to kill you" poor chap, he was very scared, but all was sorted so now for some peace!

Have a good weekend all