The day started out okay. I was a little sleepy and was having a busy morning. The car belonging to The Man of the Place was still in the shop so I was drove him in to town. A very expensive turbo charger in his car broke on Monday. This caused his lovely blue BMW to emit billowing clouds of blue smoke. . So, I drive him in and he will collect his car later.
Because my morning routine was disrupted, I didn't go through the ordinary leaving the house checks. e.g. lock all the doors, put phone in handbag, water dish for dog, check food and water for chickens . . . that sort of thing. I managed to get the animals checked on and Henry had locked the doors . . . did I forget anything? I've got my diary and my handbag . . . .
I was headed out to Stranraer again. It is about 95 miles from the house and so with half a tank of diesel in the car, I thought I'd just top up the tank on the outward journey so that I wouldn't have to do it at the end of the day when I am often much more tired.
I pulled into the Shell station on the outskirts of Dumfries. I use this particular station almost exclusively. I have Shell fuel card and this is the Shell station closest to the house and conveniently right on today's direct route. It was busy as I pulled in and the only pump not in use was the one on the far left. I usually go to the pumps on the right or centre and for some reason, never usually go to the left side of the forecourt.
Hmm. . . what shall we put in the car today . . . .
I get out, and start to fill the car. Just when I'm almost finished, I look at the pump and notice that the prices have gone down even further. The diesel was .99 pence per litre . . . wait a minute . . . it hasn't . . . I'm putting unleaded in the car!! Bugger! *groan*This is going to screw up my day a bit . . . Okay. . . first things first. Go pay for the fuel I don't want. I went up and paid for the unleaded petrol and informed Alex, the nice guy who works there, that my car prefers diesel rather to the 35 litres of unleaded that I have just put in it.
Alex smiles. He's been through this before. It is early, I was a little distracted and I was using a pump that I don't normally use. It happens all the time he says. He comes out from behind the counter and gets the big orange traffic cone. He tells me not to start the car and places the cone behind my car so that nobody will queue up behind me.
I then go to call the AA breakdown service (the UK equiv of the AAA). Wait a minute! Where is my work phone? I can't find it. Then realization hits me. I have left it at home. It is in the pocket of the jacket I was wearing yesterday. Arrgh! Never mind. I will use my personal phone. . . . that isn't charged up and dies in the middle of dialing the first number. Bloody bollocks!
Alex kindly offers the use of the phone inside. I phone the breakdown service. "Wrong fuel in the car" I tell them. No problem, but the wait will be two hours. (What?!) Apparently there are a few jobs on the go for the drivers this morning. In fact, while I am waiting an AA driver comes through the Shell station. he says that I am probably on his list but he can't reshuffle the jobs. He will get to me in due time. I am starting to think that I am not going to make it to my 12.30 appointment even though it is only 9.30.
I can either get all worked up and Type A personality about this or I can just relax and enjoy the wait. Polly, who had a bath the night before was behaving perfectly (asleep on the back seat). I bought a coke and a couple of magazines and went back to my car for the wait. I listened to the morning radio and flipped through glossy magazines showing how fabulous the party for Prince Charles was. I was so engrossed in the lifestyles of the crowned heads of Europe that a knock on the car window caused me to practically jump out of my skin. I was being invited inside for coffee. How nice!! Who else has had a free coffee from the Shell station?
Here are Alex (on the left) and Shane - the guys who work the morning shift at the Shell station on the outside of Dumfries. They are really nice guys.
This is the AA guy (also a nice guy) who towed me to the garage to get the contaminated fuel drained from my car.
The process of removing the unwanted fuel from my car isn't as straightforward as it used to be. There are anti-siphon thingies in cars now. The back seat had to be take out!! I don't know why. It took hours. I had to call The Man of the Place (another borrowed phone) and ask him to phone my Stranraer appointment and cancel for me. *sigh* There was nothing else I could do. I walked Polly. At lunch we found a burger van. I had a bacon roll and Polly had a sausage roll with no bun. I read my magazines and just killed time. At about 2 pm I was finally in the car again with all the windows open. The car was filledwith diesel fumes. Good thing I don't smoke anymore!
I was back home by three having seen NO customers and even LESS fuel in the car. Sheesh! I have comforted myself with a nice hot bath and then have a nice hour or so whacking people on Mob Wars on Facebook. Tomorrow will be better . . . almost Friday.
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