When a plan doesn’t quite play out…. That has been the story of the last 48 hours. Have a day off, they said…. Sure thing…. until most of the Senior Case Managers are also off! The office team explain to callers that I am out of the office and that I will return calls today (Saturday) or Monday, so people call my mobile and want to talk through extensive case files. Erm…. my team were managing your expectations, folks. OK, so I have a lot of cases in my head but not all of them!
The plan was to see the sea and visit a museum – The Helicopter Museum (the world’s largest dedicated helicopter museum) – in Weston-Super-Mare. We left later than hoped (long story) and so, hit ludicrously heavy M5 traffic southbound. Just as we picked up speed, the engine management warning light appears on the dashboard of the lovely Ronnie. Are you kidding me, love? You are seriously jinxed! No power and limped the final eight miles to our destination.
Oh it was well worth the trip! An amazing array of helicopters from around the world and also a conservation area where they were restoring ‘poorly’ ‘copters. Run primarily by volunteers, the museum is a ‘must see’ if you are in the area, and at a price of £7, there is nothing to stop you!
Alongside the helicopters, we came across Anita Harris who, if I am honest, could have been anyone! We had no idea and it was only by piecing together (eves-dropping) that we worked out who she was (well, along with a bit of assistance from a rather excited volunteer who took her photograph for the newspaper!). It’s amazing who you see at a helicopter museum, you know!
We wanted to see the sea and nothing – not even Ronnie misbehaving – was going to stop us. Sand between the toes, wind swept and an ice-cream en route, we were very happy campers (in between dozens of telephone messages which I was studiously – ish – avoiding). Strangely, the warning light disappeared. However, my excitement was short-lived as, up a long haul incline on the return M5 journey, the same problem reappeared. And progressively worsened with two hard-shoulder visitations before limping back to FWL Towers a little later than hoped.
You know this Day Off concept? I think maybe I’ll leave off it for a while.
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