My Friday the 13th....

I stupidly boasted that as I lived in Italy I had no problems. You see 13 is a luck number here... and this is what I posted on that fact last week....

Aaaah BUT........... In Italy 13 is LUCKY - Friday is the START OF THE WEEKEND So what's to worry about? NIENTE - ZILCH - NADA

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_oM9iUApKU] >CLICK HERE<[/url]



But then Friday the 13th actually dawned - and how I wished I'd kept my mouth 'zipped' !

What a waste of time my belief in 'Lucky Friday 13th' turned out to be...

Jeez - I'd barely posted my light hearted attempt to change everyone's idea of bad luck when 'I' got 'zapped' - probably by an irate witch
Well having posted that on the forum, I had a caffe latte and prepared to go out - having several urgent errands I HAD to do before the weekend. One of which was to restock the larder...
Yeah, right! NO, WRONG!

Gather up all I need - exit and lock house, Open car - get in, put mobile phone in 'hands free' holder, turn the key..... BLO*DY ZILCH!
Not.... a.... peep, just that nasty uurgh-uuurgh you get when the battery refuses to turn the engine. HTG - I got out, and had I been able to, I would have kicked the thing, but with my luck I would have probably missed and fallen on my butt!

So - reverse everything. Back indoors (the mutt now reckons I hate him 'cos his 'ride' never got him beyond the gate (Huh...tough titty mate!). Phone local 'officina' (garage) - quicker than emergency services I think. The car only needs a jump start. Mechanic's wife answers the phone - "He's on a call - should be back soon. I'll get him to call you. Is it urgent?" I explained that while I had a lot to do, it wouldn't take him more than five minutes to get the car going, and I added that I was disabled... "OK" she says "I'll get him to call you after his lunch - he can easily pick up a new battery for you!"

WHAT? New battery??? NO, NO, NO... I don't need a new battery! This one was only put on 2000 miles ago! I just want a jump start...
So I watched a bit of tv and fell asleep.. woke up at 3.30pm... mechanic's 'after lunch' has now been and gone! Phone garage again - 'assistant' mechanic answers this time... "The 'Boss' had to go on an urgent breakdown". Yes - I know... it was me and I'm still waiting for him to call me. This time another promise that he would phone the 'Boss' and get him to call me. Yeah, right...

At 5.30 I give up and decide to call Emergency Breakdown Services after all... But their garage is in Lecco - 25 miles away. "Be right there - don't worry. Stay in the warm!" .... WOW - That's a bit more like it. She (yes a lady breakdown mechanic) arrived 25 mins later. Hooked up the cables and in 5 mins it was all done and dusted. Blo*dy male garage owners!

So, I took the car (and the mutt) for a good run to charge up the battery, only did my shopping and NO OTHER errands and finally arrived home at 7pm. All the shopping still to be put away, supper to cook. The mutt by now is laying on his back with his legs in the air trying to convince me that he'd died of starvation (it was 30 mins past his feeding time), and me wishing for - perhaps the first time - that Italy had fish and chips, Indian or chinese take aways.


And, just to round the sad story off... My phone rang on Saturday morning at 11.15 and the garage 'Boss' from yesterday asked if I had managed to get the car going?