House-breaking…

To start with a distraction, yesterday I had a booster for anti-Covid. Slept badly, not sure what was happening until I settled on ‘after-effects’ and decided to stay in bed and be kind to myself. At 11 the doorbell rang – probably the postman. No, my friend Denise… “I’ve locked myself out and KC is in Oxford until this evening”. Standing there in my dressing gown all I can say is “come in. I’ll put the kettle on” We go online to search for locksmiths. The only one who answers says her husband is out on a job until the afternoon; two others just give recorded messages. “Right” says Denise “you go & get your paper and I’ll sit by the phone” The walk to the shop gives me time to think of alternatives, mostly long shots, until I remember being locked out 20 years ago. It was the guy based in Timsbury but instead of drilling out the lock he asked for a long piece of wood (think ruler but longer & stiffer). Putting his hand through the letterbox he was able to depress the latch & release the door. “Here’s an idea Denise…” Twenty minutes later she returns beaming. “I’m in” Now all we have to do is explain to the locksmith that a trick he taught me 20 years ago has deprived him of business.