So we joined up with Freegle a couple of months ago, and barely a week goes by without something useful coming up which - as long as we're fairly quick to respond to the emails - we manage to bag for the greencare project. So we now have three sofas, a large desk and various other donated items including a three-ring camping gas stove, wheelbarrow, assorted chairs, patio set and numerous other bits and bobs. I suppose not surprisingly, it's a very nice way to meet people and tell them what you're up to. And they all seem to love the idea of greencare - one person we met like this was an ex-high flier who had a breakdown many years ago, and now has nothing but thanks for the NHS therapy services she then received. But greencare would be even better, she could see. If only her stigma-free view of mental health problems could be spread around to other people - so many of whom are frightened by the very idea of 'mental health' and dare not think of how it might apply to them.
We had been galvanised into action by the fact that one of the Freegle donor people was about to move, and needed the stuff out of their house. Yesterday was the allocated day - 14 year old Dominic had volunteered to help his less-than-athletic father to do the heavy lifting. First, we had a small sofa to collect from High Wycombe, and a small 5-door car to collect it in. Problem number one. Sofa diagonal = 130cm; hole to put it in = 115cm. At least the cushions fitted in the small car's small hole - 'we've got a bigger family car - we'll be back tomorrow', I cheerily said as we hauled it back into the house. Wrong. Big car does not necessarily equal big hole in which to put a small sofa. Big car's small hole = 120cm.
Problem number two; we needed to book a van, on a Saturday night, for using on a Sunday. Easy - plenty of places on Google. Wrong. All shut until Monday. Tried phoning a couple of Slough taxi firms - to see if they would do it in a people carrier. No way. But one of them put me onto Brian in Chalvey, who had a pick-up truck and he might help. Indeed he would - but not for this side of a hundred quid. Time for supper - better give up and see if one of the others on the project could do it during the week. But - inspiration came during the chili con carne - Slough is just up the road from Heathrow Airport, and they'll surely be open there to hire cars. Correct - but they don't do van hire there, only shiny cars for people in suits. But it did include medium sized shiny cars with five doors and big holes, and I didn't really think they'd be too strict about the suits. So, credit card out, numbers typed into the website, both bits of driving licence ready to take in the morning, and all done.
Today was a beautiful day - not a cloud in the sky, as our 14 year old Dominic noted as we got into the car at about 10.30am for our run over to Heathrow, High Wycombe, Langley and Wexham - to collect the various things we'd been offered on Freegle, and get back for a late Sunday lunch. Not too cold either. We found the car hire place, no problem. Drove in, walked up to the desk and hit problem number three: "Haven't you come on the courtesy bus from the airport? We can't have cars here you know, the security people are always round, you'll have to go in the airport car park next door or get here by public transport". Drove round to 'next door' (about quarter of a mile away, with acres and acres of cars between it and the car hire), "Up to 24 hours: £17", the sign at the barrier said. A taxi from Slough would have been a third of that, Ho hum.
"Oh look, there's a row of shops over there", about half a mile further on. Let's see if we can park there. Yes - there was a lovely spot up off the road and off the pavement in front of a boarded-up shop. Dominic didn't like the look of it. "You're not leaving the car there. I'll phone mum at work. She won't let you." OK, we'll go a bit further. Soon found a nearly empty parking bay, beside the road, outside a newsagents. Just right. Off we walk, back to the car hire office. "Look - there it is - just over there - we can take a short cut through the car park". Wrong again. Short cut = long cut, not unlike Hampton Court maze, except the walls to the maze were eight foot high chain-link fences which you can't see from the other side of the carpark. Quite frustrating.
We got back to where we started after a healthy walk round a scrubby and dismal bit of the perimeter of LHR, confirmed the booking, all was fine. Chose a very nice shiny new Renault with a lovely big hole. Drove off to Langley for our first item - a handsome and enormous desk in a tiny second floor flat. With an even smaller front door. We were on our way within the hour (or two), after not using a power screwdriver with a flat battery to take the door off and later replace it (we used a tiny electric screwdriver instead). Nice cup of tea and lots of support for the project, though.
Problem four: Sunday lunch. Dusk falling with two mouths to feed in a hired car somewhere near Heathrow and three mouths to feed about twenty five miles away. Eldest brother Ben was not amused, and made that very clear on the several occasions he phoned to find out how long we were going to be. Thankfully, very resourceful daughter Beth is at home from University this weekend, and she did the lot - fresh Yorkshire Puddings from eggs and milk and flour, various vegetables, and a nice half leg of pork. We later learned that she prepared the best crackling and crispiest roast potatoes ever. She needs to come home more often, clearly.
Well into the hours of darkness by the time we next saw the Northern runway - looking for all the world like those marvellously atmospheric scenes at LAX in the film 'Heat'. Dropped the car off - no problem. Walked a slightly short cut back to the row of shops for our own small car (the one with a small hole). Problem number five - Dominic was first back at the car, and was excited to find a sticky plastic envelope with black and yellow stripes on the car windscreen. I was less keen: I had misread the parking signs and it didn't say 'permits only except Sunday', as I thought. Inside the envelope was a not-very-cheerful post-festive message: pay £50 now, or £100 the week after next; we have taken a photo and we know where you live; don't argue, it's not worth it.
Oh well, at least we've got lots of useful stuff for the greencare project. The crackling was still good - but the rest was a bit dried out and sorry for itself. Helped a bit by some hot instant gravy.
Learning points (one from each problem):
- Car size is not proportional to the hole size of the boot
- Airports are for planes, cars and businessmen - not real people from nearby
- Teenage daughters are much better at cooking than they let on
- Keep your electric drill charged up - you never know when you'll need it
- Freegle helps you meet some very nice people
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