Lorcan
Forum Buddy
So, I came home last night. Well, yesterday evening. A well planned trip it was not, and I shall probably not stop laughing about it for weeks.
So I wasn't definitely leaving yesterday until yesterday actually happened. When packing the boys up and their cages, Comet behaved. Blitzen did not, but I had a special secret weapon! Thyme, or Blitzen's version of crack, whichever you prefer to call it, had to be brought in as backup. All my friends had ever known of Blitzen before this was "oh, that's the one who always hides, right?" Apparently they weren't prepared to see him being led by his nose around the cage, trying to get at the thyme whilst I try to pick him up. Mmm, thyme. Both boys had a short grooming session before they went into the carrier, Blitzen screaming his head off the entire time. May some things never change.
Next stop, train station! They were both in the same carrier this time for my sanity, getting on a train with 4 bags was bad enough, why add two carriers into that if I didn't have to? Thankfully they didn't mind. Everybody who stopped me to be like "oooh is that a cat?" were not sad to find out to that indeed, they were not a cat. Arriving in London, I prepared for the next part of the journey - train to Wigan!
This is where it begins to get awkward, because I'm going to Wigan purely so I don't have to drag the boys through a Manchester train station (and myself). What we should be able to do is go to Wigan, and then get another train straight to Rochdale. Except that didn't happen and apparently I'm supposed to switch trains at Manchester Victoria. Ewww, no. Plan B - has to be a taxi. I explain to the taxi person where I'm going and who I'm going with. Everybody things I'm just bringing them home for the first time. Cool story, let's go with that! But there's a problem - I forgot my PIN number again. So I have to call the bank, and get them to transfer money from account A to account B so I can actually pay for the taxi, and I keep accidentally hanging up on the bank when I'm on hold. Oops. We finally get that sorted and I get home to discover my local cashpoint just...won't give me my money. Uh oh. I ask the driver for two minutes, leave him with my bags so he knows I'll come back, and run into my flat with the boys. Still in their carrier, I leave them IN the flat with a bowl of water promising their ordeal will finally be over soon, frantically search for the letter with my PIN number in it, and run back to the poor taxi driver from Wigan who now has to drive off again in search of a cashpoint in Rochdale.
We finally get that sorted, he gets paid, and I actually get home with all my bags and everything else. I phone the bank to go "wtf did you do to my card, I needed that money!" and they admit they haven't a clue but it was probably their fault and sorry about that. I get to putting the cages back together, when I realise that lol, I have no bedding for the pigs in the flat.
I cried and laughed all at once at this point, went and bought a bunch of newspapers, put those down on the floor of the cage (I only put one back together last night because I was *that* tired, yes), covered all but the corners with hay because they always toilet in the corners, and did a Tesco online order to get some wood shavings delivered today because those are better than absolutely nothing. Promptly crashed out.
Woke up this morning to remember I didn't actually add wood shavings to my online order last night. Still laughing at myself for this today. Oh boy.
Everyone survived yesterday! Blitzen's still not talking to me but they're both still eating and drinking. There was a Mr Blobby wandering around Wigan yesterday and I have a lot less money today than I did yesterday. Moral of the story? If you're going to have a badly planned trip, at least make sure it's memorable.
I'm going to have to go and buy some new bedding at some point today, because I don't really want to be buying a newspaper on a daily basis. My gas supply is off because apparently there wasn't enough on the meter before yesterday so I'm having to wait patiently til I can have it back and damn do I want a shower. I've no idea where the boys water bottles are so I'm still searching for those. I do not miss taking holidays one bit.
So I wasn't definitely leaving yesterday until yesterday actually happened. When packing the boys up and their cages, Comet behaved. Blitzen did not, but I had a special secret weapon! Thyme, or Blitzen's version of crack, whichever you prefer to call it, had to be brought in as backup. All my friends had ever known of Blitzen before this was "oh, that's the one who always hides, right?" Apparently they weren't prepared to see him being led by his nose around the cage, trying to get at the thyme whilst I try to pick him up. Mmm, thyme. Both boys had a short grooming session before they went into the carrier, Blitzen screaming his head off the entire time. May some things never change.
Next stop, train station! They were both in the same carrier this time for my sanity, getting on a train with 4 bags was bad enough, why add two carriers into that if I didn't have to? Thankfully they didn't mind. Everybody who stopped me to be like "oooh is that a cat?" were not sad to find out to that indeed, they were not a cat. Arriving in London, I prepared for the next part of the journey - train to Wigan!
This is where it begins to get awkward, because I'm going to Wigan purely so I don't have to drag the boys through a Manchester train station (and myself). What we should be able to do is go to Wigan, and then get another train straight to Rochdale. Except that didn't happen and apparently I'm supposed to switch trains at Manchester Victoria. Ewww, no. Plan B - has to be a taxi. I explain to the taxi person where I'm going and who I'm going with. Everybody things I'm just bringing them home for the first time. Cool story, let's go with that! But there's a problem - I forgot my PIN number again. So I have to call the bank, and get them to transfer money from account A to account B so I can actually pay for the taxi, and I keep accidentally hanging up on the bank when I'm on hold. Oops. We finally get that sorted and I get home to discover my local cashpoint just...won't give me my money. Uh oh. I ask the driver for two minutes, leave him with my bags so he knows I'll come back, and run into my flat with the boys. Still in their carrier, I leave them IN the flat with a bowl of water promising their ordeal will finally be over soon, frantically search for the letter with my PIN number in it, and run back to the poor taxi driver from Wigan who now has to drive off again in search of a cashpoint in Rochdale.
We finally get that sorted, he gets paid, and I actually get home with all my bags and everything else. I phone the bank to go "wtf did you do to my card, I needed that money!" and they admit they haven't a clue but it was probably their fault and sorry about that. I get to putting the cages back together, when I realise that lol, I have no bedding for the pigs in the flat.
I cried and laughed all at once at this point, went and bought a bunch of newspapers, put those down on the floor of the cage (I only put one back together last night because I was *that* tired, yes), covered all but the corners with hay because they always toilet in the corners, and did a Tesco online order to get some wood shavings delivered today because those are better than absolutely nothing. Promptly crashed out.
Woke up this morning to remember I didn't actually add wood shavings to my online order last night. Still laughing at myself for this today. Oh boy.
Everyone survived yesterday! Blitzen's still not talking to me but they're both still eating and drinking. There was a Mr Blobby wandering around Wigan yesterday and I have a lot less money today than I did yesterday. Moral of the story? If you're going to have a badly planned trip, at least make sure it's memorable.
I'm going to have to go and buy some new bedding at some point today, because I don't really want to be buying a newspaper on a daily basis. My gas supply is off because apparently there wasn't enough on the meter before yesterday so I'm having to wait patiently til I can have it back and damn do I want a shower. I've no idea where the boys water bottles are so I'm still searching for those. I do not miss taking holidays one bit.
