It was one of 'those' nights.....

Our usual "Wednesday crowd at the pub night" which we've done for years changes week-on-week very little, however, nothing was usual about last night!

For the past few weeks I've been taxi to friendDJ as he's unwell and constant morphine means he can't drive. I hadn't spoken to him all day to make sure he was still ok for our night out and that he hadn't forgotten either (morphine does that to him) but when I was going up to get ready and Hubby had left for bowling there was still plenty of time.

FriendH was coming but didn't want me to pick her up as she needed to leave early so was taking her own car, she'd also offered to pick us all up but as friendDJ is more comfortable in my car I said I'd pick him up and she said she'd pick up friendsM&P to save me stopping again.

Hubby then text to say as he'd crossed the bridge there had been a 5-car accident and he had just managed to get through as he was on his motorbike. From our bedroom widow I can see the bridge in the distance and half an hour after hubby's text the traffic was still at a standstill. I text friendH to warn her then text friendDJ but didn't get a reply. I needed to leave myself a lot more time to cross town, as every time the bridge has a problem (it's on the main A14) the whole of Ipswich seems to have traffic problems.

I phoned friendDJ first on his mobile and then on his landline without any success, so I rang his daughter-in-law but the number she had given me wasn't right so I rang another daughter-in-law who had also given me her number and she said she would investigate and ring me back which she did, seems he had been taken out by another son and forgotten to take his mobile with him, but he had remembered he was being picked up at 7:30pm so had just been brought home (it was now nearly 7pm).

Jumping in my car about 20mins earlier than I would have normally left home, I headed off to go round the dock to avoid town centre. .....but all roads heading east were a nightmare! It took me 50mins to travel as far as I could have walked in 20mins! My main progress was when cars decided to break from the queue and try an alternative route, I stayed put as previous experience has taught me that it really doesn't help and it just drinks up a lot more fuel.

While in the queue my lovely next door neighbour phoned to make sure I knew of the problem and was ok. FriendH also phoned to say she was stuck, had text our other friends to let them know and was going to try an alternative route. I let friendDJ know I was going to be really late....and I was, eventually getting to his at 8:20pm.

I parked below his first floor window and saw him turn his lights off so guessed he was going to make his own way down, however, he has recently been a bit wobbly on his feet (also the morphine) so I've been going up to get him, using the keys left in the key safe by the back door of his block. I thought I'd do that anyway and meet him halfway. Well it was lucky I did as opening the key safe with the magic code (which often doesn't work first, second or third time) revealed no keys!!! When he came down I wouldn't let him close the door until I'd told him the problem, he'd phoned his son who had to pull over and discover that he had driven off with them in his pocket by mistake, worked out together how he was going to get them back (he lives about 20 miles away) and then me checking with friendDJ that he had the right keys on him to get back in after our night out.....finally we headed off both starving.

When we pulled up at the pub, nearly an hour late, FriendH pulled up too (guess her alternative route didn't help as I'd also made my delayed pickup and she hadn't). Our other friends were already there of course and had made sure the kitchen would stay open for us (that would have been dreadful if we'd got there and couldn't eat). FriendH bought us drinks and we were all shuffling around getting settled at the big round table when over goes a full drink! More chaos! Lots of mopping up but nobody soaked this time. Then we ordered food, it's now just before 9pm. Food arrived (takes time) with mine and friendDJ 's coming last, he laughed and said "it really is one of those nights", then he ate all his dinner and fell asleep for almost all the rest of the evening (morphine does that to him too ).

And I'm pleased to report nothing else went wrong after that, I played taxi to our lorry driver friend as usual, I got DJ home and saw him up to his flat and he said he'd had a really lovely evening despite the mishaps, then got myself home.
.