Sunday, November 05, 2006

If at first...


My brother in England, Ken, lives on a small lane in a tiny village in the wilds of a region known as Northants. He moved there about five years ago, as much as anything because it was nice and quiet. Well, recently, things have not been so quiet. About six months ago, late one Saturday evening, there was a brief commotion as a pricey Porsche substituted itself for part of the garden wall. As luck would have it, the driver, a local resident, walked away unharmed and the Porsch was removed a day or so later. Insurance claims were duly filed and the long process of getting the repair process underway was set in motion.
Good News! A week or two ago, the repair crew showed up and began the refurbishment of the wall. After two days of leisurely labor the new wall began to take shape and all seemed to be set for a quick resolution.
But wait, Bad News! Late on Saturday evening an Audi TT, traveling close to the speed of light, demolished the remainder of the original wall, most of the newly built portion, shredded the five bar gate and bent the builders skip. Again, the driver was well enough to flee the scene and promptly went into hiding for 24 hours while his blood alcohol level fell to legal limits before reporting the incident.
Finally, Good News. The reticent insurance company, possibly thrilled at the prospect of settling two claims for the price of one, authorized the second rebuild almost immediately and, as of today, the new wall and gate are resplendently guarding the homestead once more. For a bonus, I now understand the purpose of garden walls.

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