11

Today Santa has hung a wreath on the stables, over Prancer and Vixen.  Very festive.  Mine doesn't go up until we decorate next week.

I made it safely back yesterday.  Eventually.

Because Mike's car broke down on Friday, he and Maria went up in Maria's BMW (which was returned to IBM yesterday afternoon now her contract for Prague is fully signed and she's found an apartment there, which she'll move into in the new year).  I drove Nanny over, which was already the plan as I was at Maria's the night before helping her clear her flat a bit.  But neither Nanny or Mike can get into the back of the BMW so I had to drive Nanny home again yesterday.  Which wasn't the plan.  Result.... instead of a 2 hour run down the M1 from Ripon, in by noon, I came via Manchester and ended up heading down the M6, should have made it in around 13:30, so no problem.  I'd be home in time for Ma and Mol to come round for coffee (and help me unpack!) while Polo was having her haircut.

2 little problems with this plan.

Polo arrived at her hairdresser to find a note on the door saying there was a family emergency - so sorry - she couldn't find their phone number.....

And a hideous smash on the M6 closed it between junctions 18 and 16 southbound from 11:20 onwards.

At 12:05 I had just passed junction 19, heading for junction 16.  And THEN I got the traffic news to say it was shut.  According to the radio all afternoon, it was taking something like 1:10 to get off the motorway and into the diversions round.  They were still saying this when the tailback was past junction 21.  By which time I was approaching the slip road at junction 18.  4.5 miles.  In almost 3 hours.

Aaaaaaaaaargggggggh!!!!

I avoided the diversion routes down through Congleton, and dived across past Joddrell Bank towards Macclesfield, before cutting across to my old commute - through Leek and Ashbourne then across to the A50 and home.

17:20 and then a carful  of Maria's stuff to unload.

NOT IMPRESSED

I was hoping that the idiot who caused it gets sued within an inch of his life.  But the radio said one person dead, so hopefully that was him.  Not that I'd have wished him dead, but nobody else should be because of somebody else's immense stupidity.  9 vehicles involved, 2 being lorries, 2 other people with life-threatening injuries, and it was over 2 hours after the smash before the air ambulance had left the northbound carriageway (which was obviously closed at this point as well).

Ah well.  When I finished unpacking, my dining room could at least return to normal......

The timeshare painting is timeshare no longer.  All mine!!

Christmas update....... the redwings have arrived over the weekend.  Got around half a dozen this morning.