Talk of the town

Before I go any further I must tell you that the gasman came on Saturday to see why the central heating boiler wasn’t working.  I had just finished saying that he’d probably press the reset button and it would start, when he flicked off the switch for the electricity supply to the boiler, flicked it back on and…. what do you think?  Yep!  The boiler fired up immediately!  I looked at the gas man and he looked at me!  “Was that all it was?”  “It’s a good tip to try!” he replied, and the two of us just burst out laughing!  Three days with no heating or hot water, and he flips a switch!  Admittedly it wasn’t the switch I had been trying, so I don’t feel so bad!

So! The talk of Peebles today is of the idiot  who decided to drive his 4x4 across this ford while the Cuddy was in spate. No idea why, as there's a bridge only yards away!  I was standing on it taking this photo! Anyway he must have driven into the water, and with the extra strong current was obviously swept off his wheels!  There's a weir just a few yards downriver, with a footbridge right over the top of it. Luckily -  for the driver -  the bridge stopped the vehicle going over the weir, or things might have taken quite a different turn. The driver managed to climb out of the window on to the roof and from there on to the bridge, but the 4x4 has stayed well and truly wedged.

I only heard about it when a customer came into the BHF shop first thing this morning.  She was full of it, and how everyone was laughing!  I think I know of one person who wouldn't have been able to even raise a smile, and I also think he'll never live this down.

So today it has been something of a tourist attraction with loads of people walking up to see it and to take photos.  Even our local professional photographer came out with his camera and tripod!  No doubt the local press were out earlier.  You know what's going to be front page news when the Peeblesshire News comes out on Friday, don’t you!!

Of course the jokes have already started.  One onlooker seriously informed me that the driver had been taking the vehicle for its MoT (Ministry of Transport annual roadworthiness test) and had been asked to dip his lights!  Oh ha ha!  Dip his lights!   He did that alright.   They’re well and truly dipped – in the water.

I expect they’ll have to wait for the river to go down before they can get the thing out .  Maybe the ducks will adopt it as a new home before then!

Talk again soon.