Yesterday, feeling a bit bored, I went to the front of the house to see what was what in the village. Not a lot, I thought, until I spotted Lisbeth pushing at the back of Postman Pat which was parked opposite the house on a slight incline. She also appeared to be trying to gesture, with her leg (yes, her leg) to anyone who would notice her..........................
The tale is this:
Having taken delivery of quite a lot of wine for her friend in England, she asked the delivery man to load it straight into the van. She signed for the order and the delivery van pulled away. On shutting the back doors of the van - you have to give them a bit of a slam - she felt the vehicle start to move towards her. Now we've talking LDV, here, not some fancy little runabout! It was clear to me, from my vantage point that, provided she kept pushing, the vehicle was just about kept in place. Should the pressure be relaxed, the vehicle would roll back across the road, gathering momentum, until it crashed into her house.
So Lisbeth stayed pushing. There's not a lot of activity in the village, so I can only imagine what must have been going through her mind. A van went past, but the driver didn't realise she was in difficulties. I couldn't help, obviously, so we waited: me looking out of the window, Lisbeth pushing. Not an easy task in slippers.
After what, to Lisbeth, seemed an age, a neighbour returned to her house next to where the van and Lisbeth were engaged in combat. Lisbeth managed to shout for help and her neighbour (the roofer's wife) came running over. Luckily she is a practical person and so was not unduly phased by the idea of pushing.
Now both are pushing: one in tatty work clothes and slippers, the other in a powder blue track suit. They converse. After some discussion and tests to see if it is still possible for one to hold it, Lisbeth, keys in hand, runs round to the driver's side, unlocks the door, jumps in and secures the vehicle.
Needless to say, Lisbeth was somewhat shaken when she came back in and took a little time to recover her strength and composure. Potman Pat now resides over on the square where it is flat and Lisbeth will be taking some pots of jam over to her neighbour today to say thank you for her help.
I must just add that, for me, it was riveting stuff and quite the most entertaining village-watch since I've been here. I hope her friend appreciates just what his wine might have cost her!