It’s been an interesting week at work.
On Monday I was chased by a 4 wheel drive BMW. I had been called to witness noise from car repairs affecting an elderly couple. As on many previous calls to this address, there was no noise as I arrived, but as I was chatting to the elderly couple I heard an engine revving, and the activity visible over the garden fence was certainly not horticultural
Decided to take a photo – it wasn’t really a reasonable use of a garden, which resembles a scrap yard, and maybe Planning or the Housing Department may be interested. I left and pulled up a short distance away to tale notes. A 4×4 BMW that was behind me pulled alongside and the driver promptly gave a full and frank opinion of what he thought about me photographing his private property. I calmed him down, and he was eventually OK about it – just as well since I knew who would come of worse in a chase between the BMW and the office Focus.
On Tuesday I accompanied a colleague interviewing someone who had played loud music. The perpetrator was a big black bloke, clearly gay and very camp. The conversation between him and my somewhat macho colleague, each trying to speak over the other, was most entertaining, especially when the bloke announced that he had to play loud music when his friend visited, because he “didn’t want his neighbour to hear him moaning and groaning” during his love making. My colleague struggled to keep a straight face – he’d seen from his notes that the music at the time was by REM; “Everybody hurts sometime”….
On Wednesday we got called by several town centre businesses complaining about a Rumanian busker band.
The music is enjoyed by shoppers, but not by adjacent businesses trying to undertake banking and phone contract transactions. I persuaded them to move from this prime spot, despite extensive Rumanian grumbling, but within 2 hours they were back. I returned with a colleague and Policeman and this time we persuaded them to go home. We got a lot of “verbal” – not only from the band, but also from passers-by enjoying the music. I don’t like these jobs, especially since our powers are somewhat dubious.
Thursday was a reasonably routine day, and on Friday we attended a meeting to be given details of the latest cuts – it seems that we still have to have a car available for work, but must pay for the privilege of parking near the office. Oh well, at least no-one is suggesting redundancies this year.
Technically we live in Oaktree House, but sadly the tree had to go.
We now have a thriving Oakstump at the front of the house.
