Well, such words didn’t come out of my mouth, that’s for sure. Last week was very busy, partly because I was travelling down to London on Wednesday morning. Travelling always puts me slightly on edge, but it usually means I’m paying attention: So far no delays, hassles or complications because of lost or misplaced bookings, documentation or knives in luggage.
However, just as I was going to bed the doorbell rang. At 11pm, that usually means kids pissing about, and we usually ignore it. This time, however, curiosity got the better of me. It turned out to be the Police. “Nothing to worry about” they said, as I dashed downstairs in my socks to speak to them.
Three return trips to the flat (up three flights of stairs) later, I found myself stood in the rain with my shirt’s sleeve cuffs flapping about me like some interior designer, surveying what a golf club can do to a Citroen C3 when wielded as a weapon by two kids with nothing better to do than mess about with my car, evening, insurance excess, view of a city, and sense of peace with the world.
Yup, at 5pm that evening - according to the neighbours I spoke to who reported it to the police - kids turned up with a golf club and set to work on the windscreen and two of the side windows. Six hours later the Police turned up to let me know, just as I was going to bed. The car is parked around the corner, so we don’t normally see it day to day (the road outside the flat is very busy). An hour or so later, we’d got it off the road, reported it to the insurance company (elephant.co.uk for your info), and taped up the windows that needed taping, to prevent the rain getting in.
I’m not particularly bitter to be honest. Merely puzzled. No sense in it at all. Nothing of value to be stolen on display. Nothing particular outstanding about the car other than it’s red, a Citroen, and parked on a street. No other damage - that we could see or that was reported - to any other car in the area. And no other damage has been done like it in a long time. It’s not that we live in the green suburbs - we’re not that far from Ibrox - but it’s hardly a rough place, and the people are generally nice, bar the odd idiot of course. At least two people had been sing ringing it into the police, as well as the neighbours we spoke to who saw it happen.
So that two idiots (”youths” as the police described them), with more time on their hands than consideration or intelligence to their name, set to the car and cost me £50 insurance excess. I almost had a heart attack when the taxi driver, ferrying me out to the RAC centre to pick up the car, mentioned I might loose my excess, but that’s not the case. It’s included for free, so I’m just a few quid down and a bit of inconvenience.
Needless to say, with Parents visiting Glasgow for the first time this weekend just gone, and new colleagues to talk and meet in London, I wanted to try and set the record straight that Glasgow really isn’t deserving of it’s reputation. But as the police officer said, in a resigned sort of voice, as we went our separate ways, “Welcome to Glasgow“. I suspect he knows what he’s talking about better than I, but I still think it’s a pleasant and friendly place, bar the usual knuckle-heads you get in every big city.
Of course, the trip to London had its own problems. After a poor nights sleep (always the case when starting early), I discovered two wasps in the bathroom, followed by a further three in the kitchen. A great omen, I’m sure you’ll agree: Especially needing to swat them before getting in the shower, with a taxi due at any minute. But it got better after that (I was going to return home if the taxi broke down or didn’t turn up: Three strikes and the trips out!). flyglobespan.com were a good airline: Discount airline prices, but with “expensive” airline services: Allocated seat and a coffee+muffin. In both cases, I’ve always puzzled over why budget airlines scrimp on such things. Now we have a choice, and I certainly recommend checking them out. They’re Scottish too, which is nice to know.
After that, it was a standard, if brief, trip down to London. Great to see Dave and Adam, as well as meet new colleagues. But to the two kids with the golf club, I’m afraid I’ve nothing but pity for you that you did such a thing with nothing to show for it other than some misplaced sense of humour.
Entries (RSS)
September 18th, 2005 at 12:12 pm
[...] Some friends and colleagues were, I’m certain, surprised by the idea of our moving to Glasgow (some no doubt holding a that notable “London is the UK” attitude). But Glasgow does have something of a reputation: Glaswegians are often the first to admit it. But having recently hosted my parents visiting the city for the first time, I think we managed to persuade them that it is largely undeserved, and has a lot going for it (despite the attempts of a few idiots). [...]