Adventure day . . .

My decision to keep working in my office until it was too cold was definitely a stupid one. Last night I was sneezing, went to bed with a runny noise and when I got up this morning I had throat ache and a dizzy head. First thing I did what to reserve a small electric heater at Argos.

It's a beautiful day so we went to the park and the girls had fun.I would have loved staying at home, but I needed to get the small electric heater ASAP ( once bitten twice shy ) for my office, so I thought in order to save petrol I do a big round.  I went to buy food for Bubbles, passed by the tip, went to the bank, parked at Sainsburys as I couldn't park close to Argos, picked up the heater and also bought some human food. Then I thought I might do my lottery as well, so I wouldn't have to go out during the week.

After that, I walked to a lift as I had a big caddy, pushed on the floor 2 button and the lift started. I was pretty pleased to go back home as I was really tired .

It was counting without Murphy. As I reach the 2nd floor, the lift stops but the doors don't open. I push on the " open the doors ". Nothing. I push on floor 2 again. Nothing. Then floor 4 and the lift moves YEAH but the doors don't open. Press on Groundfloor, the lift moves again, but the doors don't open. I said out loud  " You must be kidding ".

Well, whoever YOU is, he isn't kidding and I am stuck in the lift. I am really upset because I am so tired, but excepted that, it is a big lift, so it isn't too bad, just a waste of time . . .  So I push the alarm button. It is so loud that it makes me jump, they surely must have lost some people from the shock, even before they could get a chance to take them out of the lift.

After a while, somebody answers. I think this lady must be on her first day on the job.

- Good morning, how can I help you?
- I am stuck in a lift.
- I am so sorry about that. Where are you?
- Sainsburys in Eastleigh.
- I want you to know there's absolutely no need to panic.
 - " I am not panicking." It's OK, I don't have a problem.
- Yes but I need to tell you : You need to keep calm
- " Could you just stop saying that ? " OK, I keep calm.
-  You can be sure there is plenty of air to breathe so nothing is going to happen to you .
- " Oh God, where is the air coming from ? ". Good.
- So you see, you are safe
- " Am I ? "
- Are you all alone ?
- " Thanks for making me notice ". Yes, I am alone.
- Do you have a phone with a connection ?
- " Gosh let me check my phone works ". Yes I do.
- Why don't you call somebody who can keep you calm ?
-  " But I am calm. Well, am I ? " OK, I do that.
- I want you to think you are at home and make yourself comfortable
- " In a lift ? " OK
- Normally it doesn't take more than 3 hours to take somebody out of a lift.
- " 3 HOURS ???? " OK
- If nobody contacted you within 10 minutes, please ring the alarm again.

By now, I am panicking, missing air, hyperventilating, hardly able to stand on my legs and in urgent need to talk to somebody, so I call Dennis in Zurich.

Then I play Angry Birds on my phone, but that's not funny anymore.  Then I think I might as well take a picture for posterity in case I don't make it out of there. Yes, I could have smiled but I am hardly in the mood.

10 minutes passed so I ring the alarm again. Second shock, I had forgotten it was so loud. A gentleman answers this time :

- Good morning, how can I help you?
- I am stuck in a lift.
- Have talked to somebody already ?
- Yes
- Where are you ?
 - Sainsburys in Eastleigh.
- Oh, I don't have any mention about that.
-" I don't believe it, they are going to let me spend the day in here ". Don't you ?

- Let me contact Sainsburys again and I call you back.
- " The whole day, I bet you . . .  "

15 minutes later, there is noise in the microphone.

- Are you still there?
 "Funny guy. Where do you want me to be?"  Yep, I am still here.

- Sainsburys knows now. Somebody will take you out soon.

20 minutes later, there is noise on the other side of the door and people talk to me, promising to open the doors soon. They are really nice and keep on talking to me, but they say there is a problem and they need more tools, my luck.

20 minutes again and the doors finally open. It's a kind of a shock because these 4 people are looking down on me. In fact the lift is 70 cms below the ground floor and there is a massive step, so they have to pull me out and my caddy too. Very nice people, they take all my shopping and bring it to my car upstairs.

I then got into my car and doive back home. The first thing I did was to make a coffee and sit down.

There are 2 funny sides to this story :

- I was talking yesterday about fate, coincidence . . .  if I hadn't decided to do my lottery, I might not have been stuck in the lift.

- Even if you are in a normal mode and not worried, somebody trying to help still can put you into close to panicking mode, lol.

No new beginning talks today. I will do that tomorrow. I need a rest, lol.

Take care everybody, xxx