Good news and bad news

Good news and bad news

I know it is Friday the 13th...

Last night at 7.30 Humphrey phoned me to say that Rocky had been fed and walked and that everything was ok.

I got back from London at approximately 11.10, only to discover as I put my left hand on the door handle and my right hand with the door key went towards the lock that there was a gaping hole where the lock should have been!

Shock, horror! I was concerned that Rocky did not appear at the lounge window as was his custom. I backed off until I reached the main road before dialling 999 to report the break in.

It is annoying that instead of receiving an immediate response to an emergency the operator subjects me to a game of 20 questions. I am told that the police computer has crashed, and that they will call my mobile number back. No sooner had I been called back than my battery went dead.

I flagged a taxi down and went to Humphrey's house, the other side of Pearson Park. After explaining my concerns, I again dialled 999. We played 20 questions again! I was told I would be phoned back, after 45 minutes and no call back Humphrey dialled 999. He explained the situation. Then I was asked to give my date of birth. It is totally irrelevant to an emergency call for police assistance, and the information is sought purely to do a criminal record office check.

After a while they asked to speak to me. I was informed that earlier they had received a call about my house but would give me no more information. They spoke to Humphrey again, and said that a car was dealing with an incident at Bransholme, and when it is finnished dealing with this incident in approximately 15 minutes they would call us back.

I said to Humphrey, "Are they trying to tell us that there is only one police car for the whole of Hull?".

After 2 hours from the original 999 call, we received a phone call and the police said it was them who had done the break in! But they called it a "forced entry", on the grounds that they had reason to believe that my life was in danger. They said that my back door key and Rocky was with the neighbour to the house to the right of mine.

It was just gone 1am, and we drove to my house. This time I could see Rocky at the lounge window, and I gained entry via the lounge window. Even though there was no lock, the police had used a gadget to secure the door and I was unable to open it. On the door mat were several notes from the police informing me that they had forced entry, and that Rocky and my back door key were with the neighbour at Number 1, this is neither to the right going in or out of my house but at the end of the street! As I could not get in or out via either of the doors, Humphrey and I climbed back out of the window and went along to the neighbour at No.1.

She said she was concerned because she had not seen me for a couple of days, and called the police. Not only had the police arrived but also an ambulance...

It was good to have neighbours concerned for my welfare, especially as I had bumped in to a local hoodlum a couple of nights earlier and he had said to me "You're going to be dead soon!". I do have a worrying chest infection and am in need of some anti-biotics.