Monday 3 August 2009

bacon rolls, and calls

hot stuff at the Old Duke

It was Bristol's Harbour Festival this weekend, and I was helping out on the Bristol Books and Publishers bookstall in the scout hut (an old sailmakers' loft) on Redcliffe Wharf. Except that things were pretty quiet on the bookstall, and Betty in the kitchen was on her own and struggling to keep up with the teamaking. So I left Roy to the books and spent a few hours washing up, making tea, and frying bacon.

It was good fun; I like this sort of thing, where people treat you differently when you're offering them a service, and you get to see a side of them you wouldn't if you met on equal terms. Fortunately, they were mainly really nice. And surprised at the prices; several times people would offer more money than needed, and I would have to explain that 70p was the price for tea or coffee... though the chap who asked for something a bit posher was disappointed:

"'cino, please"

"Sorry?"

"Cappucino, please"

"Sorry, we just do coffee..."

Somewhere along the way I lost my mobile phone; it must have jumped out of my messenger bag as I cycled across the cobbled quay. This was a worry; I got home, and rang the mobile number just in case I'd left it at home.

Silence.

Then we went down to the scout hut later, to pick up my books, and I checked under all the chairs and tables.

Nothing.

So I phoned Orange and reported the phone lost.

The next morning S pinged me on Instant Messenger. She'd received a phone call in the afternoon from someone who'd found the mobile, and called the last number on it, which was S's. She said that she was going to leave it at the Severn Shed, a bar on the harbourside.

S had tried all day to phone me, but she was using the hub phone number, and we don't usually use the hub phone, which was lying around with a flat battery. So she didn't get through.

I went down to the Severn Shed.

"Oh yes," said the manager. "It went into the lost property box."

He rummaged. He made a few phone calls. He was very helpful, but the phone had gone.


9 comments:

  1. I used to love helping out at the buvette at the brocante. Almost everyone was lovely and we all had a good laugh.

    I'm sorry about your phone. Do you think that some people have cottoned on to the idea if you wonder around telling people you’ve lost your phone/wallet/whatever someone will obligingly say “here it is!” and hand it over no questions asked?

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  2. Hub phone? not one of those rubbish BT phones which either don't work or when they do BT says the free call service was not activated and charges you a fortune for all the long "free" calls you made leaving you an unsatisfied customer for life.

    Is that the kind of phone?

    Caroline x

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  3. Yes I have one of those phones too Caroline ;-)

    Dru that's bad luck on the phone...to lose it once, and then again :-(

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  4. Maybe that was it, Anji; I assumed it was a member of staff who'd taken a shine to it, but perhaps that's unfair of me. Though you reminded me of a time when a budgie flew through the window so we put up an ad saying BUDGIE FOUND and someone came round for it and looked at it and said "That is not the right budgie", in a very annoyed-with-us way...

    That is the sort of phone, Caroline. I don't use it (apart from the odd occasion when the phone rings and I can't find the usual handsets; they all ring together when someone phones us on the *proper* number...

    Yes, Jo, it's all a bit Third Policeman...

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  5. Wonderfully bright sidewalk photograph, Dru. Anyone can lose phones, but you do draw pictures, and tell stories.

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  6. What Larry said! :-)

    Sorry, that sucks. I have a friend that had that happen with her brand new iPhone, in a restaurant here, the bus boy looked a big sheepish upon being asked, stuttered a bit, turned a bit red, went to the kitchen, (probably to dig it out of his pocket) and handed it back to her.. Hhhm.. I hope yours turns up.

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  7. Bristol.
    Yes, I know I should make a witty comment - but, it has been a long time since I visited Bristol - from the 10th August - holiday time - will it rain? - no matter, we are going to visit Bristol - at least for a day - old haunts and so on -
    Note to Chandira - have you ever been to Enumclaw? - I spent two nights there, once, while visiting MT Rainer- an exhilarating experience.

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  8. Neil, yes. Mt Rainier is awesome, and I'm glad you got to see our part of the world.
    I am originally a Bristolian. 2 great places to live! I miss Bristol a lot, and am always glad when Dru posts photos.. :-)

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  9. Thanks, Larry and Chandira! Bloody phone never did turn up, so I bought another off ebay... how was your trip to Bristol, Neil?

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