Friday 29 January 2010

Keep ‘em peeled

Keep ‘em peeled

This morning, we were woken at 3.30am to find a rather unpleasant person helping himself to Sean’s phone from his bedside table. Sean roared. I screamed a strange, animalistic scream that seemed not to come from my own mouth. Unpleasant Person took off down the stairs, out of the front door, into our car and away.

Mercifully, we’re not hurt and nothing we can’t replace was taken. Two wonderful policemen arrived within five minutes, all reassuring calmness and kindness, followed by a delightful Scene of Crime Officer who carries the tools of her trade in a bubblegum pink leather case.

The UP did take our camera and the laptop I keep in the kitchen. This means normal posting might be suspended for a little while until they can be replaced. In the middle of this, ‘The One Where The Spoons Got Burgled’, episode, I did have a wry smile at the thought of someone trying to offload my laptop in a local pub. I use it almost exclusively for writing and adjusting recipes, trotting between stove and keyboard, invariably my hands covered in offal, oil, tomato sauce, crumbs, so it’s a little gummy. There’s so much butter and flour in its workings it might, without too much exaggeration, be called ‘computer en croute’.

For the record, Barney slept through the whole thing. At the foot of our bed. He is officially the world’s worst guard dog. What can I say? He’s a lover not a fighter.

29 comments:

  1. Oh my God, how scary! Poor you. Glad to hear nothing irreplaceable was taken, but must have been quite a shock.

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  2. That sounds like a truly horrible thing to happen. Glad you are not hurt and damage limited.

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  3. OMG - I can only imagine how scary that was. We all would like to think we're safe - at least in our own beds in our own homes. I'm so sorry this happened to you.

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  4. What a terrible experience! I am so glad you are okay (and I am sure Barney was very comforting to you after the horrible event).
    Best Wishes for getting completely back to normal very soon.

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  5. Nora, Kath, BJC and Joy - Thank you all so much for your kind messages. It was all rather surreal when it happened and I am so, so grateful that we weren't hurt. It could have been so much worse. Things are just things. I think the fact that the police were there so quickly and were so wonderful made it a lot less traumatic. I refuse to feel afraid in my own home. I won't give them the satisfaction.
    Love, Dx

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  6. You and Sean continue to be my heroes - personally, culinary, aesthetically. photographically and technologically. And now you are literally heroes - dealing with the unpleasant person with great yells and imprecations and outing him from your lovely home. Bravo, my very dears.
    mxxx
    ps Barney must see you as his great protectors...

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  7. Yeesh, that is just horrible! Thank goodness you're both okay. I have a friend who was burglarized and when they got home to find the wreckage their German shepherd was shaking underneath the bed!

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  8. Wow. You sound so calm by the whole thing. Well done! I'm happy to hear you are both safe. I hope they catch that UP!!

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  9. How completely horrifying. It's bad enough to know that somebody has been in your home and gone through your personal stuff, but I can't imagine how awful it must be to see somebody in your home, by your bed, while you sleep...!! Oh, it's just too much. I hope you're coping alright, deep down. It's a hugely shocking experience to deal with.

    You have the best attitude towards it. The only thing of importance really is that none of you were not hurt - I'm including Barney in this :)

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  10. Mummy, What can I say? Some of that Northern grit came out. And loudly.
    Catherine - Thank you. In a funny way, I'm pleased B took it all in his stride. I wouldn't really want his sweet personality altered by being terrified by this person. I really, honestly prefer it that he's more likely to lick visitors to death!
    Abby - I do feel oddly calm. In the moment, I felt shock followed by absolute bloody fury. I slept really well last night too, though I confess a nudged a little bookcase against the door.
    Scarlett - In an odd way, though it was awful to see him there in the room, I think it would have been worse to wake up in the morning and to see the evidence of his presence there scattered about the place. Worse to think he'd been there without us even knowing it. I think I am coping ok, though I know sometimes fear can catch up with you. To be honest, what I really feel is that I am lucky to have a life which is wonderful most of the time, where I'm not reduced to slithering on my belly across a stranger's bedroom floor in the middle of the night to scavenge what I can. I think someone who does that must truly live with more fear than I do, because not only will he one day in some form have to face the consequences of the life he's chosen for himself, he's living a pretty bloody wretched life right now.

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  11. Crikey and eeek. Nightmare! But what a relief to know everyone is well and OK. I like the computer en croute. I like the way humour helps us deal with stuff. And sharing with others, viz above.

    I wish you loads of pampering to aid recovery.

    And thanks a lot for your heartwarming response to the rebel restaurant in the midst of it all. xx

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  12. Elisabeth, Humour is what gets you through, I think, and writing about it here has, I'm sure, stopped it from going round and round in my head. Onwards...

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  13. What a horrible awakening for you. Thank goodness unpleasant person took off when the shouting and screaming started. Hope the shock doesn't get to you too much.

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  14. What an absolute scummer, but I'm so glad you're all okay - as you say, things are just things xx

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  15. How utterly horrible for you. Very glad that you're both okay. Barney - what were you thinking? You could, at the very least, have licked the UP into submission.

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  16. Choclette, Thank you, we're fine, we really are. Even managed to sleep without the bookcase pushed up against the door last night!
    Salty - Thanks, sweet girl.
    Fran - I know, or at least just the tiniest chunk of DNA out of his leg...

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  17. OMG, I'm so glad you're all okay! How awful!

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  18. Oh Lord, how hideous! (This sounds so glib when typed) but I'm so glad he went immediately and you are both physically safe and can get over the situation very soon...

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  19. GOOD LORD!!! I'm horrified with all your other friends and family and can only echo my relief, dear ones. Please know that we are all so glad that you're both safe and sound (well, safe, anyway!). What a relief to know that only objects went. You say that the car was stolen, too? Ye gods. I hate to think of their food karma. If there's a kitchen god, surely food poisoning is in the future for this robber--not to mention horrid restaurant meals that feature skanky meat, unrecognizable veggies, and maybe a little waiter spit. Bad 'cess to that evil-doer!
    Love, Karen

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  20. Oh my goodness - how awful. I'm so sorry!! Thank god you're ok and he only wanted "stuff" -- that can be replaced, you can't!

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  21. Oh dear...our Mercuries must be in retrograde at the same time? So glad you are all safe~so many crazies in the world today and it could have ended much worse (shudder). Perhaps if he tries to boot up the computer, it will open up a portal and put him on th express train straight to hell.
    Hugs (and a special bottle of bubbly that I'll be forced to drink in your honor-so brave!)
    Marty

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  22. I am stunned. Thank goodness you are okay. I don't even know what to say... I admire your attitude about the entire situation. You are an inspiration!

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  23. Chey and Alex - Thank you. You're so kind.
    Karen - You made me laugh, as always. I'm sure he's headed for some particularly ill-catered corner of hell, or MacDonalds.
    CookiePie - Thank you, dear.
    Marty - You enjoy that bubbly, girl!
    Denise - Thanks so much. That's humbling. People have and do face far worse.
    Love to all of you, so much kindness, I feel quite buoyed by it all.

    Dxx

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  24. What a scream. Literally. Glad to hear you and Sean and Barnie are okay. You know it happens all the time and yet sometimes we think it wont ever happen to "us". We have lived in our area so freely for so long now, and only a couple of months ago we awoke to all the car doors open and all the spare coins in every car had been taken. They didnt close the doors because they didnt want to wake anyone obviously. The neighbour unfortunately lost his new motorbike. And then one month later he lost his vehicle. Now we are gathering together in the neighbourhood discussing strategies and what to do to protect our possessions. After more than twenty years of thinking how lucky we all are and now it is in our backyard. Such a shame. And so sorry for your close encounter with BB (bloody bastard), your UP is far too kind. Thinking of you from afar and hope they catch him. Mariana xxxx

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  25. OMG, what a story! So glad that you came through it unharmed. I love how you make lemonade from lemons. My dog never barks either. I was under the impression that was a good thing until I read your post.

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  26. Hello dearest Mariana - It's horrible when such things intrude, but in the grand pattern of our lives, they are small, nasty little episodes and we simply shouldn't give them more importance than they deserve. That's like being robbed twice, robbed of your posessions but more importantly, robbed of your tranquility and happiness in your own home. No one's taking that from me.
    Karen, Thank you! Barney is happy to know he's not the only silent dog in town. He'd drive me nuts if he was one of those dogs who barked all the time.

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  27. I just love your perspective Debora. Well said.

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  28. What a horrible awakening. I think that is my biggest nightmare. I'm glad no one was hurt. Whew! Wow.

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  29. My dear Debora - thanks for your comment about the danger of Tesco monoculture and how your local shops survived by working together to bulk-buy milk. That is a heartening story.

    Did you see Food Inc? I have not seen it yet.

    Also I just added Licked Spoon to my blogroll. Meant to do it sooner! XX

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