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An interesting afternoon...

mayalld

By mayalld
in General Boating

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mayalld Veteran II

mayalld

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Well, that was the day that was.

 

Mid afternoon, step-daughter phones up distraught, she's lost nearly £400 in cash in an envelope.

 

It's from a charity event, and she was on the way to drop it off with the organiser, but called to drop a few things off at the boat on the way.

 

She knows it was behind the visor in the car when they went to McDonalds at Hazel Grove with the kids, and then remembers that once they had taken the stuff on the boat, she thought "better not leave the money in the car", and "there it wasn't" as the saying goes.

 

She's searched the bin where they dumped the McDonalds wrappers, and all around where the car was parked, but it's nowhere to be found.

 

So, car round to ours for us to have what is known in the trade as a "proper look, because you don't look properly Elizabeth". Still not there!

 

OK, so it must be somewhere up at the boat, and she concedes that she can't actually remember whetherb she picked it up out of the car when she first went to the boat, she just assumed not, because it wasn't on the boat. Off I go, and drive up there. Good hunt around on board and all along the route from car to boat, but nothing.

 

Logic then says that the last remaining option is that she did take it out of the car, and has dropped it in the canal. Quick check - "what was in the envelope" "£380 in notes, 2 pound couns and 50p in silver".

 

So, out with the sea searcher, and wonder of wonders - 5p comes up with a small scap of envelope attached. Back in, and up comes 20p and the whole front of the envelope. A few more goes and up comes another 10p, but that's it. The silver hadn't managed to land UNDER the notes where it might have made for an easy recovery.

 

Onto the phone to relay the news that I know exactly where the money is, but that recovery will mean a dip in the canal and the wet person isn't going to be me!

 

Son-in-Law (reluctantly) into the marina, which is just shallow enough that he can reach to the bottom without ducking his head in, and after a few abortive gropes around brings up a handful of soggy money - £380

 

Sluiced S-i-L off and despatched him for thorough shower.

 

All in all, they were only £2.15 short, which was something of a relief. Money gently rinsed, dried overnight and good as new.

 

Oh, and whilst he was groping for money, he found a fair few freshwater mussels, including one absolute MONSTER. Not sure of the particular variety, but possibly a Zebra Mussel?

 

post-485-0-13515200-1437376967_thumb.jpg

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mayalld Veteran II

mayalld

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I would have made step daughter go in and get it herself, it might teach her not to be so careless in the future.

 

It was tempting, but not my decision!

 

I certainly wasn't going in (as much as anything else, I was there alone, so not really safe for an overweight bloke like me to be playing that game)

 

So they had to come up, and one of them was going in. Never get between a husband and wife whilst the wife is imposing jobs on the husband.

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mayalld Veteran II

mayalld

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Only possible because money ain't what it used to be. Copper and (nickel?) Silver.

 

Spot on.

 

But for the change to steel coins, it would have been a theory that the money was in the canal, and I'm not sure that a vague possibility of £400 would have tempted Andy into the water!

 

Steel coins meant that we knew that it was there and fairly exactly where.

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mayalld Veteran II

mayalld

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This happend to a friend of mine.

Rather than have some people think he had nicked the money, he replaced it with his own money

and never told anyone till about four weeks later.

 

Rob....

 

That was at least part of the reason that she was so upset.

 

They aren't particularly well off, and have just paid the boat licence, which has stretched their finances more than a little.

 

She was mortified that somebody might think that she'd nicked the money, and she just didn't have £400 to replace it. It was looking like a "Bank of Dave" bailout deal for a couple of hours!

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mayalld Veteran II

mayalld

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Great detective work ........ almost 100% ....... except.

 

It's not a Zebra mussel. (Swan).

 

Thank You!

 

Despite his parents having gone into a near meltdown about the money, Nick was very excited about the Mussel, and really wanted to take it into school to show it off.

 

We explained that as it was alive and wouldn't survive, this wasn't a good idea, but that he could have a photo with it. Said photo has now been printed out, laminated, and he is going to take it to school tomorrow. Being able to tell people what sort of mussel it is will make his day.

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Mike Todd Veteran

Mike ToddDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

Well, that was the day that was.

 

Mid afternoon, step-daughter phones up distraught, she's lost nearly £400 in cash in an envelope.

 

It's from a charity event, and she was on the way to drop it off with the organiser, but called to drop a few things off at the boat on the way.

 

She knows it was behind the visor in the car when they went to McDonalds at Hazel Grove with the kids, and then remembers that once they had taken the stuff on the boat, she thought "better not leave the money in the car", and "there it wasn't" as the saying goes.

 

She's searched the bin where they dumped the McDonalds wrappers, and all around where the car was parked, but it's nowhere to be found.

 

So, car round to ours for us to have what is known in the trade as a "proper look, because you don't look properly Elizabeth". Still not there!

 

OK, so it must be somewhere up at the boat, and she concedes that she can't actually remember whetherb she picked it up out of the car when she first went to the boat, she just assumed not, because it wasn't on the boat. Off I go, and drive up there. Good hunt around on board and all along the route from car to boat, but nothing.

 

Logic then says that the last remaining option is that she did take it out of the car, and has dropped it in the canal. Quick check - "what was in the envelope" "£380 in notes, 2 pound couns and 50p in silver".

 

So, out with the sea searcher, and wonder of wonders - 5p comes up with a small scap of envelope attached. Back in, and up comes 20p and the whole front of the envelope. A few more goes and up comes another 10p, but that's it. The silver hadn't managed to land UNDER the notes where it might have made for an easy recovery.

 

Onto the phone to relay the news that I know exactly where the money is, but that recovery will mean a dip in the canal and the wet person isn't going to be me!

 

Son-in-Law (reluctantly) into the marina, which is just shallow enough that he can reach to the bottom without ducking his head in, and after a few abortive gropes around brings up a handful of soggy money - £380

 

Sluiced S-i-L off and despatched him for thorough shower.

 

All in all, they were only £2.15 short, which was something of a relief. Money gently rinsed, dried overnight and good as new.

 

Oh, and whilst he was groping for money, he found a fair few freshwater mussels, including one absolute MONSTER. Not sure of the particular variety, but possibly a Zebra Mussel?

 

attachicon.gifIMG_0989.JPG

I have long come to terms with the fact that police are getting younger but that's quite remarkable for a son-in-law. Surely ther's an age qualification?

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mayalld Veteran II

mayalld

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I have long come to terms with the fact that police are getting younger but that's quite remarkable for a son-in-law. Surely ther's an age qualification?

 

:-)

 

Nick is indeed a bit on the young side for Son-in-Law material (he's 8). By the time the picture was taken, Andy was in the shower.

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Scholar Gypsy Veteran

Scholar Gypsy

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Good story! Last time I went through Godmanchester lock someone had dropped a wedding ring.

 

After 30 mins of groping around with his toes (with the lock empty) the owner found it. He was lucky that the lock had a concrete floor and not much silt.....

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Athy Veteran II

AthyDonate to Canal World

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Dave - knowing your current run of luck, I'd open the mussel - could be a fat pearl in there. smile.png

Now that WOULD be lucky, as pearls are generally found in oysters (though never in any of the oysters which I have eaten).

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Athy Veteran II

AthyDonate to Canal World

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Except that freshwater pearls all come from mussels of course

 

Richard

Never heard of that before, but I'm sure you wouldn't lie to me. Are there no freshwater oysters, then?

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