The Burglar Alarm
I was about to leave for my job in Harrogate when I became aware of a siren going off somewhere.
EEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOO
I was just in good time to set off before the rush hour so I didn't really want to investigate, but I had a suspicion about where it might be coming from so I looked out of the back door.
EEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOO
Yes, a flashing light on my Mum's house and a noise so loud that they could hear it in Birmingham.
Sighhhhh. I knew that it fell to me to investigate. One of three things might have happened, in ascending order of likelihood:
a) a burglar had got in and was even now attacking Mum (86) and her friend Amy (also 86) who's staying with her
b) a burglar had got in and was even now being thoroughly told off by Mum and Amy, and made to stand in the corner and say he was sorry (they both used to teach infants)
c) Mum or Amy had set the alarm off and not noticed, even though people in Gloucestershire were by now going "What's that distant noise that I can hear?"
EEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOO
So down the path I went, the fifty yards or so to Mum's house.
EEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOO
Yes, the noise was annoying, since you ask.
So I opened the door with my key and clamping both hands to my ears, looked at the control panel, which was flashing in all sorts of interesting places.
EEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOO
So mastering all my technical skill, I pushed a few buttons at random and the noise stopped.
SILENCE
Then I went upstairs to find Mum and Amy who were very puzzled to find me suddenly coming in. Amy had just got dressed and Mum was in her dressing-gown.
"What's the matter?" they chorused.
"The burglar alarm was going off," I replied.
"No, it wasn't," said Mum with conviction.
"Yes, it was, Mum," I replied. "You just can't hear it."
"Well it must be very quiet, then," she said.
I thought of all the people of our part of Leeds who still had ringing in their ears.
"No, Mum, you just didn't hear it."
"But it can't have gone off," said Amy. "Because I just switched it off."
"Well you can't have," said Mum, "because I didn't set it last night."
Ahhhhhhh - - an explanation.
"No, Amy," I said, "I think you tried to unset it, but instead you set it. Because Mum hadn't set it last night."
"I didn't set it, so Amy can't have switched it off," said Mum.
"It can't have gone off though," said Amy, "because I switched it off."
I could tell that this conversation could last until Christmas, or possibly until the daffodils are in flower. So I made my excuses and left, just in time to get nicely caught up in all the traffic. I arrived with a minute to spare. Hurrah.
EEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOO
I was just in good time to set off before the rush hour so I didn't really want to investigate, but I had a suspicion about where it might be coming from so I looked out of the back door.
EEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOO
Yes, a flashing light on my Mum's house and a noise so loud that they could hear it in Birmingham.
Sighhhhh. I knew that it fell to me to investigate. One of three things might have happened, in ascending order of likelihood:
a) a burglar had got in and was even now attacking Mum (86) and her friend Amy (also 86) who's staying with her
b) a burglar had got in and was even now being thoroughly told off by Mum and Amy, and made to stand in the corner and say he was sorry (they both used to teach infants)
c) Mum or Amy had set the alarm off and not noticed, even though people in Gloucestershire were by now going "What's that distant noise that I can hear?"
EEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOO
So down the path I went, the fifty yards or so to Mum's house.
EEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOO
Yes, the noise was annoying, since you ask.
So I opened the door with my key and clamping both hands to my ears, looked at the control panel, which was flashing in all sorts of interesting places.
EEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOO
So mastering all my technical skill, I pushed a few buttons at random and the noise stopped.
SILENCE
Then I went upstairs to find Mum and Amy who were very puzzled to find me suddenly coming in. Amy had just got dressed and Mum was in her dressing-gown.
"What's the matter?" they chorused.
"The burglar alarm was going off," I replied.
"No, it wasn't," said Mum with conviction.
"Yes, it was, Mum," I replied. "You just can't hear it."
"Well it must be very quiet, then," she said.
I thought of all the people of our part of Leeds who still had ringing in their ears.
"No, Mum, you just didn't hear it."
"But it can't have gone off," said Amy. "Because I just switched it off."
"Well you can't have," said Mum, "because I didn't set it last night."
Ahhhhhhh - - an explanation.
"No, Amy," I said, "I think you tried to unset it, but instead you set it. Because Mum hadn't set it last night."
"I didn't set it, so Amy can't have switched it off," said Mum.
"It can't have gone off though," said Amy, "because I switched it off."
I could tell that this conversation could last until Christmas, or possibly until the daffodils are in flower. So I made my excuses and left, just in time to get nicely caught up in all the traffic. I arrived with a minute to spare. Hurrah.
posted by Daphne at 5:02 pm
6 Comments:
Oh yes.
I remember that burglar alarm.
And the *beeping* smoke alarm, which I remember having to shut in my car at 2am.
Daphne - this tale would be believable if not for one technical inaccuracy that gives your game away. A burglar alarm does not go EEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOO, it goes OOOEEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOOEEE!!!!
I feel your pain.
my uncle jack was a communist. he'd have been so proud.
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/home/blogs/big-blogger/stephen-buckley-1.765719/barrow-says-no-to-royal-wedding-plans-1.782331
Wireless kind systems provide the user an alternative for an absolutely tradition built wireless burglar alarm system and CCTV required to protect the house from burglars.
Good thing it was a false alarm. Besides, it's better to accidentally trigger the alarm and respond to it quickly, than to find it not working at all when needed. It's good that your mom and her friend are still safe and secure from burglars and other troublemakers.
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