Alaaaaarm!

In the office today after a rather grumpy day working at home yesterday. Was trying to get the long-term objectives for the team sorted out which ended up with me writing "retire early" on a bit of paper in big letters after a couple of hours thinking, writing, crossing-out and rewriting.

The day was enlivened by my boss ringing me a couple of times with some bad work-related news, all adding to the general mood. I was very glad I had a guitar lesson booked because by 6pm things were feeling pretty bleak.

But once my lovely guitar teacher rolled up we had a hugely successful lesson. He taught me two different blues lead riffs, and by the end of it I felt that life was still worth living. And Mr WithaY arrived back safe and sound after a four-hour drive home from his trip to the godforsaken wastes of the Midlands, so another plus point for the day.

Looking back, one of the reasons for yesterday's mood may have been linked to sleep deprivation. I had a slightly later night on Monday than was sensible, and was still awake at 1am, helpfully. Finally managed to go under (so to speak) until 2.30 am when I was woken by the pub's burglar alarm going off.

Bloody hell it's loud.

And it has a vibrant blue light that flashes on and off, just in case you can sleep through the penetrating racket. I looked out of the window, saw that our security light was on, and wondered if it was :

(a) armed desperados from Bristol, after my valuable guitar collection to make a fortune on the second-hand Fender market
(b) some idiot local who'd set the pub alarm off and then run into our garden to hide
(c) a hedgehog

I decided it was most likely (c) and went back to bed very crossly.

Adding insult to injury, at 7.15 the following morning the bloody phone rang, forcing me to leap from my pit like a young springbok, dash downstairs, pick up the phone before the answering machine kicked in, and then find it was some bloke who needed to speak to Mr WithaY.

He deduced from my hoarse, grumpy, monosyllabic half of the conversation that I was not at my sparkling best, and asked cheerfully "Sorry love, did I disturb you?"

I was tempted to reply "No, it's fine. I've been up all night entertaining the band of the Welsh Guards, what with Mr WithaY being away," but refrained.

I think people who make burglar alarms should make them play loud music, rather than emit ear-splitting atonal shrieks. It would be just as disturbing for burglars and be far less annoying for people who are trying to sleep. Maybe change the tune according to the nature of the crime being comitted.

You could have Judas Priest's "Breaking the Law". Heh.