h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The hotel closed today for ten days. Woo, etc, etc. As we always do, Lainey and I went out to our favourite restaurant and had a fine meal. Friday night, but the harbourside was fairly quiet. As we came back, the bar at the bottom of our road (closed for a private party on the way down) had been emptied; 100 punters were out on the street, and six police cars were making sure nothing got out of hand.

Half an hour after we got back, at around midnight, our burglar alarm went off. Obviously I don't secure the building with Lainey when this happens; we call the police and they come and check the building is secure and investigate as far as they can. We waited on the car park in the cold for an hour before I called them back. They told me it was a busy night and they had nobody spare to come down, so I'd just have to wait. To be fair to him, the controller stayed on the phone while I checked out the building, and when I found that a door had indeed been forced and a motion detector triggered he promised they'd send someone immediately. The car they sent half an hour ago has just phoned; they've been redeployed and might not be able to get to us tonight.

Meanwhile, there's two of us here in the building, hopefully alone, feeling pretty nervous. A couple of months ago there was a spate of break-ins where night porters got attacked and tied up, and in one case hospitalised. Whoever broke in tonight knows we're closed and, although it's probably not related to the more violent crimes of a couple of months ago, it's enough to make me more than a little paranoid. On the plus side, the place hasn't been scouted - there are no valuables in the area they broke into at all. We have a hotel that we can't secure and an alarm system that we can't reset, and enough valuables onsite for it to be worth a criminal's while in coming back. I'm just going to have to wait for the police to turn up. Bit of a shoddy end to a great evening.

I don't know who I'm most annoyed with at the moment; the cheap shots who'd break in to an unattended restaurant, the politicians who've underfunded the police force for so many years, the police who are happier giving out flip-flops than attending crimes or the kids who get so drunk on a Friday that the coppers don't have time for anyone else.

Any way, it's not the greatest start to my break

Is the rest of the hotel secured separately from the restaurant?

You could try phoning the police again, and say you can hear something in there

They've just been - it took about five minutes. Our security is good, apparently - we have everything covered that we should, and the place is just too big to have absolutely everything on CCTV. Let's hope that's it now.

What a way to ring in the New Year!

Ah, well. At least I got a out of it

You are always welcome to s and s, my Devonshire Teacake

They must have been after your collection of Wisdens

Hope it's all sorted, 'rich. I'm just wondering what it must be like to work for a place that isn't open 367 days a year.

Cricket bat by the bed.

And if they get near the Wisdens, the police will not be required. We have a large garden, and time for digging tomorrow

Summary justice. You know it makes sense

On a totally unrelated subject other than the fact that it's my journal and I can do what I like with it, I'm designing a hot air balloon and am after people who'd like to join in the challenge I've set myself:

F2124165?thread=6196859

Why not have a quick word with the fire officer next time he makes an inspection at the hotel about fire-retardant ideas for the balloon? Off the top of me bonce I can't think of owt lighter and easier to shape than papier maché but it does have that tendency to burn if you get it anywhere near a flame.

Are you attempting to circumnavigate the globe in a little under three months?

Or are you just sliding further from eccentricity into mentalist territory?

Got here a bit late to join the worry-crew but have a anyway

Hootoo group hug!

Not a great way to start your break - hope it gets better,

So sorry about that, Rich.

What they said.

What they said from me, too. Gosh, what a horrible feeling that must be, to be violated like that and the police not come around to make sure you were secure.

I hope nothing like that ever happens again, and I'm glad you are safe and sound.

A few years ago, we visited a South Florida condo sales office run by a friend.

After we went back to his home and had a few drinks, we realilized that Mrs. Phred had left her pocketbook in the sales office.

We drove there, but my friend had forgotten his office keys so we gave it up and returned to his home.

In the morning, there were deep truck tracks in back of the sales office, where a gang of criminals had cleaned out the all the furniture, computers and copiers.

Mrs. Phred's pocketbook was there, but her money, credit cards and her pictures of our son were missing. The pictures worried me a lot for awhile. Walking in on a big gang of South Florida burgulars might have been disaster.

Theft is so prevalent in South Florida that MacDonalds no longer leaves salt and pepper shakers out fot the customers...you have to ask for salt and pepper.