Cut off!

We have - would you believe? - four telephone numbers. One is our "normal" land-line with a number known to friends, family and anyone who cares to look in the telephone directory. This has an answering machine incorporated in the apparatus. Another line came with the cable television service we are with. This has another number, but we never use that line and I can't even remember the number. I suppose I have got a note of it somewhere. Then my broadband service also provides me with a separate number and I have a phone plugged into the router (if that is what the gizmo really is). That number I can find very easily and calls to the Brighton Lions telephone number are diverted to it. This also has an answering machine. Then there is our mobile number - but we keep that secret as we don't want to pay for unnecessary overseas calls to it while we are in France.

On one occasion we arrived home from France to find no messages waiting for us on the main answering machine, a most unusual happening. But somehow, all the messages had been stored on the answering machine attached to the broadband service number. Now although the same cable brings the telephone and broadband services into the house, the two numbers should not have become mixed up and I don't know how it happened. I have, however, found a way of stopping it. It just involves setting the main answering machine to click in very quickly.

During yesterday afternoon I had been at the Housing Society and our General Manager told me she had left a couple of messages on our answering machine. The red light had not been blinking when I left home, I was certain of that, but I had forgotten about it by the time I got back. In the evening we were at the greyhound stadium where six of us had taken a table for a meal as the Lions had sponsored one of the races for the local MS Treatment Centre at their charity dog night. One of the others mentioned a firework display I had promised to help at tonight and it occurred to me that I had not received confirmation of the time and place. Perhaps Guy had rung and left a message? Could the messages have been diverted to the second machine? They hadn't.

Another thing that has happened once for some inexplicable reason is that a separate answering service operated by the telephone company has switched in. To get those messages we have to dial a number - but we have no way of knowing that there are messages waiting. Anyway, when we got home from the dogs I rang the number: no answer. Our phone line had been disconnected.

This morning I have tried numerous times to call the phone company but have not managed to get through as the line is always engaged. There must be a lot of people complaining that they have no phone lines!

At the half-way mark, I was beating the bookies - by 53p! - but needless to say, they won in the end. I should have quit while I was ahead.