The Day I Closed a Ring Road & A Multi Storey Car Park
I was reminded of something this weekend. At Blog on Win in October, during the Scummy Mummies session they asked us to each come up with an embarrassing moment of parenthood. At the time, I couldn’t think of anything more exciting than my son wetting himself on a ride at Legoland. I think we’ve all been there and done that, or similar.
This weekend, I remembered something that happened almost 4 years ago. I actually can’t believe I forgot about it.
I shall set the scene. My first baby was 6 weeks old, which also meant I was 6 weeks into my recovery from a c-section, a serious haemorrhage and infection, and like most new parents mega sleep deprived. It was fair to say, in my defence, that my faculties were not all with it.
I was very overdue an eye test, so knowing my Mum was coming over, I booked one in, so that she could look after Logan while I was having the test and if needed help me choose new specs.
We drove into town, to the multi-storey car park, like I would normally do. As we entered the twisty ramp up to the car park, I head a noise on the roof, but didn’t think much of it. That was, until we reached the top and the barriers to get my entry ticket. Suddenly the noise on the roof registered as I looked at the entry of the car park, I realised I had made a big error.
You see, I forgot that my husband had put the roof box in preparation for a weekend away. Not knowing what on earth to do, I pressed the help button on the entry barrier. The carpark attendant came, I suspect somewhat flabbergasted by my idiocy. He tried the obvious – did I have the keys to remove the box – erm no. He then asked the adjacent car wash company if maybe they had a removal tool that might no the job. Again, no luck.
He then looked at me and said ‘I think I’m just going to have to shut the car park’, and then he did, much to my mortification. So they closed the car park, and I had to reverse the car backwards, around the twisty ramp. I can tell you, as I rather guess that most of you have never had to do this before that is by far not easy task!
But it gets worse, you see to prevent drivers entering the carpark and the ramp, they also closed the ring road around the town centre. So as I did my reverse of shame out of the car park, there were three rows of traffic all being held at a stand still by several car park attendants to witness my embarrassment.
The moral of the story… roof boxes are evil… obviously.
What’s the most embarrassing thing that baby brain has caused you to do?
This is really funny (and so the kind of thing I would do)! I have a bit of a phobia of multi story car parks in general, the idea of having to reverse down the ramp makes me feel a bit sick.
It really was not easy I have to tell you, and my parking sensors were going off every 2 seconds too!
Oh Laura! I know i shouldn’t have but i couldn’t help but laugh. I think i would have moved away at that point.
Ha ha in case anyone I recognised me… thought did cross my mind 😉
Oh my god that’s so mortifying! You did so much better than I would though because I can’t reverse at all. Well not very well anyway and those windy parts of the car park are bad enough!!! I think I’ve purposefully blocked out the super embarrassing things that have happened to me haha. x
Ha ha it’s not like I actually had a choice otherwise the car would have been stuck there forever lol.
How did you forget this incident lol!? I would have had a melt down, you did so well to stay calm!
Gemma xx
It’s not like I forgot about it, it just didn’t pop into my mind at the point and I actually did gasp when I saw the three lines of traffic on the ring road at a stand still!
Oh no! Sorry I laughed! I’ve done many embarrassing things…leaving things on car roofs, dropping house keys in wheely bin when 8.5m pregant and having to ask poor random man to get them out, leaving child in car on way to nursery….I could go on 🙁
Ha ha – I laugh about it now, but I was quite mortified at the time and in fairness I giggled at your keys in the bin incident 😉
Oh Laura lol! That is so funny!
You have to laugh really don’t you.. life is too short 🙂
Oops! hahaha! And that is the reason I don’t drive….I would always be doing things like that if I did. lol
Ha ha Kim, I wouldn’t say it wouldn’t stop my from driving but it was pretty embarrassing at the time.
Haha I know I shouldn’t but I did laugh. My dad did something similar, went out for a cycle then decided he wanted a Costa, somehow he forgot he had the bike on the top of the car, went into the car park & whacked the bike off the barrier as it was too high, took the bike and rack clean off the car! He had no excuse of baby brain xx
Oh wow I bet that caused a lot of damage too, at least I only left a few scrapes on the roof box from the height monitor at the bottom of the ramp.
Haha! Oh god Laura! I would have been Beetroot red trying to hide! And how on earth could you forget that even happened?! Xx
I was really embarrassed! I think it more just slipped my mind than I forgot.
Oh no! My toes absolutely curled whilst reading this!
The bit at the end where there was three lanes of traffic waiting for me.. that was the worst lol
This had me howling with laughter Laura. It sounds like exactly the sort of thing I would do.
Ha ha I am glad I made you laugh Rachel 🙂 I can laugh about it now, I was mortified at the time though
Oh no, I can see why you forgot that moment temporarily! I’m not a driver but that sounds exactly like something I would do. It makes for a good story now that you’re looking at it in hindsight anyway! #picknmix
Oh yes it definitely makes for a good story now and something after the fact you can have a good chuckle about 🙂
Haha – oh dear! At least it was an unusual height for your car, not what it usually is – you see those pictures of lorries in really ridiculous situations in tunnels and bridges and you do wonder how they have managed it as the lorry is presumably always the same height & they did know they were driving a lorry! #picknmix
That’s a good point actually I had just completely forgotten it was on the car. But how do lorry drivers forget??
Haha, now that is an impressive story! 😀 I can’t think of anything I did really – I missed a few meetings I know, just because I completely forgot to write them in my diary. My OH was really bad though, I don’t if it’s ‘cos he was home with the baby or what, but he had all the baby brain I avoided! 🙂 #KCACOLS
Ha ha thanks 🙂 I can have a good laugh about it now x
I feel terrible for laughing at you but my goodness that’s some going, I’d still be shielding my eyes as I went out now! #KCACOLS
Ha ha I really was mortified at the 3 lines of traffic watching me as I reversed out
Oh gosh that must have been soo embarrassing, poor you! It’s something I’d totally do too haha. #KCACOLS
I guess if you’re going to do something you need to do it in style lol 😉
Oooooooooh! I have on occasion wondered what happens if a car breaks down on one of those ramps in a multi-storey…. I now have my answer! You must have been in such a baby-brain-auto-pilot mode, I remember it well, I microwaved toys that blatantly shouldn’t have been sterilised (a tambourine with metal screws and bells)!
Ha ha I bet that was interesting and lots of sparks in the microwave. Goodness knows what I was thinking lol
OMG! I bet the baby was screaming whilst you were trying to reverse? I went in to a car park one with a roof box on and like you didn’t realise till I was in it. Luckily there was no twisty ramp up, but that was why I didn’t realise till I was in. It was ok if I avoided the lights otherwise it scraped. Nightmare, I hate the bloody things. Thanks for linking to #PicknMix
No thankfully he was asleep I think that would have sent me over the edge lol
Ha ha this gave me a good giggle, thanks for sharing with #KCACOLS! It could have been worse… Logan could have been screaming in the back to add to your stress levels! Becky x
Ha I can have a good giggle about it now too and I am glad he wasn’t screaming too!
I am literally crying with laughter right now lovely…sorry to enjoy your ‘shame’ but that is just the most hilarious thing I’ve read in ages! Also sounds like something I would do 😉
Thanks for linking up to #PicknMix
Stevie xx
Ha! I am glad to give you a good giggle, after you have to laugh about these things don’t you? 🙂
This is why I will never get a roof box. OMG. The shame! That was definitely Ben’s fault x
We have to have a roof box with the dog and yes it was pretty mortifying at the time, but I can have a good laugh about it now.
haha what a funny story Laura!! It made me laugh a lot!! What uncomfortable situation!! I can feel your embarrassment!! LOL Bad Ben!! He is the one to blame!! haha Thanks for sharing this at #KCACOLS. So happy to have you this week! 🙂 xx
Ha ha yes, it’s all his fault 😉 Happy to have made so many people laugh x
Oh my goodness, that has to be the best, most embarrassing story ever! Did anyone realise it was you? And how on earth did you forget about it…other than selective amnesia?! 😀
#KCACOLS
I have no idea, it must have been selective amnesia! I don’t think anyone recognised me – or at least I hope ha ha!