So the time I didn't spend with the family at the weekend got made up for in spades last night. Big sis phoned my work at around 4 pm yesterday and said "So you know how to get here, right?" To which I replied "No, and why?" she says "Because you said you'd pick the kids up and take them home tonight." I say, "Huh?" She says, "Oh, did I forget to ask?"

*headdesk"

So there was a parent's evening at the nursery she's depute/joint manager of last night and she needed to be there. Her kids had been there all day and since she wouldn't be leaving till after 9pm it wouldn't be right to expect them to stay that length of time.

Fair enough, the nursery's only have half an hour away from my work and her house is about five minutes from mine so it made sense for me to take them home.

But.

She didn't ask, she either assumed I'd do it or imagined a conversation with me.

So since I've never been there before she gives me hurried directions and I tell her I'll see her in about thirty minutes. Bearing in mind this is getting towards rush hour and I'm about to hit some of the busiest streets in Glasgow (Great Western Road, Anniesland Cross, Canniesburn Toll) I leave work straight away and get on the road. By the time I'm in the wilds of Drumchapel I realise her directions were pants and I'm completely lost. Drumchapel is not a good area to be lost in - in fact it's not the kind of area you want to stop and read a map in, never mind ask for directions. So I find a roundabout, double back on myself and try to re-trace my route.

I get into Bearsden which is a much better part of Glasgow (although they like to claim they're not in Glasgow at all) and pull over to call the nursery to say I'll be late. The phone is passed around about five people before I get someone (who doesn't drive) that can give me half-way decent directions.

Ten minutes later I get to the roundabout where I have to "take the first exit, then take the first left and left again and the nursery's just there."

Yeah right.

Another ten minutes later and I'm driving back and forth up this bloody road looking for the nursery, or for someone on the road that I can ask where it is. Nothing, no one, nada.

Eventually, at about 5.45 I see a big gate house and through sheer luck manage to see the words "Buchanan House Nursery" in tiny letters on the gate.

I get into the nursery to find the nephew is asleep and big sis is running round like a blue-arsed fly trying to get things organised. Manage to wake up nephew and bundle him into the car seat hastily put into the back of my car. Hunt down neice who's in a seperate room in the nursery and get her bundled up and into her car seat.

Big sis gives me directions on how to get out of the nursery.

Going on the evidence of the previous directions, I take them with a healthy dose of salt and ask to look at a map.

*grin*

I finally got the kids to their house at about seven o'clock. Got them settled down while their dad (who doesn't drive and had been working for once) took the dog for a walk. When he comes back I get ready to leave and nephew throws a tantrum because he doesn't want me to go. Very sweet and all but by this point I'd been out of the house for nearly 13 hours and my own dog must have been crossing his legs trying not to mess the house up! (I do have a dog walker during the day but they usually come around 11am so it was far too long to leave Dram for).

I got back to my own house at 8.30pm last night, not having eaten anything since 1pm, haven driven all over the wilds of West Glasgow and beyond and dealt with the constant "Shona? What's that?" questions from nephew all the way home...

*sigh*