Phones while driving

My car brakes started making a weird noise last week and when I took it to the garage it was obvious why ... my brake pads had worn down to the screws and had scored deep tracks into one of the brake discs - ack!

It was booked for repairs yesterday but on arrival I was told the parts, originally due from Sheffield, hadn't arrived and were now being delivered from Middlesbrough. I told the mechanic I wish I had known that on Sunday as I was in Boro on Sunday (on my Instructor's Course). He mumbled something then realised (when I told him) that I was pulling his leg. On getting back to the car last night after training I had two messages asking me to do games. One was being played last night and when I called back, they had another referee lined up and the second was for Sunday. I had already closed the date so politely reminded the Appointments Secretary before declining the invitation to take the game.

After negotiating the horrors of West Yorkshire's motorway system this morning, I was a few miles from work when the County FA called me. Would I do a Women's Cup game on October 26? It was between two teams I refereed near the end of last season. In fact I gave the home team a kick from the penalty mark in the dying seconds of the game. They won it as a result and claimed their Division title, so I wasn't popular with the away team.

This game clashes with a coaching date at Thorp Arch, home of Leeds United. With an 11 o'clock kick off I should make it back to the venue of the game without too many issues.

Just after I put the phone down I got another call asking me to take on an Assistant's role on a University game tomorrow afternoon. Apparently the Secretary of one of the most prominent women's football teams in the country had offered my name to one of her staff as a possible replacement. While the thought was much appreciated I still have a day job to undertake, so declined the invite. I was able to offer the names of two referees who might be able to fill in for me and both are based in the same town as the game (one of them is already on one of the uni's other campuses).