We had a right old bumper ride a few days ago! We were driving along the highway and we suddenly heard a scraping, dragging noise coming from the back of the truck. The bumper came half way off!! To make things worse, it was pouring down!! Gnome stopped the truck by the side of the road and ran out to assess the situation and quick smart, ran back into the shelter of the truck.

Gnome: ‘Munchkin, the bumper’s handing half way off! What are we going to do?’

There was no place nearby to take shelter from the pelting rain. So, I thought the this was the most sensible thing to do:

Munchkin: ‘Let’s have a cup of tea!’

It wasn’t the response that he was looking for but it seemed logical enough so Gnome agreed and we sat down in the truck and had a cup of tea.

It was quite funny…we were actually really cool about it and we didn’t get annoyed about the situation. Gnome asked me if we had anything in the truck to fix the bumper problem temporarily…something like rope or string. I reached down underneath my seat and pulled out a burlap sack…a fairy must have packed this for us…inside the bag, there were two ponchos, 3 large belts for securing loads and a whole lot of string. The first thing I said was:

Munchkin: ‘Do you want the purple or the blue poncho???!!’

(Ha-Ha!!! I was trying to be funny!!)

Gnome didn’t quite get that I was Humorous Munchkin at that point and he said,

Gnome: ‘…this is not the time or place to be choosing colours of ponchos!!’

(Ha-Ha!! Guffaw!!!)

It stopped raining after a while and we both donned the ponchos and went outside. The bumper was still welded on the left side but loose on the other side. It was a shame that it didn’t come off entirely because that would have made it easier. Anyway, it was the usual Gnome Magic.

He just made it look easy and simple…he secured the belt with the bumper and added a bit of string for support. An old man came along to help us which was a very nice gesture. Hey Presto:

Now, we are driving about like this. It’s not anything unusual in Belize…some people are driving around with a belt or rope securing something loose on the truck. We have joined the ranks of Belize-rigged trucks!! Now, Gnome with have to learn to weld…mig or tig?? We are not sure because we both know nothing about welding!! We better learn quick…

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