Whoops…….I can’t believe I did that.

Just before we flew out to spend a couple of years in Australia, we visited Thomas Cook to buy travellers cheques. Went back to the car, got in and drove off. A couple of minutes later I asked DH if he had the cheques, no he hadn't and neither did I. Quick journey back to travel agent to cancel cheques and buy more then back to the car park where we found the original cheques, £3000 worth, on the ground where we had originally parked. Someone (not me), had left them on the car roof....

I've done the leaving my handbag on the roof of the car - I remember the awful sinking feeling when I realised.

DH once left his car on the drive wuthoyt the handbrake on and, as he watched it slowly reverse down the drive, put his knee out to stop it.

I drove off from a multi storey car park at Heathrow with a potty (empty) on the car roof.
I also left the bag of two duty free bottles beside the same car when I drove off. You might guess I was a bit flustered having picked up my parents from a holiday and coping with a stroppy 2 year-old in the back, getting totally lost on my way to Heathrow and car-phobic parents had combined to get to me.

I paid a visit to the local chemist to pick up a few bits I needed for my new baby son. Got home and unpacked my bags, then realised I had something with me when I went out. Ran so fast back up to the chemist to find my son sleeping peacefully in his pram outside the shop. I have never ever been allowed to live this down.

Years ago I had quite an unusual two tone mini. I parked at Sainsbury's and when I came out started to put my shopping in the boot. A man who was waiting for my space kindly helped me to squeeze all the bags in. I then went to unlock the driver's door and my key didn't fit. Looking down the row I spotted my own mini 3 cars further up. The man waiting for my space drove off in exasperation and I was left red-faced to unload my shopping praying that the car's true owner didn't arrive before I finished.

A friend of mine went to London one day and drove back only to find her car in the driveway - she had driven a stranger's car (same make and model) home!

If this sounds implausible - I once had the same make and model of a car but a different colour from a friend, and our ignition keys worked in both cars!

Returning on a 12 hour flight following my daughter’s wedding, we were last off the plane/through customs. I needed to use the loo before our onward journey.

I entered the cubicle, hung my handbag on the back of the door, placing my wheeled cabin baggage next to the loo.
I eventually caught up with the rest of the family via a one way system when I realised I’d left my handbag hanging on the back of the cubicle door.

It contained my daughters Indian wedding jewellery, everyone’s passports and rather a lot of money!
I managed to find a very helpful cleaner who took me back through the one way system the wrong way - everything was locked and could only be accessed via an ID card.

Fortunately my bag and it’s stupidly expensive contents was hanging where I’d left it - phew!

Sago

My most careless error ever was to leave my car parked opposite our house without the handbrake on.
The drive was full of builders vehicles.
It slowly rolled toward the house then gathered momentum and crashed into a stone wall that we were having built.
My husband realised what was happening and ran out.
“You remembered to lock the *** doors” he screamed as he stood and watched the moment of impact.

I had 3 builders and a furious husband staring at me with looks of absolute disbelief.

What’s your most careless act?

Like you, mine was also marrying a man who would readily scream and swear at me in the street in front of strangers if I made a mistake. I ditched him.

Leaving my wallet in a shop in a mall in a South American country, I thought I had been pick pocketed! Went back to the shop and the girl had turned it in to security. All the cards and cash were there. I rewarded her with a box of Lady Godiva chocolates.

I got on an underground trai. in Paris without noticing it was going back to the depot ...I was on my own, all the lights went out and I had to first find and then pull the emergency cord. It terrified me ..Fortunately the driver was very kind and sorted me out.

Miles from home and not used to a two door car, with a few-month-old-baby daughter in the baby-seat at the back, I got out of the car with my elder daughter, pushing down the buttons on the inside of the doors leaving the keys inside the car with the baby.
Luckily the daughter could go to a phone box and contacted her father at the office to collect a second key at home.

Scribbles

Loaded luggage in the car, got in and drove off for 2 weeks' holiday leaving the house door wide open.
Thankfully, our neighbour spotted the error and locked up for us!

We had a bird come down our chimney, the cat was going crazy and we opened every door and window to get it out. When it flew out we shut everything but forgot to lock the French door from the dining room to the garden. It was a new build and the garden was bare mud so we didn't really use that door. Some weeks later I came home from work to find a parcel in the middle of the floor. Turns out the postie had gone round the back, found the door unlocked and delivered to the middle of the room. Goodness knows how long it would have remained unlocked otherwise!

I took my 3 year old daughter into town in her pushchair. We went to the bank and the library. Walked home, all okay. Next day went to get the pushchair. Nowhere to be found! We went back to the bank and the library, no it wasn’t handed in. My daughter was quite happy walking, but my sister who bought it for us has never let me forget about it!
Also when I was younger went to the library and walked home reading a book. Then realised I had ridden my bike there! That time I got it back.
Are you seeing a theme here?

When living in Beijing our 16 year old daughter used fly over every holiday after school finished, by herself. We went to collect her one day and I panicked as she wasn’t coming through the exit. Realized then that I was a day early.

Another time, after divorce, with younger daughter, father dropped her off at the Beijing airport a day too early. She had to contact him at the office to collect her.

Lucca

One if my first jobs was as a Secretary to an ambassador ….I got the chauffeur etc ready and sent H.E off for a lunch with a foreign bank…..a week early. To say H. E. was cross is an understatement ?

What's an H.E., please?

Many, many things.

Said how much I was enjoying driving my husbands fairly new Alfa Romeo, promptly drove into very high curb and wrecked 2 tyres. He never lets us drive along that road without making some "witty" comment.

Also - on group holiday in Cuba, visiting various areas. We had forgotten to bring a flannel. DH (who travelled a lot on business) assured me would be OK to take the one from the hotel. Get on coach ready to go to next destination, flannel in luggage in storage area.Manager from hotel boards coach and refuses to let coach leave until someone returns the missing flannel. Never been so embarrassed in my life!!!

Something I've never forgotten - in the bar of the office building I worked in I fished in my bag for my purse and pulled out a tampon, in full view of the men standing alongside! Crept away feeling awful. They've probably forgotten all about it.

I know my grandmother once put the hot water bottle outside the front door and took the empty milk bottle up to bed with her.

Ali08

Lucca

One if my first jobs was as a Secretary to an ambassador ….I got the chauffeur etc ready and sent H.E off for a lunch with a foreign bank…..a week early. To say H. E. was cross is an understatement ?

What's an H.E., please?

His Excellency ?

I reversed out of the drive and managed to hit hubby's car on the otherside of the road. I'm my defence it was the first time l have driven an automatic car. I did tell him to reverse it into the drive lol

Nothing quite so dramatic!

Leaving a 10 day old dd1 in her pram in Boots, having completely forgotten that I had her? But only for about ten minutes.

Much more recently (as I think I posted here) putting the cake batter that was supposed to be for 24 fairy cakes, into 2 x 20 cm sandwich tins instead.
And then putting them in the oven.
And only realising what I’d done a few minutes later, when it was too late to remedy.

I did exactly what you did.

I got a phone call from my father when I was at work asking why my Vauxhall Victor was "arse first " in the garden of my flat.

I also started walking home from a shop in the early days of motherhood completely forgetting my baby in the pram. Fortunately I didn't get far.

Reading these I realise I've done quite a few of them! Locked my keys in the car in the depths of winter while heavily pregnant. Had to ring my husband to come home early from work but he was an hour away. The shops were all closing leaving me on the street. The kind staff at the travel agent were closing but not leaving the building so they took me in, made me coffee and let me wait in the warm.

Locked myself out of the house when going outside to put a cover over the car to stop the screen freezing in the winter. Had to wait in a neighbour's house until husband came home.

During this week's heatwave I had doors open both ends of the house to create a draught. Went to bring the bin in from the street and the door slammed. Total panic as I had something cooking on the stove and DD was at work in central London an hour and a half's journey away. Couldn't phone her anyway as phone inside! Neighbours out so no access to their gardens to try and get over the fence. Thankfully I'd also failed to bolt the side gate last time I used it so was able to get round the back easily. I've decided to leave it unbolted as I clearly can't be trusted with locks etc.

What's an H.E., please?

Im guessing - His Excellency ?

Oh could be, Camelotclub.
Thank you.

There was 9 years ber