flashing road signs on the way home tonight said A13 closed at pitsea east bound, i got there and it was open. then onto the A130 at it was shut but no signs had warned of that
Currently reading:
What's made you grumpy today?
I understand that such signs are controlled in regional centres, so the operators do not have detailed local knowledge, but sometimes I wonder if they even look at a map.
WHY.......
Stopped on the way home early from work today at a small well known German supermarket, parked in a deserted middle space with no other cars there. Back with my goodies & this gormless git parked right next to me, so close he & I could hardly get in & out of our vehicles. Not being short of things to say I enquired why the hell did you park next to me when there was plenty of other easier accessible spaces to park, he just gave a nervous laugh & walked off.
Stopped on the way home early from work today at a small well known German supermarket, parked in a deserted middle space with no other cars there. Back with my goodies & this gormless git parked right next to me, so close he & I could hardly get in & out of our vehicles. Not being short of things to say I enquired why the hell did you park next to me when there was plenty of other easier accessible spaces to park, he just gave a nervous laugh & walked off.
I try not to be too obsessive about my cars but I do like to keep them looking nice.WHY.......
Stopped on the way home early from work today at a small well known German supermarket, parked in a deserted middle space with no other cars there. Back with my goodies & this gormless git parked right next to me, so close he & I could hardly get in & out of our vehicles. Not being short of things to say I enquired why the hell did you park next to me when there was plenty of other easier accessible spaces to park, he just gave a nervous laugh & walked off.
A number of years ago I was sitting in my car in a supermarket car park whilst Mrs Jock picked up some essentials. It was quite busy with many parking spaces taken but there was an empty space behind me. In my mirror I watched as a large and rather tatty estate car, could well have been a granada, gingerly maneuvered itself into the space. It came to a halt and literally exploded! The doors flew open with great force and a torrent of children spewed out! The cars on either side literally rocked on their suspension! The damage to them must have been considerable. I decided I couldn't just stand by but as I was getting out of my car to confront them the owner of one of the cars returned. I tried to offer myself as witness but he was so upset (not surprisingly) that he wasn't listening and the adults in the offending vehicle were obviously not going to respond to reasonable argument so I got back in my car. "The mob" went into the shop and the man drove off.
Ever since that day I have made a point of avoiding parking spaces near supermarket doors. This means I usually park about half way down the park or anywhere I can find where there are multiple free spaces. At first it used to annoy Mrs Jock but after demonstrating to her that it only takes two or three minutes to walk across the average supermarket car park and it makes it easier to unload your trolley when you have plenty of room and there are trolley return spaces all over the parking lot (except Lidl and Aldi, but their parks are smaller) she now doesn't mind at all and, she says, it's worth it to stop me worrying!
An unexpected bonus has been that I've met a number of fellow car enthusiasts and other nice people who were also avoiding the frantic scrum around the shop doors. But, strangely, I have sometimes found the same as you - you park in a space with lots of free spaces in all directions. When you return there is someone right next to you even though they could have chosen any of, perhaps a dozen or more, parking spaces which were free! What is it all about? Is my car just so attractive other cars need to be near it? Can other drivers not line their car up in a parking space unless there is one next door for reference? Anyone got an explanation? Mrs Jock thinks they do it deliberately to annoy sad old guys like me who care too much about their cars!
Aye Jock you just can't make these stories up. Up here, we are not that congested compared to down south, although it has became considerably worse as the years pass. As a care worker I have my places where I sit in my car between clients, mostly in supermarket car parks. As a people watcher I have had my eyes opened very widely on many an occasion.. I've seen over the years how people have become more selfish & certainly more aggressive in certain situations.........Ah the joys of modern day life....:devil:
I've seen over the years how people have become more selfish & certainly more aggressive in certain situations.........Ah the joys of modern day life....:devil:
Yes Jim, now-a-days it seems to be just get away with as much as you can and take responsibility for nothing! My Mum was not the world's greatest driver and I can remember a couple of minor parking scrapes when I was very young and she had taken us shopping with her. This would have been in the 1950's. She insisted on putting a slip of paper with her apologies and contact details under the wiper blade of the other car. Do that today and you risk being declared insane! She was a "horsey" person and often went riding locally (Scottish Borders). She, interesting, applied the same logic to car contro!l as riding her horses. So, on ice, as the car started to skid, she would let go of the steering wheel (albeit, keeping very light contact) and allow it to take its own course! Her reasoning was that when your horse gets into difficulty you slacken the reins to give it's its head so it can recover control. Cars, my dear, she would say, are really very like horses, with all their own little foibles! Astonishingly she never had a crash of any sort and was driving an MGB right up 'till ill health grounded her!
A lot of our behaviour is deep in our subconscious.
"Safety in numbers" is what causes people to park next to another car. They do not know they are doing it. It requires strong conscious thought to park in a wide open space. Park at the furthest point from the store, and someone will park next to you. Unless you drive a car that looks like it hits everything. Many years ago, just for a year, I ran a car that had been owned by a builder. It came with dents all over, and rarely did anyone park next to it.
Another psychological phenomena (Good grief, how many syllables?) is people who slow down when passing through narrow spaces towards you. So annoying when you've given way, and have to wait as they visibly slow in the tight spot, instead of passing through. Again, they do not know they are doing it. In a tight space, your gang can only attack me one at a time, so we feel safer. So we slow down in tight spaces.
"Safety in numbers" is what causes people to park next to another car. They do not know they are doing it. It requires strong conscious thought to park in a wide open space. Park at the furthest point from the store, and someone will park next to you. Unless you drive a car that looks like it hits everything. Many years ago, just for a year, I ran a car that had been owned by a builder. It came with dents all over, and rarely did anyone park next to it.
Another psychological phenomena (Good grief, how many syllables?) is people who slow down when passing through narrow spaces towards you. So annoying when you've given way, and have to wait as they visibly slow in the tight spot, instead of passing through. Again, they do not know they are doing it. In a tight space, your gang can only attack me one at a time, so we feel safer. So we slow down in tight spaces.
Being followed, yesterday on our "Borders Odyssey" (see " what's made you happy"), for about 12 miles by a car which sat on my back bumper. It came up, rapidly behind us, as we left Galashiels on the A7 heading back to Edinburgh. This is a twisty road but there are two straights as you leave Gala so, knowing an overtake would be difficult for a few miles I slowed up and drove slightly nearer to the side of the road to invite a pass, but no. The driver just sat there, about a cars length off my bumper. Same on the next straight. Anyway I carried on varying between 40 and around 58 mpg as conditions allowed with my "tail" glued to the back bumper. After perhaps 4or5 miles we came up on a slower moving group of at least a half dozen cars with an aging Land Rover at the head. There was no point in overtaking so I dropped back to allow myself a good safety margin if I had to brake quickly with this numpty behind. Well, this was not popular, it closed up on me as if trying to push me on. I often practice "only a fool breaks the two second rule" I particularly like to use it on motorways where I think it just about gives a sufficient safety margins. I tried it on "potato head" behind. I got as far as "only a" before he passed the telegraph pole. I knew that, on the approach to Stow, there is another, much longer, straight.(you could safely overtake 2 or 3 Artics with ease). So, at the start of the straight, with a good half dozen car leangths in front of me I slowed slightly and indicated left. But no! Again he (I say "he" might have been a female I suppose?) remained about a car leanght behind. On reflection was it because he was so close he could not get a good viewing angle past me? Anyway, this went on for a few more miles until at last he turned left down a side road.
I used to rally when much younger and have been, on and off, involved with competitive motoring for much of my life. This has taught me a lot about car control in extreme conditions and I am constantly aware of how quickly very serious situations can develope. I think that probably one of the greatest problems with modern cars is that they insulate and cocoon you in a very safe feeling environment. As you cruise serenely on in this insulated "womb", especially on motorways, you are calm, maybe slightly drowsy on longer trips, and, because the other vehicles around you are all traveling at similar speeds, your perception of the true speed you are traveling at is not apparent. Now if something happens, if you are close to the vehicle in front, by the time you react it's going to be too late. On our trips down to Devon or to see my daughter in Salisbury, there have been several absolutely terrifying moments on the M6 in the Midlands. Often caused by some impatient person making a late lane change at an exit where there simply isn't the room between the cars to accommodate it! I tend to stick pretty religiously to speed limits and this, I now realise, is actually a saving grace. Most traffic on our motorways now seems to routinely exceed the 70 limit. I set my cruise to 70 exactly. I find that in that way the majority of vehicles are, quite slowly, moving ahead of me thus I end up, most of the time, with a goodly braking area in front! Helps the fuel consumption figures too. Doesn't stop the terrors I feel around Manchester Birmingham and the top end of the M5!
I used to rally when much younger and have been, on and off, involved with competitive motoring for much of my life. This has taught me a lot about car control in extreme conditions and I am constantly aware of how quickly very serious situations can develope. I think that probably one of the greatest problems with modern cars is that they insulate and cocoon you in a very safe feeling environment. As you cruise serenely on in this insulated "womb", especially on motorways, you are calm, maybe slightly drowsy on longer trips, and, because the other vehicles around you are all traveling at similar speeds, your perception of the true speed you are traveling at is not apparent. Now if something happens, if you are close to the vehicle in front, by the time you react it's going to be too late. On our trips down to Devon or to see my daughter in Salisbury, there have been several absolutely terrifying moments on the M6 in the Midlands. Often caused by some impatient person making a late lane change at an exit where there simply isn't the room between the cars to accommodate it! I tend to stick pretty religiously to speed limits and this, I now realise, is actually a saving grace. Most traffic on our motorways now seems to routinely exceed the 70 limit. I set my cruise to 70 exactly. I find that in that way the majority of vehicles are, quite slowly, moving ahead of me thus I end up, most of the time, with a goodly braking area in front! Helps the fuel consumption figures too. Doesn't stop the terrors I feel around Manchester Birmingham and the top end of the M5!
Another psychological issue.
Whilst their eyes can see the whole queue, their brain 'sees' only the vehicle ahead and the gap ahead of that. As you open that gap, they feel you are the reason for their slow progress, so they close up. If you close the gap ahead of you, they will suddenly fall back a little. The following distances involved will vary, and will rarely be 'safe', but you can test this theory by playing 'yo-yo' with them. On a longer stretch, you can open and close the gap ahead and watch them yo-yo behind you. Great fun. Sometimes it can be safer to close the gap ahead, to get their brain to focus on the whole queue.
Fascinating stuff Bill. I must try that, gently, the next time an opportunity presents itself.
I'm off to work early mornings 6am or so. Eight miles to Town from our village, usually I'm the only car on the road, however every now & then I see another car in my rear view mirror coming closer & closer, then right up my exhaust, no sign of them overtaking, a quick veer into the left gutter spraying up water & debri sees them going back.
That's always a good trick, but I'd suggest a more subtle and gentle drift into the puddles. That way it is difficult to see that is is deliberate. An obvious deliberate act might draw trouble and escalate.
Not a shortage of puddles/water up here.
People in a shop or chippy etc saying"can i get a....." No No No! Its "may i have...." not that stupid Americanism!
Actually, the whole misuse of the English language nowadays pisses me off. "Gunna" "wunna" are terms that are so annoying.The over use of "nah what I mean" Even more annoying is "upward speak" or worst of all "vocal fry" I could go on & on but I just cannot bring myself to mention more terrible terms.
Just to finnish, I've come to get really irritated lately when I hear the word because sounding "bekiz" it should be pronounced "bekoz" I will stop now....:bang:
I just hate the over-use of 'like'.
When one of my learners keeps using 'like', I'll interrupt and ask, "similar to? please highlight the key differences."
I just love the pain it causes as they struggle to understand what I've just asked.
I seem to have 'cured' three of them.
Starting a sentance, inappropriately, with "So" is another one. Mrs Jock, before retiral, was the administrative support person in our local school. She seemed to consider it her mission in life to correct the local (Leith) children's colourful use of the Scot's language and I have heard the hilarious results on several occasions! Since retiring I notice she is becoming increasingly preoccupied with punctuation. Rarely a day goes past without her commenting on something - and she's always right!
Aye Jock, I'm with Mrs Jock. As the years pass I get more & more irritated with the misuse of the English language. Indeed social media has been part of the poor use & the bastardisation of our way of speaking. To some this may seem not such a big deal, but for others especially so of my generation it screams of laziness & don't give a damn. I fear things will just get worse. I'm not at the letter writing complaining stage yet, but I have old friend who divorced years ago & fires off letters to the powers that be, usually the radio stations that get the terminology wrong in his eyes.
Last edited:
Spotted one of my dust covers on the tyre valves was half unscrewed last week, thought nothing of it I'd done the tyres the day before so must have just put it back wrong..
Did the tyres today..that tyre is 14 psi down on the others. Hmmm...
Did the tyres today..that tyre is 14 psi down on the others. Hmmm...
