Doug Tait

I've only driven hers on the drive so haven't experienced it myself but she's had a few frights on the road.

The oh went to London recently, said I'd wash her car while she was away and had a similar experience to you. I'd barely closed the door and it automatically put me in her driving position, folded me up like some mediaeval torture chair! And when I eventually moved it (thankfully without having to phone her for advice) and started washing it I realised it's huge, the roof of my L200 is easier to wash than her 'little' car.

I hear this complaint a lot about the Hyundai too

A big prop forward I used to play rugby with would say at times like this, it's not the size that matters it's the weight you can put behind it.

They're terrible aren't they! The oh has a new Hyundai hybrid thing through her work and nag describes it perfectly. It never stops with alarms and warnings for anything, a white line or a hedge or just anything. It even turns off the radio if you reverse so you can concentrate on all the warning alarms it blares at you. Reminds me of a documentary about Air crashes and the experts discovered years ago that often problems were exacerbated by all the warnings in the cockpit overloading a pilot with information.

That's what gets me Mark, in the places it could be a benefit traffic is crawling along under 20 because it's busy anyway, and places like Jed have subways under the main road for pedestrians already.

I saw in the news recently the government have said they will "take the side of the motorist" against council's that are introducing blanket 20mph speed limits in built up areas. Our regional council did this some time ago, from what I can see largely against the will of the majority. During the covid times they introduced an 18month trial of the Safer Streets Scheme at a cost of 1.2m iirc, and declared it a success after Napier University found there to have been a small percentage decrease in the average speed vehicles were travelling at. That struck me as strange because they apparently had no accident statistics to show a reduction of incidents but judged the trial a success solely on low compliance. Gave me the feeling it was a done deal whatever the results of the trial! They did change some areas back to 30mph after the trial but mostly 20mph was retained. My experience of it initially was a few vehicles complied, held the majority back, and some vigilantes tried to enforce it by gesticulating and shouting from the pavement. Now we've lived with it for a while little has changed, the occasional vehicle does 20mph but most drive at the previous 30mph limit. Despite the council keep asking the Police to enforce it they really seem reluctant and I've heard of no Police action being taken against anybody, but the vigilantes have got Hi Vis coats and Amazon speed guns now. Personally I don't feel it does make the roads safer. Granted a collision at 20mph is likely to be less injurious than 30mph but, the instances of poor driving I've witnessed due to people being angry, frustrated or distracted by travelling at the slower speed have increased so surely that suggests the slower speed could be more dangerous? When I'm in a line of traffic behind someone at 17mph when I've driven that route at 30mph for nearly as many years I do find that my mind wanders. Is Twenty Plenty, or just leave it be?

I used the soft tongue leather from an old pair of NI combat boots once on a lawn mower, it worked but I don't know how long it lasted for.

That'd be nice, my tan from 'spring' has washed off during summer!

I'd bet it's the dog. Had a taste of the good life for a month now!

It's the presentation that's the problem here. There's flat sausage under the scone/egg/pudding, and 2 plates of toast arrived after, though it was barely toast and Mick would certainly have sent it back! For a change it was a full tomato, usually only half.

Plant a Rowan near the entrance, that stops the witch coming back home.

No alcohol involved but the nice little pub/foaming drink criteria were met this morning...

Personally I wouldn't be offended, it's reality.

Two words, skips sandwich.

Had to keep the wee beast tethered!

HC dismantle today in a tight little back garden with a horribly long and awkward drag to the roadside. Fortunately the garden has a steep banking adjacent where the chip could disappear and the little GM just squeezed through the access. Timber all staying in garden in handleable sizes for the neighbour to take for firewood (rather them than me!). The wee chipper did us a great service today.

Anyone that watches Blaze channel will tell you aliens are totally a thing. They've been visiting ever since we became intelligent enough to do their bidding. They had us build the Pyramids and Stonehenge, they're running all the world's rulers, they gave us mathematics and writing, they even allowed us to go to the moon for a bit. Granted they do also steal cow wombs and occasionally rape an American in the night but basically we owe it all to the aliens. Although there was a Physicist on BBC4 that said something about The Drake Equation so aliens are probably bollocks after all.

And saved up the tokens for a freebie! Still have the Weetabix World Atlas somewhere but most of the country names have changed now.

Been splitting quite a bit recently, the contracting has been quiet so getting oversize timber ready for the processor. Was just myself today, going grand until the crane burst a hydraulic seal in the grab. All mixed hardwood.

Sign in Germany, loosely translated... Private sign, reading forbidden.

Reminds me of the Communards for some reason!

And muttley filming it!

To be fair the tree surgeon didn't say who the money in the tree would go to, I imagine them rubbing their hands together when they said it.

Doesn't look bad from the photos. We use tractor chipper and trailer so there's usually a cloud of mess around us but only had one complaint from a neighbour. I offered to blow the dust off the car but I was banned from going near it and no more was said. More often I've warned neighbours about clothes on the washing line which seems to be good for PR.