2021 Quick Daily Posts

[Mabel Figworthy]

That sort of behaviour makes me so angry! It's all very well to talk about "personal responsibility" in all sorts of things but there are people out there to whom that concept seems to be completely alien.

Hope the booster side effects will soon be a thing of the past, and that you manage to get both daughters boosted

[fccs]

That’s awful. Some people should not be driving.

[richardandtracy]

Unfortunately, Debby, it's all too common round here.

The Police gave up responsibility for policing the roads round here about 20 years ago. The only bit of road policing that still occurs is related to speed, and that has been delegated to quite a few fixed and a small number of mobile speed traps. This is the result of 20 years of no policing of road behaviour whatsoever. People know that they are not going to get caught however badly they drive, unless they crash. So why drive safely, carefully, considerately and following any road regulations if there are no consequences to driving badly? Especially when in a van you can usually intimidate smaller vehicles, like cars, to get out of your way and you can get to where you want to go at any speed you feel like driving at.

Chickens are coming home to roost on this subject, and it's not the police who are feeling the heat on it. Yet.

Regards,

Richard.

[Serinde]

Crickey! That would be a disaster anytime, but in the middle of winter just before Christmas? I don't suppose the driver is going to get in too much trouble from his employer, either, drivers being in relatively short supply and everyone buying online. The cars parked all along a narrow road didn't help, of course, but you'd expect a local driver to behave better in his own patch where people presumably know him.

[wendywombat]

Words Fail me!!

An old expression comes to mind, though....The Police, Insurance Companies plus the van drivers Employer should " Throw the book at him!"

I feel for the innocent house and car owners involved.

[fccs]

Sheer madness!

[richardandtracy]

We think the van driver is a self-employed builder type. The crash writing the van off may well have a bad effect on his income until he can get a replacement van, though replacement vans are probably covered by his business insurance. Great fun.

As for feeling for the innocent victims. So do we.
In spades, having been in the same position in Feb 2020 when a young lad rammed our Vito van parked outside the house in the similar circumstances. He, however, drove off without stopping. He was identified by a school classmate who would have been killed if our van hadn't been there to hit first, but as we didn't have video evidence, the police took the view there was insufficient evidence and they couldn't give a damn anyway. So the police gave us a crime number and 2 days later sent an 'insufficent evidence for further action' notice, having made the great effort to contact zero of the five people on the list of witnesses we gave them. And they couldn't get a number plate from the 6 letters and numbers we could supply (out of 7 - how hard is that when the unusual colour and make are known?) , helped along by knowing the driver's name through a witnesses identification. Now, Tracy, without the police computers or databases, could link the two, find the address and find the full number plate. So, one suspects the amount of effort made by the police in our case amounted to zilch. NADA. Nowt. Tracy gave the name (again), full numberplate and address to the police, who said no new evidence had been presented. Which was true, they had sufficient evidence all along, just no desire to do anything.

Like normal.

Kent police in North Kent are useless.

Here's another anecdote about the level of police competence and effort here in North Kent:
My boss is a volunteer Coastguard. There was one missing person search 3 years ago on the Isle of Dreams (also known as the 'Isle of Sheppy' ) where he was called out by the police to help them. The police had been 'searching' for 8 hours without success and called for backup manpower as the light faded. And it got a bit cold. As search co-ordinator, my boss wanted a list of where they'd searched, but it appeared all the searching had been done from inside a vehicle. - a search method that's not worth the time taken because it's hopelessly inadequate with a probability of finding someone who is within 10metres of the road that is passed by the vehicle of less than 0.5%. In fact, you can't guarantee to identify a particular pedestrian on the pavement from a moving vehicle, so what chance if they don't want to be found? The coastguard found the missing person in 5 minutes. In his garden shed. He was having a monumental sulk after an argument with his wife. The police, in 8 hours, had failed utterly to follow even the first and easiest step in their own search procedures, and so never bothered to check the missing person's home address, just took the 'concerned wife's' word for it that he was missing.

Oh the joys of living in Kent.

Regards,

Richard.

[Serinde]

It isn't like the detective shows, is it.

[richardandtracy]

No, it isn't. For which I am heartily relieved. It would be ghastly having a Midsomer Murders type body count every other week!

Regards,

Richard.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Yes, you wonder why anyone would move there - and how the estate agents describe the area

I'm very excited because for the first time in about a decade and a half I'll be going ice skating this afternoon! As a child I used to be on skates the moment the water ("sloot", a wide draining ditch which in our case ended in a sort of pond) outside our tower block froze, but here in the UK it tends to be artificial ice rinks which are just not the same thing . This one is too, but it's a temporary one set up in the ruins of old Coventry cathedral, which is rather more picturesque than the usual ones!

As I am now past my half century, my goal is not to break any bones . But I'm hoping it's like riding a bike, in that it will all come back to me after five minutes or so.

PS My skates used to belng to my aunt, and date back to the 60s. Vintage I suppose you'd call them now

[wendywombat]

Ice skating...WoW!! I haven't been ice skating for Years!! Back in the early 80's with daughter in Bristol Ice rink. She was was brilliant I got a wee bit damp from falling a few times!!

So, in the ruins of the Old Coventry Cathedral? Iv'e been there a few times...how do they manage an ice rink in there?

[rcperryls]

Ice Skating! I remember being so excited when I got my first pair of "real ice skates" (as opposed to blades that attached to your shoes). I think I was about 6 or 7. They would flood a large area at our neighborhood park and let it freeze (and it would stay frozen most of the winter). I think I have mentioned this before that the girls would figure skate and the boys play ice hockey, sometimes all going on at the same time. Often ending up in snowball fights. I've always believed that growing up where it got cold (very cold) in the winter was great. Until you got older and had to drive to work on icy roads. Don't miss that now but am glad for the memories.

Carole

[Mabel Figworthy]

So, in the ruins of the Old Coventry Cathedral? Iv'e been there a few times...how do they manage an ice rink in there?

It's not very large - not ice hockey size by any means - but quite enough for anything I'm planning . DH is designated driver, audience, admirer and photographer, so if he manages to get a passable picture I'll share it here!

[Serinde]

Like Mabel and Carole, I grew up ice skating -- very similar situation to yours, Carole (and even had a warming house!). Skating indoors, going around and around just isn't the same as being outdoors, but I'm grateful for the few times I've been skating since I came here (oh, about 4 in total. I wasn't very good, but could remain standing at least.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Well, I did fall once (at the end of my session when I was getting a bit too ambitious ) but otherwise I had a lovely time, stayed upright, managed a few twirls and even going round corners crossing the right leg over the left. Success!

[wendywombat]

Well done! Your Vintage Skates look fantastic...just as i remember skates to be.

The ruins of the old Coventry Cathedral still have a wonderful atmosphere don't they...all those Hymns and Prayers have soaked into the stones and the 'Echo' is still heard if you get the chance to listen.

[richardandtracy]

Mabel, looks like fun. Wheelchairs on ice? I'm surprised that they could get enough traction. Ah well, learn something every day.

I've done a limited amount of Ice-skating, mostly at the Bristol Rink Wendy mentioned, and probably mostly in the early 1980's. I had cousins who lived near Bristol, and we visited them twice a year or so. Every other visit, maybe less frequently, we all went to Bristol to skate. Due to roller skating quite a lot, I could stand up and move, but stopping was always a problem.
There is a rink in Gillingham, but you'd only call it 'a dive' if you were in a generous mood. We went once with the kids, but were put off by the general feel of the place, and the fact the girls ended up with huge blisters from the rented boots.

Regards,

Richard.

[wendywombat]

Maybe we Swooshed past each other at the Bristol Rink, Richard as went with my daughter at that time!

[Mabel Figworthy]

Wheelchairs on ice? I'm surprised that they could get enough traction. Ah well, learn something every day.

I don't know whether I mentioned it but I'd opted to join what they called an "accessible" session, as one of the things in the description was "softer music". I am not good with loud music/noise, which is one of the reasons I hardly ever go to the cinema even though I would like to see films on the big screen. Anyway, accessible really did mean accessible as there were two people in wheelchairs there - one young man pushed by his companion, and one lady in an electric wheelchair who actually towed her companion - both seemed to be doing fine and enjoying themselves very much.

[Roland]

For the first time in 2 years my family got together. Today I woke up with a sore throat, a runny nose, and feeling blah. These are consistent with the new and improved Covid symptoms…though I do not have the headache, and timing is more consistent with a cold.

Then I get a text, people that live in house we were at have gone in for Covid tests today. Symptoms similar to mine, but with headache…and now 2 we were with are developing symptoms.

We decided to use some of our home tests….and we are not pregnant. I assume it will be a few days before we hear from other people.