Man with a red flag

As I am in Bristol visiting Dad again, we set off this morning to do a spot of shopping at Yate, the reason being that I wanted to re-visit a shoe shop I remembered there. The main problem was not that I couldn't find what I wanted, but the journey there. After leaving the ring road, the rest of the route was sabotaged by ridiculous and ever-changing speed limits.
OK, so my little Toyota Yaris does not easily lend itself to burning rubber, even if I was inclined so to do, (the Probe was, and that's another story!) but tootling along at 30mph on a wide country road with no immediate habitation...and then 40....followed swiftly by a sharp return to 30 and passing a side road with a 20mph limit, was not my idea of a pleasant drive. It left me wondering, cynically, which city in this benighted country of ours will be the first to re-introduce an obligation for every car to be preceded by a man with a red flag, to warn other road users of the imminent danger.
(Paying £1.24 a litre for petrol did not add to my delight either. That too is another story!)



10 comments:

Ellee Seymour said...

That's pricy petrol, I thought we paid the most in our region.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Yo! Who rattled your cage Jenny? "Life is too short to fill it with moaning" - Linda Lusardi (glamour model).

Anonymous said...

I LOVE my Yaris! I have the verso, ideal for two greyhounds in the back with a custom made dog guard behind the front seats!

I do not love the ever changing speed limits around here, either. OR the sleeping policemen which reduce the 30mph limit to an effective 20mph limit in some places. OR the little flashing signs telling me to 'slow down' when I'm already driving within the limit!!!

Can we also talk about people who have no idea what the words 'lane discipline' means?

Anonymous said...

I LOVE my Yaris! I have the verso, ideal for two greyhounds in the back with a custom made dog guard behind the front seats!

I do not love the ever changing speed limits around here, either. OR the sleeping policemen which reduce the 30mph limit to an effective 20mph limit in some places. OR the little flashing signs telling me to 'slow down' when I'm already driving within the limit!!!

Can we also talk about people who have no idea what the words 'lane discipline' means?

Daphne said...

One pound twenty-four for petrol? Soon it'll be cheaper to dig it up yourself.

Kate said...

Well, now I'm happier - ours is only $2 ish up here in NZ.
Hello Jennyta! I feel like I have already 'met' you through YP bloggings.
-K

Jennytc said...

Hi, Katherine,welcome. I'll pop over to visit your blog very soon. (Just back from my travels - need a cup of tead first.)
YP, don't tell me you're cross dressing again! (As Linda Lusardi too!)
Jay, we can indeed, and about BMW drivers too!

Jennytc said...

Ellee, it should have been £1.17, judging by the main sign but I inadvertently put in the posh stuff - it wasn't very well labelled. Here it's about £1.12

Fire Byrd said...

so between where I live and the next town on my 27 mile journey to work there are 11 speed cameras!! Going from 30 to 50 to 40 to 50 to 30 and on and on!
It makes for an awake journey!
bbx

Jennytc said...

Don't know how you stand it, bb!! Glad I live in the 'frozen north.' ;)

Plaster board and dust

So, we're still no further forward on the British Gas smart meter front and I've given up making non-existent appointments with them...