Insignificant/ Significant things that BYP or just wind you up a little

[weeksy]

* have we had any RTTL drinks evenings yet?

No apart from at Pembrey

[Sunny]

Roadworks.

A repeated theme I know, but this evening's drive from the Midlands to the North East was particularly fucking awful.

[Felix]

I am sure the A1 round Newcastle has had road works for 10 years or more. May just feel like that but its still shit. Makes the M6 a batter option.

[Druid]

I am sure the A1 round Newcastle has had road works for 10 years or more. May just feel like that but its still shit. Makes the M6 a batter option.

We moved to Co Durham in 2008 and people were complaining about the roadworks back then

[Silly Car]

Roadworks.

A repeated theme I know, but this evening's drive from the Midlands to the North East was particularly fucking awful.

Pfft! You didn’t wave when you went past…

The section of the A1(M?) south of Pontefract has been a complete pain in the hoop for what seems like forever. That section as dual carriageway is bad enough let alone down to single carriageway contraflow.

Evri win my vexation currently, they have finally delivered a pair of trainers on the third attempt, not the same pair three times, no they have lost the previous two pairs and the retailer has been good enough to try again, although they did say they would try a different courier on the last attempt.

[Felix]

Piss poor policing. I had a set to with a Junkie. Its was mentioned in my statement on the night i swung for the stinking dollop of shit with a large plank in self defence. It was mentioned also that he left and came back and nutted me with a wine bottle. The arresting officer who took the statement even searched my garden for the bloody bottle. 14 month later (This week) up in court. I was allowed to see the statement and instantly noticed no mention of the bottle. I cant make shit up so just tell it like it was in the witness stand. Cross questioned as you would expect and looking like a twat. After giving evidence wife and myself pissed off home as it was a long day. Got a letter today of the case outcome. Not Proven
I would like to have heard why some of my statement was missing but fuck it. It would make no difference at the end of the day listening to bull shit.

[Noggin]

It's more a 'makes me sad' kinda thing really.

The English woman I met last week at the hotel called me yesterday to ask for help - sadly I didn't listen to the voicemail until today (didn't have her number, so it went direct to voicemail and normally I don't understand french voicemails cos people speak too fast) but hopefully managed to help a bit.

She's being stalked by someone she used to be friends with (probably had a relationship with, but she really didn't tell me a huge amount when we were chatting, understandably!). She's left her apartment and is moving around hotels and AirBnB's until such time as all her stuff is in one place and she can start again. She's been in France a couple of decades, so it's not lack of language or understanding the culture etc.

But basically, it seems there is no help for women in this situation over here. I know there is some (I believe limited or hard to get) help in the Uk but here she's not been able to find any help. She is proper frazzled, it's been going on sometime it seems, so she may not have been able to dig far enough through the system, but she seems to know her way around. She made a comment this morning that it's something she's found really sad in France that women aren't respected as they are in the uk! Well, I have to disagree, I think it's simply that women aren't considered equals here. Men do (in general, if not mad stalkers or wife beaters) follow a a kind of rule about respect for women. But when there's an issue, if you are a woman alone here especially, then there is virtually no support * .

She called as she desperately needed a man with a small van to go and help her grab some boxes from her old flat. She doesn't want to be there alone. She doesn't want to go with a woman. She wants the security of going with a guy, in their vehicule (so no one sees the car she's driving) and hoped I'd know someone that could help. Sadly it's the wrong time of the year, hardly anyone is around anyway and it's a long weekend, so . . . But I did hopefully find her someone to help - a business, so not cheap but with luck things will work out (she's not called me back, so I'm hoping)


It's just so sad that the country is a bit behind in things like that (TBF, I've seen quite a lot about domestic abuse help and contact numbers, so things are moving in the right direction). You'd kind of expect it in a patriarchal society, but, its 2024! And, despite what she thinks, I know the system isn't great in the UK, so maybe the French aren't that far behind.


* I have found issues a few times, mostly with business. And especially with the minibus I bought. No way would the garage have refused to cancel the sale if I'd taken a bloke along with me or a bloke had phoned to request them to cancel the sale - the French woman who did phone them actually said that to me! But the bank was obstructive at a minimum!!

In work and general attitudes it's kinda like when I started work in the late 80's in the UK. Chauvinistic and dismissive of women. But I do actually feel safer here as a single woman than I did in the UK - although there I knew I had a few of biker 'brothers' who'd come and help me if things got bad. But here I have people around that I know would back me up if I needed it - just a shame I didn't know tham when the van issue happened!!

[Taipan]

Tony Blair attending the remembrance service and laying a wreath!

[Druid]

Tony Blair attending the remembrance service and laying a wreath!

He's an ex prime minister, he's entitled to. If he hadn't done it someone on twitter would have complained that "He sent enough of our brave lads to die, then didn't have the decency to turn up and lay a wreath"
For the avoidance of doubt, I'm not a fan of Blair.

On a related note, people who loudly proclaim their support for the military - attendance at Remembrance Day parades, Help for Heroes stickers on their cars etc, who also proclaim their support for politicians and political parties who want to remove those freedoms that British soldiers fought and died for.

[Taipan]

There’s always one!

[Yorick]

There’s always one!

????

[Ian]

Scooter has soiled itself ?

[Taipan]

There’s always one!

????

We're all parked in line except the scooter who has pretty much taken up two bays!

[ChrisW]

Cheshire East have finally got around to repairing some of the pot-holes around here - unfortunately the definitely lowest-bidder contractors have managed to replace holes that I knew to avoid with full-road width repairs almost as crappy to drive/ride over as the pot-holes would have been.

[Noggin]

Tailgaters.

It's frustrating when people tailgate when you're in a car or a minibus.

On a bike, I'm rarely in the position on a bike that people can or do tailgate!!

But I've been riding around Chambery today for various reasons and it's was hoofing it down with rain this morning so around lunchtime when I was riding back to where I'm staying, the roads were still wet/damp with a few dry patches.

For me it was quite unnerving - in places you know you have a fair idea which roundabouts will have diesel on them, which ones never do etc etc.

I was going through a series of straights and roundabouts and a guy in a hatchback was what felt like inches from the back wheel A few times I actually waved him back to try and get him to leave a bit more space Thing is, it wasn't the sort of road/roads that I could filter safely on - narrow, damp, lots of traffic and road I know fairly well in a minibus but haven't done on a bike!!!

Some drivers did do some really odd/dangerous things in the morning, but that's all they were, didn't 'really' affect me but stuff I noticed.

The tailgater I wanted to stop and point out that if I hit diesel on a roundabout or a turn and fell off, there was no way in hell that he would be able to stop before he drove over me and the bike.

Of course, I didn't do that! But damn I really wanted to!!

[mangocrazy]

Years ago I'd just try and shake a tailgater off by going as fast as I could.

These days I do the complete opposite - go slower and slower and slower until they overtake.

But it is a particularly French phenomenon. I've seen 4 or 5 or more cars, each inches (centimetres) from the car in front in a queue of traffic (behind a tractor or similar) where no-one is able to overtake. Bonkers.

[Noggin]

Years ago I'd just try and shake a tailgater off by going as fast as I could.

These days I do the complete opposite - go slower and slower and slower until they overtake.

But it is a particularly French phenomenon. I've seen 4 or 5 or more cars, each inches (centimetres) from the car in front in a queue of traffic (behind a tractor or similar) where no-one is able to overtake. Bonkers.

The French are definitely over-skilled at it !!! In a car/minibus I do tend to drive slower !!

On a bike I’m rarely in that situation as I’ve generally buggered off before they can get that close!

I don’t remember the last time I experienced it on a bike TBH which made it extra weird. And I am a bit more conscious of falling/what happens after nowadays! Someone else’s bike too!

[gremlin]

When an udder is milked until it bleeds...

Band Aid recordings combined to mark 40th birthday

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crk4lk3ylxvo