What's made you grumpy today?

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What's made you grumpy today?

Me too. I am slowly coming around. But we need two for when they are serviced.

This can occasionally be a pain... although book in advance and get a courtesy car tends to be how I deal with it.

Obviously independent doesn't have a courtesy car..but they are in the next village so can walk it if needed or bus it..
 
I live in the sticks so sometimes unless you're an absolute glutton for punishment to save a few quid sometimes the taxi is best option.

Only times I've taken it were when I was going somewhere that required me to get a bus to town..to get a bus back from town in a different direction. It was a choice between about 6 quid on the bus across the different buses and an hour or 7 quid odd and a direct taxi that took 7 minutes.

Our 2 used to cover 12k between them..with the Citroën doing 4 of that...then COVID and home working happened and the Mazda would just stand round. If anything I was using it as a weekend car for the sake of using it.

Oddly enough the Citroën now does about 12k a year..but one set of car bills is nice rather than 2.
Like you, our public transport is a joke, 15-20 minutes to the nearest bus stop, 45mins to nearest train, and that’s if you take the towpath and farm track, so you don’t go that way if you want to remain clean. They’ve now introduced a min £2:60 to park at the train station, so now everyone fights for a place on the road.
The buses are always late or knock and the local trains are always getting cancelled or don’t have enough carriages, the main, cross country trains, don’t stop at our little stations…all of which means taxis or car!
 
Like you, our public transport is a joke, 15-20 minutes to the nearest bus stop, 45mins to nearest train, and that’s if you take the towpath and farm track, so you don’t go that way if you want to remain clean. They’ve now introduced a min £2:60 to park at the train station, so now everyone fights for a place on the road.
The buses are always late or knock and the local trains are always getting cancelled or don’t have enough carriages, the main, cross country trains, don’t stop at our little stations…all of which means taxis or car!
This sounds almost like my side of the pond. There is no public transportation in my little part of the world.
 
This sounds almost like my side of the pond. There is no public transportation in my little part of the world.
We used to have a bus that went past the top of the farm twice a day, which was hardly useful, that stopped 15yrs ago
We also had the school bus but was stopped as being underused by the ‘yummy mummy’s’ wanting to get tarquin and Chelsea safely to school in their huge 4x4s, whilst parking all over the schools no parking markings!
 
We also had the school bus but was stopped as being underused by the ‘yummy mummy’s’ wanting to get tarquin and Chelsea safely to school in their huge 4x4s, whilst parking all over the schools no parking markings!
That's no different here. Mrs. Cheest spent a good 30 years, 26 years of it paid, working where our kids went to elementary school. She'd call the cops several times a year about entitled parents blocking the bus loading and unloading zones in their SUVs, after asking them not to park there. More than one Mom left in chrome bracelets after mouthing off to a cop and having their vehicle impounded.

Back in the dark ages, when Cheest was in elementary school, we'd walk or ride our bikes the 1.2 miles to school and back. The only time Mom took us to school was sideways rain or sub zero temps. That lasted until Grade 5, when we were forced to take a bus. Which was cool, until it wasn't. Taking the bus meant I couldn't catch frogs in the creek or poke dead animals with a stick while on my way home. Or seriously dawdle if Mom got a call about me. :p
 
That's no different here. Mrs. Cheest spent a good 30 years, 26 years of it paid, working where our kids went to elementary school. She'd call the cops several times a year about entitled parents blocking the bus loading and unloading zones in their SUVs, after asking them not to park there. More than one Mom left in chrome bracelets after mouthing off to a cop and having their vehicle impounded.

Back in the dark ages, when Cheest was in elementary school, we'd walk or ride our bikes the 1.2 miles to school and back. The only time Mom took us to school was sideways rain or sub zero temps. That lasted until Grade 5, when we were forced to take a bus. Which was cool, until it wasn't. Taking the bus meant I couldn't catch frogs in the creek or poke dead animals with a stick while on my way home. Or seriously dawdle if Mom got a call about me. :p
Hahahahahaha yes, we always walked to school, kept the bus money to buy two cigarettes and four matches on way there, same for way back!
 
Hahahahahaha yes, we always walked to school, kept the bus money to buy two cigarettes and four matches on way there, same for way back!
Hahahaha. I was just at a function at a local high school. There was a break in the activities and all us old guys headed to the men's room. One of the guys said something along the lines of, "So this is what this place looks like without the ciggie smoke." We all cracked up.

 
Hahahahahaha yes, we always walked to school, kept the bus money to buy two cigarettes and four matches on way there, same for way back!
When I first went to "big School" - before I was packed off to boarding schools, ugh! I had to go to the next town which meant catching a bus into our town, maybe 3 or 4 miles, then another to the next town. On the way home I, and my friend our next door neighbour, the farmer's, son would get the bus back to our town because that really was too far to walk but then we'd spend the local bus money on either chips (fries to our cousins across the pond) or cigarettes. The local tobacanist kept an open packet under the counter so you could buy just one or two. Or, if you really felt like splashing out, you could buy a packet of 5 Dominoes which I suspect were just the sweepings up from the factory floor. They looked like "roll your owns and came in an open topped paper sachet printed on the outside to look like a domino. Then we'd walk home whilst thinking up a good excuse for why we were late.
 
As a youngster I only had one drag of a Woodbine in the park and a couple of puffs of one of my gran's fag to everyone's disapproval. When I started going to nightclubs I took up smoking, as if you didn't when kissing a girl it was like sucking an ash tray;). Never smoked much and gave that up in 1991 when wife pregnant with twins as a gesture of solidarity, though she started up again, although behind my back , as with other things:(.
I always walked to school, usually after doing a paper round that took an hour if you ran, so soaking wet and with holes in my shoes going to school was normal! Excuse me while I get my violin out, just to beat you guys.:)
 
Thanks. I didn't know that. I knew old film could actually be dangerous as we had a lot of old 16mm cine film shot by my grandad. I suppose it's obvious though if you think about it
We lost some VT film of the children growing up. Some had just gone off some bad sound and some bad picture. Even filming off the TV as the tapes are played using a mobile phone would get a copy thas better than nothing.
 
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Like you, our public transport is a joke, 15-20 minutes to the nearest bus stop, 45mins to nearest train, and that’s if you take the towpath and farm track, so you don’t go that way if you want to remain clean. They’ve now introduced a min £2:60 to park at the train station, so now everyone fights for a place on the road.
The buses are always late or knock and the local trains are always getting cancelled or don’t have enough carriages, the main, cross country trains, don’t stop at our little stations…all of which means taxis or car!
Pandas on the top.... Again. My lad flew in from USA today... I expect his arms are aching LOL. He landed before 6am and didnt get to Norwich till 12.20pm.. I did offer many times to go fetch him but he was adamant not to. Monday Panda goes to dealers... I relented, except all parts supplied by me from Shop4parts. Looks like £280 for big service and MOT. It will be a job for Ruby and Mrs PN to rescue me, still cheaper than their coutesy car.
 
...school runs...SUVs..

And no Andy I don't mean the small ones they've borrowed the name for..

My favourite of the school run parents lives along the road from me...closer to the school than we do. Every morning we walk past them strapping 3 kids into the standard issue large SUV they then drive it to school but because it is vast they end up parking about 5 mins walk from the school before they can find a space big enough (at least though they don't think the entrance markings are their private parking as some do)...as a result I usually see them at the gate and say hello again. Then obviously having dropped our kids off I walk directly home, they walk 5 mins in the wrong direction (it's a 10 minute walk from the house) so by the time they've fought the traffic and arrive and dock the car back in their space...I'm already back in the street.

It's got to be terrible for the car...and their stress levels but hey they keep doing it...

Also if you ever set up a speed trap between 8:45 and 9:05 you'd get 100 quid off 90% of them... because doesn't matter if you run someone elses kid over as long as yours is on time.
 
My daughters had their cat run over by one of those school run mum's, 8.30 am, knock on the door and handed a very squashed cat and asked if it was theirs, offered to pay vet bill until found it was £180 odd and never contacted again!!!
My thought is if they didn't see the cat in time to stop, then the same would happen to a child!:mad:
 
I tend to agree, the guy driving fast is awake and has both hands on the steering wheel, as opposed to the the mummy in a rush to drop child off to school before coffee morning with her friends is probably on the mobile phone and doing her make up at the same time.
Now there is a "stereo type", but often seen.;)
 
Well my favourite as described...is actually male and it's not like the hirsute macho men in the double cab pick ups or the lifestylers in their VW transporters cover themselves in glory either 🤣

In fact it's almost like taking a massive car walking distance to then try and park it on Victorian era and scaled streets is a universally terrible idea regardless of who has it.
 
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Today was the first sunny spring-like day in the last 8 days. Back to rain tomorrow, then a gorgeous day on Monday. Possibly for the entire week.
 
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