A Rant.

I don't know if it is just me, getting older, but when I went to work yesterday, in the late afternoon, I found I was constantly amazed at the lack of consideration and pure bad manners demonstrated by other drivers.  What passes as a main road from our village to the proper main road, all 7 miles of it, had not been cleared or gritted after the most recent snowfall, and was only open due to the traffic flow.  As a result, the surface is slippery like polished marble, and bumpy and uneven, like a rough cart track.  My old van can't cope with being thrashed up and down over a surface like this, so I was toddling along at about 30mph, wincing each time the exhaust got bashed and listening to the rattle of the CV joints or whatever it is that rattles over bumps, and letting people behind me go past because they obviously don't mind wreaking their cars.  Oh, forgot to mention that the road has gone from being wide enough for two cars to pass easily, down to a one and a half car width.  The last thing I need is an idiot, flying around a bend towards me, the car literally leaving the road after impact with the bumps, and the driver most obviously out of control.  Had I not climbed up the wall of snow on the verge and nearly got stuck, I would have had lost more than a wing mirror.  There's no need for driving like that.  Ok, he might have been in a hurry, but I could see him, I had my lights on as the daylight was failing, and he couldn't be bothered to slow down carefully, and in enough time to allow us to pass in relative safety.  Then, when I got down on to the main Aberdeen road, the temperature was below freezing, the road again was less wide than usual, and on each carriageway, there was a ridge of snow and ice in the middle.  I was in a nice line of traffic, travelling steadily and carefully, and I had to be the lucky one who had the numpty driver behind me, weaving around with his lights in my mirrors, trying to make me go faster.  Well I'm sorry, if you can go faster in these conditions, feel free to overtake me, but don't expect me to pick you out of the ditch.

I'm sad to say this doesn't only apply to car drivers.  When I met up with a local modern bike group a while ago, to attend a MAG demonstration, I was overtaken on a blind bend by about 4 sports bikers, in a 30mph limit.  Needless to say, I was boring and doing 30mph.  Is there someting wrong with me?

By the way, had another few VERY GOOD pictures in for the photo comp, so come on, you've still got time, take your camera with you next time you go out and get snapping.  Just to reiterate, it doesn't matter if there isn't any snow, a bright sunny winters day picture with some sort of travel or transport related thing in it, is just as good as one with a blizzard.  And if you're not in the UK, and it isn't technically winter in your part of the world, that's ok too, because it's winter here, and I make the rules!