Month: December 2011

Accidents causes delays on Hampshire’s roads – Travel Latest – The News


This morning was not a good time to be a motorist in Hampshire, especially within the Waterlooville area.

I started out at around 08:25 this morning to deliver my wife to the QA for work. The fall out from this mornings accidents, mixed with the usual school run, was already causing traffic to back up on Frendstaple Road. This nearly prevented us from escaping the chaos, as once the traffic on that road stops moving we are not able to get off the estate.

Luckily we got out but then got caught up in a traffic jam at the back of Waterlooville on Rockville Drive, which prevented us from joining the A3. Having managed to dogleg up round the Heroes and across to Denmead we managed to get to the QA via Southwick with my wife being dropped off at 08:50. Not bad.

The journey back was much better despite there being yet another accident on the A3 just south of Waterlooville. How on earth do folks manage to collide with each other when the traffic is moving at a snails pace.

The folks in the emergency services were earning their money today and I take my hat of to them.

Accidents causes delays on Hampshire’s roads – Travel Latest – The News.

Imbeciles Copy Concrete Block Attack On M5 Bridge


What on earth is the matter with these people, Why would they risk killing a total stranger with such a stupid action ?

What sort of mentality, having heard about the injuries caused by heaving a block of concrete off a motorway bridge, would think its something that is worth copying ?

I hope these idiots are caught soon and given the heaviest sentence possible. The sick individuals that caused the injuries, both physical and mental, received by Carol Manley on the A12 in Essex deserve to be punished with a life sentence in my opinion.

Concrete block copycat attack on M5 bridge | UK news | guardian.co.uk.

Letter To The Observer


My wife works with a lady whose other half recently made a trip to France. Oh all right, he went on a “booze-crooze”. Anyway, this trip had such an impact on him that he was driven to write to the editor of the Observer.

I include the letter below. For obvious reasons I have not included any names or addresses…..

Dear Editor,

This weekend (10-11 Dec) I went to France on a long-planned “booze cruise”.  With David Cameron’s veto freshly ringing in my ears I was wondering how bad it would be.  Would my Euros buy me anything?

I have to say I was stunned at how badly the French are doing.  Walking through the main shopping centre of historic Bayeux (a city I would imagine to be roughly comparable to Winchester), I was totally unable to find a single charity shop.  Nor was I able to spot any shops with “50% off everything” signs in their windows; in fact there were virtually no “soldes” signs there at all.

And guess what?, it got worse.  Walking through the city centre, I couldn’t get a McDonald, a Burger King, a KFC, a Pizza Hut, a Costa, a Starbuck, a Wetherspoon  – nothing!  How do these French people survive without modern-day essentials such as these – essentials that every high street in the UK can proudly offer?   As far as well-known chain stores were concerned, all I could find was modest-sized shops, not the vast malls or factory outlets required as evidence of a thriving economy.  For the most part the shops were independent local retailers selling quality goods at roughly UK prices.  In fact I’d go further and say “better quality goods”.  Not at all the symbols of the successful economy that we are used to seeing in the UK.  The experience was made worse because it was dreadful having to jostle through the crowds of pathetically non-obese stylishly-dressed shoppers, some of whom would even stop in the street and talk to each other.

As if I wasn’t angry enough already at the sorry state of the poor French people, I couldn’t even find any fast food cartons littering the street for me to kick to help me get it out of my system.  I have to hold my hands up and admit that I took advantage of their weakness and bought the cheap high quality booze, then just gave up on them as a hopeless case and came back to good old Blighty.

No doubt about it, from what I saw in Bayeux, the Eurozone is in crisis.  I now realise that David Cameron and George Osborne have been right all along, we mustn’t allow ourselves to end up like them.

F1 Says Goodbye To The Prof


Professor Sid Watkins has retired has retired from the world of F1 after a quarter century.

His name is synonymous with safety and he more than any other man has been responsible for ensuring that safety in the motor racing world has reached the high standard that we have today.  It is due to his hard work and constant campaigning that many drivers are still with us today following serious racing incidents.

So we will be sad to see him go but we should celebrate the fact that he was such a significant part of the sport for so long.

 

Discourteous Drivers Will Kill Someone Soon


If ever there was a junction that should have traffic lights installed then it is the one which currently has a roundabout to manage traffic between Stakes Road, Purbrook Way, Crookhorn Lane and Stakes Hill Road.

The problem is that folks on three of the feeder roads usually come to a stop and feed onto the roundabout in a sensible manner. However, those on the fourth road, Purbrook Way, usually take a run at the roundabout from two to three car lengths back while looking to their right on the assumption that if there is nothing coming from that direction then it is clear for them to traverse the roundabout. This they usually do at speed.

This then means that folks coming from Crookhorn Lane who had diligently stopped, find they have to make a standing start, up hill, into the path of a stream of vehicles that are already moving at speed.

I will admit that I have sat with frustration factor rising higher and higher until I have forced my way onto the roundabout. This usually is greeted by much gesticulation and vocalisation to which I respond in kind trying to indicate that this is a roundabout and that they are supposed to stop at the lines across their road.

One thing I have noted is that the same problem does not occur when the roundabout is approached from any of the other feeder roads. So there must be something about the layout of the entry point from Purbrook Way that causes the entering drivers to totally forget about the highway code and good manners.

I have no idea how many accidents have occurred here but certainly fear for my safety every time I approach this roundabout.  I would point out that I am not a timid driver but this site does worry me.

 

Antonio’s Restaurant, Fareham – Carol Godsmark’s Eating Out


One of my favourite restaurants in the area. Nice to see them getting a bit of publicity.
Antonio’s Restaurant, Fareham – Carol Godsmark’s Eating Out – The News.

Very Sad


A feeling of great sadness has settled over our family as it transpires that the body found yesterday was that of a teenage boy known to a number of my grandchildren.

The death of anyone is a sad thing. But to think that a young boy had reached the point, where he would feel he had no other alternative than to take his own life, is even more so.

My thoughts are with his friends and family.

Man’s body is found in woods


This explains the helicopter hovering above my house earlier today.

Man’s body is found in woods – East Hampshire – The News.

Hubert Sumlin – RIP


At aged 80 it can be said that  Hubert Sumlin has had a good innings. The world of electric blues will miss him.

As a Chicago electric bluesman he has been the one of the creative inspirations for so many musicians including Eric Clapton and Keith Richard. He is best known for being a member of Holing Wolfs band for many years although he also played for Muddy Waters for a while.

Since posting this I have just discovered that Mick Jagger and Keith Richard have “insisted” on covering the costs of Sumlins funeral.

The Stones stars issued statements following Sumlin’s death:

“Warm, humourous and always encouraging, he was a gentleman of the first order,” wrote Richards. “Miss him, yes, but we have his records. All my condolences to his family. One love, Hubert.”

“Hubert was an incisive yet delicate blues player,” Jagger wrote. “He had a really distinctive and original tone and was a wonderful foil for Howlin’ Wolf’s growling vocal style … He was an inspiration to us all.”

Attempted murder probe after bricks thrown on to A12


I am glad that the police are treating this as attempted murder.

There cannot be anyone, who does not know what the potential outcome is, when a chunk of concrete or bricks, as in this case, are dropped off a bridge into the path of road vehicles travelling at speed.

So, the assumption has to be that the individuals who do this must have one intent and that is the death of one or more motorists.

Even if they don’t die, the victims will suffer horrific injuries.

The police must treat these acts as attempted murder and the courts must come down heavily on those responsible.

BBC News – Attempted murder probe after bricks thrown on to A12.