Vocal Voices

Firstly, cycleways. The local council is currently spending pots of money on cycleways - this is from the first Government hand-out, not the second tranche that was launched a couple of weeks back.

So they have installed two traffic light cycle crossings on busy main roads near us. But the first is literally two car lengths down the exit road from a roundabout. When the lights are red, traffic will be suddenly blocked right back onto the roundabout. Wait for the crash! The second is just beyond a bus stop, and when the bus stops, it's back end is literally overhanging the crossing. Just waiting here for some kid to go charging out round the back of the bus and .....

Are planners really so incompetent that they cannot install crossings safely?

Secondly, the Co-op. Be alert on your bills. 2 for £2 offer clearly displayed on the shelf this morning, but charged full price at the till. OK, I complained and got a 50p refund, but this is not the first time this has happened to me in that shop by any stretch - it's at the least the fourth time, I reckon .......

I complain, 'cos I'm a bolshie Ostrich , but how many others wouldn't or just don't notice?

and breeeeeeath
The world needs a few bolshie ostriches

Ostriches are descended from dinosaurs. Nuff said.

Oooh I've got a rant!!!

I'm sick of buying train tickets and then not having anyone check them!!! A few Sundays ago I travelled into Birmingham with Tom to go to a concert. Our local station is unmanned so you buy tickets off the conductor on the train. There's a ticket machine on the platform though but it's card payment only but I bought our tickets from there to save faffing on the train with the conductor (they come to take your money, and midway through the transaction the train stops at a station and they have to go to the end of the train to activate the doors blah blah blah). Anyway, long story short - no conductor on the train to check the tickets and no one on the barriers at New St. On the way back, no one on the barriers, no conductor checking tickets on the train. Could've saved myself over £10 there. I just assumed that because it was a Sunday evening/night with fewer people travelling then they didn't bother manning the ticket barriers.
Yesterday I took Tom into Birmingham in the afternoon. There were engineering works on our end of the line so we had to travel into Walsall to get the train from there. Now Walsall has a manned ticket office and a ticket machine (but no ticket check to pass through) so there's no excuse for not buying a ticket before getting on the train, so I bought our tickets. Again. no one checked on the full train and on arrival at a busy New St at 2pm we walked straight through the barriers. Same story in reverse for the return journey. Wasted £5.70 on that journey.
Sod's law though, if I hadn't bought tickets we'd have been checked.

We got done at the local farm shop. got home to find we'd been charged £4.99 for a large quiche when it was a small one. Worse, I only found out when I'd had a slice out of it, so couldn't take it back. Doh!
We've been round Aldi this morning - it's time to start watching the pennies! There were some decent savings to be had in there.

Had a nice "me" day today pottering around a shopping centre and went for lunch in a self service place there - nice mixed pepper soup available with brown bread or crusty white roll. No white rolls, "they will be ready in five minutes"...so why did nobody notice they were running low? Then I found two hairs in the soup - brought it back to the till, the girl went for her supervisor who apparently was too busy to talk to me Got offered another soup (from same container) or money back, needless to say took the money back.

Why on earth would they offer you soup from the same container?!! Yuck!

Eeeeww Osc, I cannot believe they offered you soup from the same container - that is just horrid

Jo, I know what you mean. I have an annual ticket but whenever I need to buy an extension to go somewhere they seem to cost and arm and a leg and are hardly ever checked. But law abiding that I am when it comes to things like that I just wouldn't risk it.

I am so mellow and easy going that I do not do rants.... you might already have noticed.

I am usually mellow and reasonable, too, but I do occasionally blow my top, and even can surprise myself at my fluent
and forceful dialogue. This happened today when taking the dog for his morning walk. A lorry had parked outside a
shop that sells takeaway or eat-outside breakfasts, completely blocking the footpath. Three men were in the cab stuffing
their faces. I was determined not to walk off the path on to the busy road, so I wrenched back the nearside wing mirror
and squeezed past, delivering a string of choice language in the process. Three jaws in the cab stopped chewing and three
pairs of eyes stared at me in amazement. They said nothing, as obviously they felt they could not possibly compete with
my choice of words. My dog gave them a dirty look, too.