gordon s Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Morning all v. dark v. v. wet v.v.v. miserable nothing new here then Everyday's just like summer up north.... 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted December 20, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 20, 2012 Less than a month ago, the widest road bridge in the world was opened here in Metro Vancouver with massive fanfare. 10 lanes, cable-stayed, state-of-the-art, etc., etc. on the Trans-Canada highway and a major commuting route into Vancouver (tolled as well, incidentally). Yesterday and today, we had the first sea-level snowfall of the season. The bridge is currently closed to all traffic. The cables are suspended off pillars on the centreline of the bridge - out to the edges of the decks, over the roadway. The heavy, wet snow was accumulating on the cables, then falling off and hitting vehicles passing underneath. Several windscreens smashed, someone needing medical attention. Back to the drawing board! I can remember the same problem on the old Severn bridge, having to weave left and right to avoid falling lumps of snow and ice. The strong winds up the channel were driving the ice into the lanes. I think they had to close it. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold BoD Posted December 20, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 20, 2012 Oh, forgot to mention the high winds with gale force gusts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted December 20, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 20, 2012 Morning all Seems to have been drizzling and blustery for days now, and no change this morning. Mild, though. My initial skirmishes with learning to drive in 1966 were in a Hillman Limp, too. I already had suspicions about their temperamental limitations - having recently been to Yugoslavia and back in one. The school car - my neighbour, actually, but the proper dual controls etc - did behave badly on occasions, I failed the test and gave up. Restarted in 1972 with a Viva HC from BSM, and got through at my third test. Have a good day, everyone! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 The cables are suspended off pillars on the centreline of the bridge - out to the edges of the decks, over the roadway. The heavy, wet snow was accumulating on the cables, then falling off and hitting vehicles passing underneath. Several windscreens smashed, someone needing medical attention. Back to the drawing board! A frequent happening on bridges out of Wales. Did you know (in a mind numbing piece of Tourist marketing) that you have to pay to get into Wales over the Severn but it's free to get out? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted December 20, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 20, 2012 A frequent happening on bridges out of Wales. Did you know (in a mind numbing piece of Tourist marketing) that you have to pay to get into Wales over the Severn but it's free to get out? Our nearest crossing over to the mythical lands south of the Thames is free for ERs! Tony 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium eldavo Posted December 20, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 20, 2012 ... Did you know (in a mind numbing piece of Tourist marketing) that you have to pay to get into Wales over the Severn but it's free to get out? Seems backwards to me. At least we don't need a sign saying "Welcome to England" as those of us from this side of the water realise we never left! I can imagine you'll be well pleased if they can get the paint job on your mini up to the standard of the Barons example Nidge. Rather stunning as minis go. I learnt and passed my driving test in a Ford Escort. Was a little unnerving taking my first driving lesson in a brand new (literally just driven from the garage) car but I dare say somewhat more worrying for the instructor. I blame my instructor for my "enthusiastic" driving style. I had my weekly lesson on a Friday morning and had to get back to the station to catch the train in to college. Each week we would get a little further away before the instructor decided we should head back. Once we got to the point of having to overtake multiple cars and only arriving with a minute to spare he decided I should put in for my test! Never really liked minis I have to say. Used to borrow a bog standard 850 on the frequent occasions when one of my Alfasuds was in the body repair shop but never enjoyed it. I inherited one with the wife and that was a bag of nails (the car not the wife). It had a screaming idler gear but we managed to drive it to the scrap yard and pick up a few quid. It finally siezed solid when the new owner tried to move it to the crusher. Have a good one all. Cheers Dave 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixoh8sixoh Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 A frequent happening on bridges out of Wales. Did you know (in a mind numbing piece of Tourist marketing) that you have to pay to get into Wales over the Severn but it's free to get out? I think it used to be that you had to pay to leave Dundee via the Tay Bridge. No surprise there, I suspect people would have paid ten times what they were asked to get out of Dundee! Morning all v. dark v. v. wet v.v.v. miserable nothing new here then Morning is broken. I learnt in a driving instructor's Diseasel Metro ("upgraded" midway through my 14 lessons to a Citroen Saxo, I think), though I had plenty of hours in a 1.2l Clio too with Dad. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium NGT6 1315 Posted December 20, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 20, 2012 Morning is broken. I shall be singing that on my way to work on the first day after the Christmas break! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
28XX Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 A last but one mad dash in the driving rain on the M5 this morning, lorry drivers getting tetchy as they juggle delivery demands with remaining available tacho hours. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Two female pheasants are presently squabbling over spilled bird food in the garden. One would think they would have had enough of warfare after the big shoot last week (to allow hanging time before Christmas). Not so many of them committing suicide against vehicles in the lanes now - until next year. Although the males are very beautiful, they really are very stupid birds. They have a GS Woodpecker as an audience. If birds could chuckle, I'm sure that is his expression. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Speed reading can be dangerous... I read that as 'Two female presenters....' 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted December 20, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 20, 2012 Speed reading can be dangerous... I read that as 'Two female presenters....' I'm sure DD could have female presenters squabbling in his garden. I suspect they could have been there to interview him about his encyclopaedic knowledge concerning tribute bands. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted December 20, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 20, 2012 Morning all, We had a woodpecker in the back garden yesterday but he took flight when herself went out to leave the lamb bones and offcuts for the birds (I never realised that pigeons are meat eaters until then). And Driving Test - hmm - took mine in the aforesaid Austin 1100 and remarkably nothing fell off it, even when I did the emergency stop. Best bit was the Highway Code questions which for some obscure reason majored almost entirely on AHB level crossings - and in April 1965 the nearest one to here must have been ay least a good 30 - 40 miles away (probably?), anyway great fun and I clearly understood more about them than the Examiner so I think he was building his knowledge bank. I took another test in 1973 as at that time it was still a requirement to take a BR test before you were allowed to have a BR Domestic Licence - that was in a Viva HA van in Cardiff and the Inspector tested 4 of us so we were playing musical chairs every mile or two (or sometimes more) once he was 'satisfied' that we were competent to drive the Board's motor vehicles (in the category for which tested). Some years later I had a couple of other categories added to my Domestic Licence without being tested so it was merely on my say-so that I was considered competent to drive 12 seater minibuses . And all that makes a change from talking about the local monsoon weather and more tidying (visitors arrive today - back to work. Have a good day one & all. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Yes, Tony. One gets really irritated by the constant stream of beautiful presenters fighting to get close. (What planet is this?). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium NGT6 1315 Posted December 20, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 20, 2012 (What planet is this?). Venus. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
28XX Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Took my first test in autumn '76 in a red MkII Escort. The BSM instructor (c/w permed hair and zapata mustache) put me in too early, I misjudged a gap on the test and hit another car. The wretched examiner made me finish the test and do the highway code questions before failing me. Passed in March '77 in a fwd Triumph 1300. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Sidecar Racer Posted December 20, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 20, 2012 Morning all , darker , danker , dismaler , drearyer , draber and driechier than yesterday . That concludes the weather forecast . All this talk of driving tests and cars certainly brings back memories , I had an Anglia 105 E as my lesson and test car , my instructor was ex army so some of the comments on progress could be , shall we just say direct . My own first set of wheel was a Mini , only an 850cc but soon sporting Cooper badges and go faster stripes , the mini had to be totally rebuilt twice after a couple of unfortunate meeting with the scenary , it went through several various tuning stages but the final incarnation was 1071 Cooper S spec , a close ratio straight cut g/box + engine mods gave a fun car to drive . I could still happily have a good Cooper S if I had somewhere other than an open driveway to keep it , that blue one that Nidge linked would do very nicely thank you . I also had a liking for the Broadspeed GT , as per this , http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Broadspeed Oh well I suppose I better wipe the eyes after all this days of old stuff nostalgia and do something . Just to finish off though , The cables are suspended off pillars on the centreline of the bridge - out to the edges of the decks, over the roadway. The heavy, wet snow was accumulating on the cables, then falling off and hitting vehicles passing underneath. Several windscreens smashed, someone needing medical attention. Back to the drawing board! Have they considered putting a roof on it ??? Travelin day today, bags packed, boarding pass printed, this time tomorrow I should be in Schipol, en-route for a soggy We(s)t country. Trev Bring wellington boots , Have a fun day folks . 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debs. Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Oh, forgot to mention the high winds with gale force gusts. You`re a right Job`s Comforter! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted December 20, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 20, 2012 Still raining here, it's not stopped since I left the house at 07:00 and looks set for the next few hours at least. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted December 20, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 20, 2012 Been out and today - its very wet in Leeds and I have had the pump in my garden going for 3 hours - I can now see grass again! More sprouts purchased ( on the stalks - they last better!) Hope everyone is safe and spound 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold BoD Posted December 20, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 20, 2012 Was I supposed to take some kind of test before I started driving? 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium NGT6 1315 Posted December 20, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 20, 2012 Was I supposed to take some kind of test before I started driving? There are far too many motorists around nowadays who I am having the impression are oblivious to them having been thus! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debs. Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 darker , danker , dismaler , drearyer , draber and driechier than yesterday . That concludes the weather forecast . Darn it! On a tuneful note; the next few days will be a bit musical for me: I`m playing a piano 'party-piece' at the local charity concert tomorrow (I`ll enter the venue as a HiVis clad 'Meter-Maid' asking for a fictional car to be moved in the carpark, but then spontaneously decide to give the vacant stage piano a go, playing: Claire De Lune....which I can play reasonably) , then the dogs and I will be taking part in the local school`s nativity night on Saturday: they`re the young shepherd`s collie-companions; helping him 'wash those socks by night' and I`m playing my harp with the band, then it`s street carol-singing in support of the 'churches together' alliance on Christmas Eve` morning. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 (I`ll enter the venue as a HiVis clad 'Meter-Maid' asking for a fictional car to be moved in the carpark, but then spontaneously................ Up to that point you left half of ER ready for the ER........ Best, Pete. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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