What a load of...........!

Well things have been a bit slow here recently and I am not sure if anybody really reads this blog but I thought a news item I saw needed a comment especially as it seems to me it is bureaucracy gone mad.
I was reading about a guy who had purchased a registration number for his car from DVLA and they have now told him they have withdrawn it and he can no longer drive using this number plate.
The registration was BO11 LUX which I found quite amusing but apparently it seems no one at the DVLA had realised is made a rude word! What a load of BO11 LUX is all I can say and let's be honest who in this current day and age would really find this offensive as that seems to be the logic of the DVLA.

A tale of two deaths

Interesting news day today with the death of two famous figures one of who will be sadly missed while the other will not.
One of Britain's best know boxers Sir Henry Cooper has died and while I am not a fan of boxing I always felt he was a gentleman. He will I am sure be sadly missed.
We have also heard that Osama  Bin Laden has been killed and while most of us will not be bothered by this I just wonder if we will now see an upsurge of terrorism. It seemed to me that after 9/11 he was fairly low key but now who knows what his supporters might do.

You couldn't make it up!

I have just been reading last nights Express and Star and came across an article that Butlin's have banned 'bumping' on the Dodgem car rides at their sites. A you can imagine it is the result of fears about people suffering whiplash or other injury and suing Butlin's.
I suspect it will not be long before this spreads to other fairgrounds - what a load of wimps we are becoming. The dodgems will never be the same and it will prevent me venting my pent up anger at the appalling state of driving on our roads - but don't start me on that one.

It's a fair cop!

I have noted with interest the stories over the last few days about the reduction in police officers that we can expect as the recession continues to bite. It is I believe a sad fact of life that they are just some of many who will be part of cutbacks and reductions but at what cost?
It is true to say that many organisations are expecting workers to do more with less as workforces dwindle through all sorts of reasons and then wonder why when stress levels go up and people start being off work with stress related illness. Perhaps the reductions in staff are a sort of false economy when this happens.
It seems to me that there is little hope for those people who are seeking work when all we seem to hear is job cuts - perhaps a radical solution needs to be found to address some of the issues of unemployment - how about working a three day week and having a four day weekend - sounds good to me!

Incredible blog!

Thanks to Brownhills Bob for posting about a brave young man who has been diagnosed with a brain tumour.
I read this and was amazed by the story and look forward to reading further updates in the next few days.
You can read the story here.

New site for Hill Top School

I was checking out the old West Bromwich photo's site and came across a comment from Hill Top Kid about a new site for pupils and teachers of Hill Top Secondary Modern School and Hill Top High School in West Bromwich.
As a former pupil I thought it would be good to check this out and have put a link to it on my site. I have also added a link to the West Bromwich photo's site as people reading this blog might be interested in checking them both out.

Bad Weather or Bad Drivers?

I have been appalled the past couple of days at the absolutely abysmal level of driving ability I have witnessed on out roads. I suppose too I would have to say there has been a great deal of stupidity.
Here are some of the things I have seen:-

People who have only cleared a small area on their front windscreen - how can you see to drive if your side windows are covered in snow and ice? Isn't this dangerous driving or at the very least driving without due care?

People who do not clear the snow from their lights - what is the point of having them on if no one can see them because they are covered with snow?

People who are frightened of driving in the snow and as a consequence drive at around two miles an hour - this is partly responsible for some of the hold ups, especially on roads that have been well gritted and are reasonably normal, and  could lead other drivers to take risks overtaking them out of sheer frustration.

People who get stuck and then stick the car in first gear and hit the accelerator pedal causing their wheels to spin - second gear and low revs is far better, remember the tortoise and the hare (slow and steady wins the race).

People walking in the road to avoid falling on footpaths - what happens if a car hits a patch of ice and loses control? I would rather risk falling on the footpath than being hit by a car!!

People walking in the road and pushing babies in buggies - words fail me.