This morning, while waiting for the bus to take me home from the shops, I was almost witness to a couple of fatalities. I was under the misunderstanding that Swedish drivers were somehow more sensible than those in the UK but, it seems, there is stupidity everywhere when it comes to the mastery of cars.
First up was a woman who was clearly not paying attention to what was in the roundabout before entering it. She didn’t see the bloody great truck looming down on her as she drove forward. Seriously, this thing was about a metre away from her when she entered.
A blare of his horn and her quick slamming on of her brakes was all that saved her. As it was, the truck had to swerve enough to put half the truck on the roundabout.
Then, not five minutes later, an old white male drove by the bus stop. His head was looking down into his lap. It looked like he was reading. Whatever he was doing, he wasn’t watching the road ahead as his car progressed towards the roundabout.
I watched, mesmerised by how misplaced his confidence was. The person in the roundabout was also watching and his horn alerted the old white male to his impending doom. His head snapped up and he stopped. Fortunately there wasn’t anyone behind him because they would have joined him in his front seat had there been.
It never ceases to amaze me how people seem to think they’re indestructible to the point of stupidity. Pity they survive to continue endangering the rest of the world.
Which nicely brings me to…
Prick of the Week
It’s been ages since I saw someone inconvenience pedestrians. There were quite a few in Farnham but not here. I can only assume because we’re living in, what appears to be, an isolated countryside with big rocks.
Then, this morning, walking back from the bus stop, this guy parked up his big truck.
And, in true Prick of the Week tradition, he’s inconveniencing other drivers as well. Remembering that cars are on the opposite side of the road to the UK, cars approaching from behind can’t see if anyone is turning from where the 30kph sign is above, as well as cars approaching from further ahead, which is the crest of a rather steep hill.
Meanwhile, cars coming from the other direction have no hope of seeing if anyone is approaching the truck from behind. The road is narrow enough as it is but this just makes it crazy dangerous.
And then, of course, it’s the pedestrians. The gap between the truck and the pile of snow was enough for me, but I think someone with a stroller (of which there are many) would get snowy wheels in passing by.
But I don’t drive, so what do I know?
Speaking of snow, I noticed on my way to the butcher then Ica that the snow is starting to melt, leaving pools of, soon to be, ice everywhere. Clearly the temperature on the ground is above zero. It made me quite wary given that the temperature over night is still at or below -10°, turning the melted snow into solid ice.
Today was fine but tomorrow and Wednesday the world might be like one great ice rink.
Which reminds me, we’ve noticed a few houses have created ice rinks in their gardens so the kids can practice their ice hockey skills. One house we have watched as the rink has been gradually created. It now has, not just a rink but also a set of rough bleachers for the audience. Of course, as the temperature rises, the rink will vanish but the kids love it while it lasts.
Something else that’s a big thing here is fish. Particularly salmon. It comes in big slabs which I sprinkle with assorted herbs and spices before roasting. It is delicious. And so simple. Particularly when I serve it with a Gaz style Räkor salad.
