to make a little sign for this woman?

[TandB]

I have ranted on a previous occasion about the morning rat-run through our village so very quick summary:

Single track roads - short-cut to city - I am apparently only person who needs to go opposite direction during rush-hour - majority of people coming the other way clearly think I am unreasonable for driving through my own village and glare and head-shake at me - I am cross.

Obviously it is the holidays now, so the school run traffic is missing which makes life much easier. However, there is one woman who I see every single time. She drives very fast on a narrow, twisty road with several blind bends so I finish up crawling around corners in case she comes hurtling the other way. She flatly refuses to back up even a couple of feet to the nearest passing space, and she makes no attempt to move over so that both cars can pass without scraping through the hedge. So I finish up reversing to the next passing space with her driving about 6 inches off my front bumper with a face like thunder, and then as soon as the road widens at all, she squeezes past, glaring at me all the time and shaking her head.

Bearing in mind the following:

1. I live here and have as much right to leave the village as she does to cut through it.

2. I drive a very small car which causes minimal obstruction.

3. I don't drive dangerously fast.

4. I am the one reversing and getting off the road.

would I be unreasonable to make a little sign saying "The next time you shake your head at me will be the last time I reverse for you. I can sit here all day - how about you?"

Would probably be unreasonable to add "cowbag" at the end, I suppose.

Marking place. Can't wait to see the result! C'mon Pannda, do it for those of us that would love to have the guts, but might chicken out last minute :-)

kungfu I'm in Devon. Let me know if you want me on Thursday for Zombie Duty. Please can you give me 24 hours notice so I have time to dig up my clothes out of the compost heap? Will stop washing for the rest of the week, just in case I am needed.

Thursday you say?

Gwen - re horses and music - very much depends on the horse. One of the 'obstacles' in the Riding and Road Safety test iirc was a parked car with loud music blaring.

I am in Brass Band Contest country and my usually skittish mare used to enjoy a jog round the lanes to the sound of the bands.

Thursday - oh well, we will just have to be patient.

Of course we can "tactically open" the bung on the end of the slurry tanker. :) He's also offered the muck spreader and the market trailer!

Marks page for Thursday.

I'mNotNoseyHonestTiggaxx

Gearing myself up for Thursday.

It's not looking good, however, given my completely pathetic display this morning when a moped tried to undertake me while I was overtaking a parked bus leading to a full-on emergency stop and an almost-very-squished moped driver.

I was terribly articulate when I wound my window down to explain the error of his ways.

[High pitched voice and arm waving] "Stupid! You are stupid! How stupid was that! Stupid! Stupid!"

Not my finest verbal sally.....

Oh, Panda, the signs are all there that... YOU NEED A SIGN FOR THIS THURSDAY!

I am sensing that you are quite polite really, so my favourite suggestion for you thus far is the "Morning! Your turn to reverse today!" one. Accompanied by a 'nice' encouraging smile.

Make the sign. Make the sign. Make the sign...

If I leave immediately with the tractor, tartan flask full of tea and large trailer full of dung, it will take me at least until Thursday to get from Highland Perthshire to Somerset.

It might be easier for me to send 'reverse' vibes to the stubborn but nicely dressed woman.

just read the whole thread to discover I have to wait

marksplace

kungfu, what did the moped rider say back?

Perhaps, in addition to the sign, you need a crib sheet of suitable bon mots to deploy on Thursday. I think that those of us like boobelina and I who live too far away to join the convoy should helpfully think up things you might need to say to her, things she might say, and the things you would then have to say in reply.

"Your car does have reverse gear too, you know!!"

"I can sit here all day, waiting for you to learn how to reverse your car."

Why didn't those italics work?

it was too close to the speech mark.
yo uhave to leave a gap.

actually, I had a boss once who could not reverse.
she hated it. It filled her with dread.
She used to get someone to park for her in the car park so she could drive out forwards at the end.

But she knew she had a problem, so if it had been her, she would have come over to you and asked you to reverse for her!

On the route (country lanes) I drive (and now a couple of times a week cycle!) to work it's normally ok and a nice drive/cycle barring the occasional aggressive idiot...or lost HGV. Last year I was about third in a line of cars (several soon behind me) stuck on a narrow lane because of an HGV coming the other way...it was really stupid and annoying but then there isn't much point getting annoyed as there is little you can do in a situation like that. So I just sat there thinking "Tum te tum, so how are we going to sort this one out then?"

After a few minutes everyone started reversing which gradually filtered down to me and then the cars in front, and the HGV started moving forwards- eventually getting to a wide corner where the cars could squeeze past.... It actually made me feel quite positive in the end and I wanted to give all the car drivers a pat on the back for working together without anyone (visibly) losing their rag, and the lorry drive a kick up the backside!

One upside of driving on country lanes is I am now pretty confident with all manoeuvring and know the width and length of my car to the centimeter...

Though I would just add everyone where I live has scratches on the sides of the car from getting too friendly with a hedge at some point.

Thank you nickelbaalamb - I will be less of a numpty next time (I hope).

Kungfu last year in the game reserve a woman pulled up alongside us and about two other vehicles, thinking probably that it was best to get something out of the boot of her car with other vehicles around. Except we were watching two hyenas by the side of the road. As soon as her door opened me and my mom screamed in the most highpitched panic stricken voices 'Hyena! Hyena!'.

We like to think that we saved her life. Both my dad and dp love to point out that the hyenas started running in the opposite direction of the banshees and the woman banged her head leaping into her cae. So your 'stupid, stupid' tirade was actually shakespeare compared to us.

@ springbokdoc

BodyOfEeyore Mon 18-Apr-11 17:13:27
kungfu, what did the moped rider say back?

He actually looked a little startled, as far as I could tell from the part of his face I could see, and drove off at speed while I yelled "stupid!" one more time for good measure.

Next time I shall yell "hyena!"

ooo Thursday! I thought I might have missed the shenanigans.

I have to admit I was a bit bad atrocious at reversing until I lived in Devon for a short period. There's nothing like frequent reversing down country lanes to hone your skills. I do remember going the wrong way once and ended up in a very narrow dead-end street. A lovely man offered to reverse my car for me and I'm not ashamed to admit I jumped at his offer. He wasn't at all judgey either.

Good luck for Thursday. Perhaps the OP can practice being stern in the mirror?

Just marking my place.

Don't let us down now

I probably should flag up that I am not usually a push-over - quite the opposite! I am generally more than happy to stick up for myself and have been known to shout at people who don't move down train carriages or who queue jump.

But for some reason this woman has managed to walk all over me - I think it might be her apparent absolute confidence that I am entirely in the wrong at all times - there is something mesmerising about it!