Please don't headbutt the mirror, it hurts.

I pulled up at the stop in Union street in Torquay this afternoon, the bus in front of me, running 12 minutes late, had also just pulled up at the same stop and was loading passengers. There weren't many, 5 or 6 but two of them decided that it would be a good idea to run back to my bus which they did. Now this maybe because they think I will get them to where they are going quicker than the first bus, why they think this is beyond me. I was running on time which means when I get to the next stop but one, the Harbour I will have 3 minutes waiting time. So I will stand there for 3 minutes while the other bus speeds on it's merry way to Paignton. Or maybe they just fancied a bit of exercise. Anyway it is a well known but inexplicable fact that anyone running like this for a bus will duck to avoid any obstructions, a bit like people getting out of helicopters duck to avoid having their head taken of by the rotor blades.Probably a sensible idea, you may however have noticed George W. Bush never ducks when he gets out of a helicopter. The problem with ducking to avoid obstructions is you now cannot see said obstruction and are more likely to run into, in the case of a bus, the mirror. Which the male member of this running duo did. Having head butted the mirror he then blamed the mirror for being there. “What a stupid place to have a mirror. Sticking out like that.” Excuse me sir but a) where else would you put the mirror and b) every vehicle on the road has a mirror sticking out somewhere or you wouldn’t be able to see much with it and c) every bus on the road has a mirror sticking out which you can easily see if you look for it.” As you can see from the photo it's not exactly small.

He then preceded to insist on resetting the mirror. Now bus mirrors are tricky things.You have to get out of the seat and adjust it and then get back in the seat and check it is right. If it isn't you try again. After doing it thousands of time you usually get it right first go. Not like car mirror where you set them and never move them again because no one else drives your car a bus may have 5 or 6 drivers a day and most need to alter them when we change drivers and it is easier to do it yourself. After a couple of abortive efforts to tell him to leave the mirror I agreed that he had got it right and sold them their tickets. Then when they went and sat down I got out of the seat and went and adjusted it myself. I could hear the man stage whispering something, I think I had upset him. At the Harbour a dear sweet little old lady who looked like she had just come from a Royle Garden Party got of the bus and told me I had upset him. “ But never mind,” she said,” he’s a complete ********.” (Sorry, my mother told me never to use words like the one this dear sweet little old lady on her way home from Buck Palace used)(but it started with a boys name(you know, the one that always makes small boys giggle) and ended with head)(I was quiet shocked).

I have no idea what the horse was doing walking through Torquay but there it was. So I took a photo.