You might want to skip over the photo below, it's of an old friend, we have know each other for over 50 years but this morning we painfully parted company, painfully for me anyway. We didn't really interact much even though we were very close. Once about 48 years ago I took it to the dentist to get it filled, too many sweets as a child, but until last Wednesday all I ever did was give it a quick brush and all it ever did was chew up any food that passed it by. Then Wednesday evening it did something that could not be forgiven or forgotten. It brought pain into my life in a big way. It had to go. So this morning after a weekend of painkillers and chewing all my food on the right side of my mouth I showed it to the dentist who confirmed my opinion and said. "It will have to go." And here it is, Gone.
The small bit at the side didn't want to go and it broke of still fixed firmly to my gum so the dentist had to get the hammer and chisel out to get it out. That was the really, really painful bit. To night I shall put it under my pillow so the tooth fairy can leave me 6d (6d is 2.5pence but given the rate of inflation over the last 55 years I should get at least £2).
A couple of days ago in the local paper there was a report of a bus driver receiving minor injuries in an incident in Brixham. A few days earlier a driver had been involved in a similar incident. The people responsible for causing the trouble were described as youths in both cases. The depot manager stated that drivers were trained to deal with difficult situations but all the training in the world is of little help when confronted with a gang of unruly youths who are out to cause trouble. The problem in Brixham has been growing for years. The bus stop in in the Town Square right next to where young people who have nothing else to do in the evening hang out. Moving the bus stop round to New Road after 6pm would help to move the bus, and driver, away from bored teenagers who will eventually decide causing minor problems for the poor bus driver who is just trying to earn a crust is a good way to pass a few minutes. Greater police presence, which has been promised, will also help but they can not be there all the time. Friday is Halloween, also known a egg throwing day, it used to be that eggs were thrown at buses which was bad enough. It is the devil to get egg, once it has set, off a windscreen and bodywork but now some of the nastier egg throwers are going to the trouble of hard boiling the eggs first. Keep the driving window closed on Friday night is my advice to anyone out driving after 6pm.
One thing I did notice when down on the Strand last week were several persons with clipboards making notes as the buses came and went. A similar collection of clipboarders were out in Newton Abbot last Monday. There were not from the bus company so I suspect the councils were collection information and we may even get to hear the result of all this collecting.
My gum is starting to hurt as the injection wears off, I think I will go and take a few dozen painkillers. No, only kidding, I'll only take two for now.
3 comments:
its the same here re "unruly youths" and buses. every so often certain bus routes are withdrawn for a short period or plain clothes police travel the route. doesnt stop the periodic reports of stone throwing or actually physically assaulting the driver. not paid enough for that and you can conclude that those actually caught are not getting dealt with severely enough to send out a message to deter.
with the tooth, definitely better out than in, i bet you were relieved when that particular dentist visit was behind you.
In the later part of the 1960s they used to hold dances in Brixham Town Hall on , I think, a Friday night. Well one night coming out of Brixham on the last 12, with an Atlantean, the driver and I could hear this commotion up stairs, we stopped in Laywell bus stop lay-by and went to find out what was going on- Well the upstairs was full of Teddy boys and they were unscrewing the light bulbs and throwing them out the windows. We had to carry on 'cos there was no way the two of us were going to try and get that lot off. Got into Paignton, the Inspector on duty called the Police who came and escorted us to Torquay where most of them got off. For weeks after this the last Brixham had a Police escort EVERY night.
Can see that happening today!
PS An Atlantean was the first rear engined double decker- the forerunner of the modern Enviro
To say the driver was ok and stayed to finnish off this duty(Brave sod)The night after the attack there was a lot of police about right up till the last bus had arrived and left.But since then there has been nothing.Ex DG we also were escorted into and out of brixham for the night after the attack but that was it.What will have to happen before the company and the police do something about these attacks which are happening more and more.
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