Wrong way on the motorway (almost)

Not me, I didn't try and drive down the M5 the wrong way but almost ran into someone who was giving the idea his best shot. I was coming back from the Midlands on Monday. Normally I would stop at Sedgemoor Services but decided to pull in at Gordano instead. As up come up the slip road to the service station it comes to a roundabout. Traffic on the roundabout will have come of the northbound carriageway of the M5 and will be heading for the service station which at Gordano is all on one side of the motorway. Anyway a car driven by an elderly gentleman was on this roundabout and misunderstood the road markings and in stead of turning left into the car park tried to turn left onto the slip road, not an easy thing to do given the layout of the road. I was coming up and on seeing this foolishness flashed my lights and sounded the horn vigorously. Fortunately this did have the desired effect and the car driver realised the error of his ways and stopped and turned round.

So we all made our safe way home eventually to watch the England team make their way dismally out of the world cup and into oblivion. Torquay United football team would have put up a better show.

Test

Just checking some thing.

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Come on England

Yesterday (Thursday) I went into work at 7am for an 8am departure. The manager told me that on Friday I was to drive up to Bristol and meet a coach at Gordano services at 11:30. Now it takes just under 2 hours to get to Gordano so I said I would not need to leave until 9:30. That suited me as I don't like getting up early if I can avoid it. A notice was duly printed telling the guests this information. We also had a guest coach in the hotel which was going at 8:45. He would be long gone well before me, no chance of getting cases or passengers mixed up.

Any way 8am arrived and I departed for Frankley Services near Dudley getting there as arranged at 12 noon. OK I was 3 minutes late but still got moaned at because the passengers had been kept waiting. Not by the passengers I should add but by the transport manager who told me to leave Torquay and get to Frankley between 12 and 12:15. It's all good fun really. So after 30 minutes break (I already had a similar break at Michealwood services) I was ready for the trip south to Torquay. It was completely uneventful.

Back at the hotel I noticed that my departure time had been changed by the manager who had already gone home so I didn't know why but figured there had to be a reason. I was now due out at 8:45, the same time as the other coach but what the hell. Always fallow the last instruction. The 8:45 departure would get me to Gordano by no later than 10:45. The coach I was meeting must be setting off a bit earlier than usual. I got there for 10:36 and the other coach arrived at 11;28. When I asked the driver why he was so late he said he was two minutes early. So why did the manager send me on my way at 8:45 and have me and my passengers hanging around Gordano for an extra 45 minutes. I just love hanging around motorway service stations.

After I got back I decided to catch a bus home. normally I walk, takes 15 minutes but a footpath I use as a shortcut has been closed by the council for the next 4 weeks. Down at the bottom of Belgrave Rd I waited along with 8 other people for a 12. Eventually it turned up but it stopped 20 yards short of the bus stop, doors opened two people got of and the bus drove away ignoring us completely. Now I have in my time as a bus driver done exactly that. Usually because I have been running very late and the driver of the bus behind has offered to pick up the passengers at the next stop . The operative word here is 'behind', it has to be close behind, 10 or 20 yards then the waiting passengers can see what's happening but there was no bus in sight any where and at Belgrave Rd you can see several hundred yards along the road. The next bus turned up over 5 mins later.

On Sunday afternoon we have a coach leaving the hotel at 2:30. I'm not driving it.

 

More on the World Cup

The big question is can England do it? Can they beat Slovenia and go on to win the World Cup? The answer to these two questions is of course yes; they can beat Slovenia and they can win the World Cup.

The real question is "Will" they win this afternoon or will they lose and go on to meet France at the airport?