It's been a good few weeks since we learnt that our Kia Piccanto was not worth fixing and that a new car was the only way ahead. The end result, however, has been that we are without a car and have to rely upon the buses to get anywhere.
In all honesty, I don't really mind not having a car, but a car is needed for all sorts of reasons and, therefore, we need to search for one.
Not having a car has its advantages. We walk a lot more than we used to, which is good. It also has many disadvantages, one being that while standing at a bus stop waiting for bus we. and other bus users, have to endure the rudeness of the car driving public.
Last week, on Friday night, standing waiting for a 412 to South Croydon, a car went past, the passenger window went down and the goon inside shouted 'bus wankers!'
He had a point and his comment stiffened my resolve to find another car.
We ride our trusty bicycles most weekends. This blog charts our adventures and records our thoughts as we ride through the rural lanes of Surrey and Northern Kent – and there's some world travel thrown in too
Sunday, 12 January 2014
Tatsfield Bus Stop the long way and news of a serious assault...
I'll be honest. When I woke up on Saturday morning I seriously considered an 'abort' text to Phil, but for some reason I held back and at 0730hrs – after a bit of faffing about – I left the house and we both headed for our planned destination: the Tatsfield Bus Stop. Initially, I'd spoke of Botley Hill the fast way, but as we passed Sainsbury's I figured the slow way to the bus stop was more of a work-out in one sense, but also enabled us to chat as we rode along (you can't beat narrow country lanes first thing in the morning as they carry very little traffic).
It was one of those jokey conversations that we strike up once in a while. You know the kind of thing: the sort of stories you hear about people being admitted to A&E with strange objects in places where those strange objects shouldn't be or embarrassing stories about the sort of things people leave in hotel rooms (like blow-up dolls and vibrators).
So, armed with silly and humorous stories of old and trying to remember the name of the river that runs through Istanbul, we wove our way along the Beddlestead Lane on what was a fairly pleasant day, en route to the Tatsfield Bus Stop. Another source of mirth on the ride was the fact that Phil had exchanged his hi-tech iphone for an HTC phone. Naturally, I ribbed him about it all the way to the bus stop, where we decided to set both phones against one another. Which would find the name of the river running through Istanbul first? Now I thought I would easily win this with Siri, but Siri wasn't in the mood for answering questions and kept putting me off by saying he was too busy or certainly couldn't be bothered to help me out. The problem, of course, was 'no signal' or rather no 3G, which prompted Phil to see if he could get the internet on the HTC: he could! Within seconds Phil had the answer we were looking for: the Bosphorus. Of course! But no thanks to my iphone.
Matters got worse for the iphone. Normally on our rides I bring along a digital camera as it offers a self-timer facility that enables group shots (see last week's post). The iphone, of course, doesn't appear to have a self-timer function but guess what? The trusty old HTC has a self-timer and is, incidentally, responsible for the shot accompanying this post, which ain't at all bad.
Phil emailed me the shot from the HTC and after his sign-off the words 'sent from my HTC' sounded just a little too cocky for my liking.
Going back to earlier on the ride, there had been a lot of faffing about. Once out of the house, minus the waterproof trousers (whenever I wear them, it never rains) I tried, unsuccessfully, to put them on over my trainers and had to give up, take off the trainers and start again. All told, we didn't get moving until around 0745hrs and then we had to stop on Warlingham Green to get some milk (we were running low at home) and a couple of cereal bars.
The ride and the weather were pleasant and, as usual, we were passed by groups of Lycra Monkeys along the Beddlestead Lane. Phil was talking about buying a new bike, but whether he will or not is anybody's guess.
As for Sunday, well, it never happened. Phil texted me late at night to say he was still up waiting for his marmalade to boil and figured he wouldn't be in a fit state to ride out early the next morning. Waiting for his marmalade to boil?
I had planned to go it alone, but switched off the alarm, woke up at 0808hrs and then other things got in the way, family stuff, so I never ventured out at all, which is not good.
Tatsfield stabbing
A report on the BBC website and on the Daily Mail website states that a man in 60s was arrested in connection with the stabbing of a 40-yea-old man in the village of Tatsfield in Surrey. It all took place at a house on the Kemsley Road, Tatsfield, in the early hours (0720GMT).
The stabbed man's injuries were not life-threatening, but the attacker was arrested on suspicion of grevious bodily harm and bailed until 11 February.
The police are appealing for witnesses.
Click here for more...
It was one of those jokey conversations that we strike up once in a while. You know the kind of thing: the sort of stories you hear about people being admitted to A&E with strange objects in places where those strange objects shouldn't be or embarrassing stories about the sort of things people leave in hotel rooms (like blow-up dolls and vibrators).
 |
| Matt and Phil, Tatsfield Bus Stop, Saturday 11th Jan 2014. |
So, armed with silly and humorous stories of old and trying to remember the name of the river that runs through Istanbul, we wove our way along the Beddlestead Lane on what was a fairly pleasant day, en route to the Tatsfield Bus Stop. Another source of mirth on the ride was the fact that Phil had exchanged his hi-tech iphone for an HTC phone. Naturally, I ribbed him about it all the way to the bus stop, where we decided to set both phones against one another. Which would find the name of the river running through Istanbul first? Now I thought I would easily win this with Siri, but Siri wasn't in the mood for answering questions and kept putting me off by saying he was too busy or certainly couldn't be bothered to help me out. The problem, of course, was 'no signal' or rather no 3G, which prompted Phil to see if he could get the internet on the HTC: he could! Within seconds Phil had the answer we were looking for: the Bosphorus. Of course! But no thanks to my iphone.
Matters got worse for the iphone. Normally on our rides I bring along a digital camera as it offers a self-timer facility that enables group shots (see last week's post). The iphone, of course, doesn't appear to have a self-timer function but guess what? The trusty old HTC has a self-timer and is, incidentally, responsible for the shot accompanying this post, which ain't at all bad.
Phil emailed me the shot from the HTC and after his sign-off the words 'sent from my HTC' sounded just a little too cocky for my liking.
Going back to earlier on the ride, there had been a lot of faffing about. Once out of the house, minus the waterproof trousers (whenever I wear them, it never rains) I tried, unsuccessfully, to put them on over my trainers and had to give up, take off the trainers and start again. All told, we didn't get moving until around 0745hrs and then we had to stop on Warlingham Green to get some milk (we were running low at home) and a couple of cereal bars.
The ride and the weather were pleasant and, as usual, we were passed by groups of Lycra Monkeys along the Beddlestead Lane. Phil was talking about buying a new bike, but whether he will or not is anybody's guess.
As for Sunday, well, it never happened. Phil texted me late at night to say he was still up waiting for his marmalade to boil and figured he wouldn't be in a fit state to ride out early the next morning. Waiting for his marmalade to boil?
I had planned to go it alone, but switched off the alarm, woke up at 0808hrs and then other things got in the way, family stuff, so I never ventured out at all, which is not good.
Tatsfield stabbing
A report on the BBC website and on the Daily Mail website states that a man in 60s was arrested in connection with the stabbing of a 40-yea-old man in the village of Tatsfield in Surrey. It all took place at a house on the Kemsley Road, Tatsfield, in the early hours (0720GMT).
The stabbed man's injuries were not life-threatening, but the attacker was arrested on suspicion of grevious bodily harm and bailed until 11 February.
The police are appealing for witnesses.
Click here for more...
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