An island-bound logic
Posted by: Steve Toy on 25 February 2005
The following are a series of phrases or expressions (or just plain-silly notions imho) that are peculiar to the British Isles. They perhaps say much about the counter-intuitive mindset within the confines of our foggy shores:
It's too cold to snow.
You're so sharp that one day you'll cut yourself.
Too clever by half.
The more roadspace you create the more cars will come along to fill that space.
There must be more, and those of you who don't live in the British Isles could provide examples from the country where you live.
I note that the Germans have one strange notion:
If one wheeltrim falls off your car the rest must be removed immediately before they are all eventually replaced.
It's too cold to snow.
You're so sharp that one day you'll cut yourself.
Too clever by half.
The more roadspace you create the more cars will come along to fill that space.
There must be more, and those of you who don't live in the British Isles could provide examples from the country where you live.
I note that the Germans have one strange notion:
If one wheeltrim falls off your car the rest must be removed immediately before they are all eventually replaced.
quote:Originally posted by Lomo:
Thats what you get for "flying kites".
Mr Bank's Wasp Factory comes to mind
quote:Originally posted by Berlin Fritz:
Mr Bank's Wasp Factory comes to mind
That book had quite a surprise ending.
For Connelly - you MUST be Scottish !
"I'll take my hand off your face, laddie"
(It was the high-speed application that hurt)
Glad to be back in the mayhem - even if my "Goodbye" post has disappeared)
"I'll take my hand off your face, laddie"
(It was the high-speed application that hurt)
Glad to be back in the mayhem - even if my "Goodbye" post has disappeared)
I admit to liking Billy Connolly and I'm not Scottish.
I find Peter Kay the English comedian to be fucking irritating though.
"Yes I am busy."
"I finish when twunts like you stop phoning!"
(LTD, good to see you back. )
By "Island bound" I mean anywhere in the British Isles (England, Scotland or Wales) but not in Ireland where they seem have their very own island-bound logic that is different again.
The French have a no-left-turn sign on the approach to roundabouts. Duh!
I find Peter Kay the English comedian to be fucking irritating though.
"Yes I am busy."
"I finish when twunts like you stop phoning!"
(LTD, good to see you back.
)By "Island bound" I mean anywhere in the British Isles (England, Scotland or Wales) but not in Ireland where they seem have their very own island-bound logic that is different again.
The French have a no-left-turn sign on the approach to roundabouts. Duh!
Signposting to destinations is also a rather parochial affair over here. 
Signposts seem uniquely placed to satisfy locals. Who already know where they are and where the hell they're going! Which makes the signs largely redundant and quite useless for those on their way somewhere else. If only they knew where now and how to get somewhere else without signposts.
My memories of uk.conf.gov are that signposting was considerably better than my present place of exile. The locals here obviously think that travelling in hope is better than actually arriving somewhere else. Perhaps I'm simply confused and nobody ever does go anywhere. Except where they started from.
Interestingly, they don't light the road signs here at night either, as they often do in the UK. Which strongly suggests, to me at least, that nobody ever sneaks out at night to see where somewhere else is and what's actually there if they should ever arrive. Despite these other place not being signposted to in the first place.
If this doesn't get a suitable response from MPMD then rumours of his absense may actually be true.
Nime
Signposts seem uniquely placed to satisfy locals. Who already know where they are and where the hell they're going! Which makes the signs largely redundant and quite useless for those on their way somewhere else. If only they knew where now and how to get somewhere else without signposts.
My memories of uk.conf.gov are that signposting was considerably better than my present place of exile. The locals here obviously think that travelling in hope is better than actually arriving somewhere else. Perhaps I'm simply confused and nobody ever does go anywhere. Except where they started from.
Interestingly, they don't light the road signs here at night either, as they often do in the UK. Which strongly suggests, to me at least, that nobody ever sneaks out at night to see where somewhere else is and what's actually there if they should ever arrive. Despite these other place not being signposted to in the first place.
If this doesn't get a suitable response from MPMD then rumours of his absense may actually be true.
Nime
They do indeed! Somebody should calculate what it is costing the country in extra fuel consumption. Then they can calculate what the lack of roundabouts and excess of queuing for traffic lights is costing on top of that.
Its not as if they have any effect on traffic calming. Everybody sprints from light to light and adherence to speed limits is almost totally non-existant in my experience. Particularly on the motorways where a (guestimated) 90% are way over the speed limit.
They also have an 80kph (50mph) national speed limit on country roads which makes for incredibly slow journeys with almost no villages on the main roads having bypasses.
Most people seem to ignore the speed limits entirely. I really ought to get a nice old Morris Minor Van so I don't feel so out of place sticking to 1960's driving conditions.
Really, though I sound critical, I wouldn't have it any other way. It is a delight to have such light traffic and I don't think the average motorist could cope with higher speeed limits anyway. They are far too busy using the phone, reading, eating or turning to chat to the passengers in the back. I just wish sometimes that they weren't going the opposite way when I'm on the road.
Regards
Nime
Its not as if they have any effect on traffic calming. Everybody sprints from light to light and adherence to speed limits is almost totally non-existant in my experience. Particularly on the motorways where a (guestimated) 90% are way over the speed limit.
They also have an 80kph (50mph) national speed limit on country roads which makes for incredibly slow journeys with almost no villages on the main roads having bypasses.
Most people seem to ignore the speed limits entirely. I really ought to get a nice old Morris Minor Van so I don't feel so out of place sticking to 1960's driving conditions.
Really, though I sound critical, I wouldn't have it any other way. It is a delight to have such light traffic and I don't think the average motorist could cope with higher speeed limits anyway. They are far too busy using the phone, reading, eating or turning to chat to the passengers in the back. I just wish sometimes that they weren't going the opposite way when I'm on the road.
Regards
Nime