Driven to Madness

 

I've had a torrid couple of days.  With the weather as it is, one has to seize opportunities to get out and about as they arise.  So, a couple of dry, sunny days back-to-back found me out on the road, seeking venues for relaxing walks.  A trip to the New Forest yesterday was, however, marred by constant encounters with bad drivers.  They seemed to be relentless in their stupidity and recklessness - and most were driving BMWs.  You know, I don't count myself as a brilliant driver, merely an adequate one, but when some idiot overtakes me as I'm overtaking a cyclist on a narrow country road, (just as we were entering a 30mph restriction halfway up a hill), I think I have the right to get judgemental about our comparative driving skills.  

Likewise, when another idiot tail gates me for several miles on a narrow Forest road, with a 40mph restriction and the very real risk of ponies and other livestock wandering onto the road, I think I have a right to get annoyed with them when my braking and clearly indicating my intention to take a right into a clearly marked turning apparently enrages them to the extent of blaring their horn and furiously gesticulating at me.  I mean, if you are driving so close to my rear bumper that my gently braking and slowing causes you problems then you are too close and at fault.  (I know that my brake lights and indicators were working - I checked both before setting out).  Naturally, in both cases I responded with some internationally recognised sign language of my own.  It is incidents like these (and there were several more similar incidents, all involving BMW drivers) that help me understand the phenomena of road rage - even the most mild mannered of drivers would surely be moved to punch out these idiots if they could catch them.

My mood wasn't helped by constant hold ups and congestion both on my journey to the forest and back home.  This seemed to be down to some mysterious 'diversions' - there were signs everywhere saying 'diversion', 'diverted traffic this way' and similar.  Yet it was never clear where traffic was being diverted from or to where it was being diverted.  Perhaps it was all being trapped in some endless loop, scores of vehicles forever doomed to follow those yellow signs, but never arriving at a destination.  Anyway, in between all of these irritations, I did manage to fit in a couple of pleasant walks.  The picture above is from the second of these.  As can be seen, after all the rain that has fallen in recent weeks, the ground is still waterlogged, with ponies being forced to wade through temporary shallow pools as they graze.  Today saw me stick closer to home, going out to a local country park for a lengthy walk.  While there weren't any more bad driving incidents, the pollen count was back up, resulting in my hay fever symptoms - sore throat, congestion and streaming eyes - coming back with a vengeance.  Which rather dampened my enjoyment of my walk.  But, like I said, you have to seize these opportunities to get out and about whenever they arise.