# Happy days



## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Just had one of those days....no, not those, these!

Woke up in the New Forest (£5.60 pn off season) to an affectionate good morning from OH (nudge, nudge, wink, wink),blue sky, full-on sunshine. Had chosen THE pitch to let the sun come right through a gap in the trees. Watched some deer pick their way across the grass.

Walked Bryn Dog and picked some wild mushrooms, saw more deer, green woodpeckers and squirrels.

Back at motorhome, enjoyed full English with traditional dry cured bacon, proper black pudding and the aforementioned wild mushrooms.

Leisurely pack up, well retrieved the chairs from outside and drove the 30-odd miles home.

Went through twenty days of mainly junk mail. One from 'Dorset Safety Camera Partnership'! What!! Speeding ticket...noooo! They had cancelled a fix penalty fine from 2003 and sent a form for a full refund and to remove the points from me licence. Oh joy of joys!!.

Had a chat to Fiat UK reference that reverse thingy and eventually got Adams Morey people on my side to fight my case.

Rang Virgin ( company that is, couldn't find the other sort in Pompey!) and managed to get a super duper new phone out of them for free when they first said they couldn't do it.

Ho hum ain't life grand


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## Tezmcd (Aug 3, 2009)

...................and then you found out those tasty mushrooms were fatal to eat :eggface: 

Sorry but I was jealous of your perfect day ........... I wish mine ad been so great!


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## carolgavin (May 9, 2005)

I am soooooooooo jealous I am fixing you with a blank stare, see :arrow: 8O 


Hmmmmmph! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

----->> 8) <<----- smugness is happiness :lol:


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Have you woken up yet? 

Pleased for you. Nice to know it can happen 

Dave


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## CaGreg (Mar 28, 2007)

Ah, but you see if you start the day off properly (nooky equals properly) things have a way of going well from then on!    

Ca


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

If I were braver than I am I'd start a poll on morning versus night preferences between the sexes .....

Dave


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## Rainbow-Chasers (Sep 2, 2008)

Nice to hear you had a perfect day! I always loved the new forest in the winter, beautiful first thing in the morning.


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## Tezmcd (Aug 3, 2009)

DABurleigh said:


> If I were braver than I am I'd start a poll on morning versus night preferences between the sexes .....
> 
> Dave


That's an easy one mate

The males will answer "both please"

The women will answer "neither"


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

So you had a letter from the safety camera partnership refunding a fine!!

That would have been whilst travelling westwards through Chideock on the A35 then !!


The ONLY reason you are getting a refund is because the wording on the order was wrong, its not because you were not speeding. 

Yes I do know the location well and yes in years gone by I have stood in the middle of the village with a hand held radar meter and yes I did book a lot of people. Some of them admitted slowing down 'cos they knew there was a camera at each end but put their foot down when they had passed them. And No I dont think it right that people should get a refund because of such an insignificant error (The order refers to Seatown rd but its actual name is Duck st, it still leads to Seatown though) 

I will now sit back and await the inevitable avalanche of hate mail that this post is bound to generate !!! Do I care ??? NO!!

But it really good to hear you had a fabulous day. I am jealous as I am sat here in my office looking out of the window wishing I was away in my MH instead !!! ENJOY !!!!!


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Safety cameras do not appear to this driver to be situated in unsafe locations. Why is that?

Dave


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Mrplodd said:


> So you had a letter from the safety camera partnership refunding a fine!!
> 
> That would have been whilst travelling westwards through Chideock on the A35 then !!
> 
> ...


There,there, there 

All that work for nothing...please accept this as a token of my sympathy.

Knew some sqeaky-a**e would have to pee on my bonfire. :?


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## brillopad (Mar 4, 2008)

Mrplodd said:


> So you had a letter from the safety camera partnership refunding a fine!!
> 
> That would have been whilst travelling westwards through Chideock on the A35 then !!
> 
> ...


(offensive response removed by moderator)


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

:lol: :lol: :lol: Pampers please!!!


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Ooooo Denis, I agree entirely but when a poster annoyed me some weeks ago I called him a t..t David Cameron word, without actually typing **** and was edited by the mods. 

I do think gratuitous swearing is not nice but there are cases where a swear word lends additional effect or can give a very adequate answer in one word. Your post demonstrates this perfectly. Still, wait for the edit, Alan.


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

To those who have been abusive to me in respect of my comments about being caught speeding. Why is that everyone thinks speed limits should apply to everyone EXCEPT them ??

I suspect that the vast majority of you live where there is a 30mph limit outside your house, how would YOU feel if everyone came flying past YOUR front door at excessive speed?? How many of you would then say "Oh these speed limits are unfair, They are only going at Just over the limit"??

I have dealt with a number of serious crashes in the village of Chideock over the years. It is one of the very few locations where I would say the cameras are wholly justified I am also VERY critical of some (most) "safety" camera locations

HOWEVER this village really needs these cameras, its on a Trunk road, takes a vast amount of traffic and the road is narrow. Its in a valley with very steep hills at either end. there are LOADS of warning signs of the approaching 30 limit AND 40mph buffer zones at each end.

In fact only yesterday the whole road was blocked for hours because a lorry crashed right in the middle of the village.

Before you all just slag me off and call me offensive names.....

How many of YOU have dealt with a fatal crash?

How many of YOU have had to knock on someones door and tell the occupant that their loved one has just died in road crash?

Well this "****" has on a lot of accasions. Speaking from personal experience it is a VERY harrowing thing to do. So please just stop and think a little before you refer to me in such an offensive manner.

I also sincerly hope that no-one ever has to knock on your front door with "that" message.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

So a revenue camera which is operating illegally causes a fixed penalty notice to be issued and, maybe a few points to be endorsed on a license, later the flaw is admitted and the penalties are rescinded. It all sounds as though things are just as they should be. 

How refreshing and unusual for the establishment to admit it when they get it wrong. I hope just one police officer wanting a wrong to be perpetuated is not typical of his ilk, I fear however that it very well may be, Alan.


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Mrplodd said:


> To those who have been abusive to me in respect of my comments about being caught speeding. Why is that everyone thinks speed limits should apply to everyone EXCEPT them ??
> 
> I suspect that the vast majority of you live where there is a 30mph limit outside your house, how would YOU feel if everyone came flying past YOUR front door at excessive speed?? How many of you would then say "Oh these speed limits are unfair, They are only going at Just over the limit"??
> 
> ...


Very disappointed that you feel you have been abused, thought our plods were made of sterner stuff than that.

Not sure if you understand what abuse is, thought we had been very gentle with you.

But then Joe Public doesn't get several thousand quid as a retirement compensation bonus for a cut finger or hurt feelings.

I'm also fairly sure that more people die in police custody than will ever die on Chideock's road.


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Some of our local vilages have problems with speeding traffic.

A new sign is beig erected as i type.

It will inform drivers very politely

Your 
Speed is.

What a waste of money. All our vehicles have a clock telling us how fast we are going.

I also like the SLOW painted on the road. Even vehicles doing 40 slow down. So how slow is slow and how fast is fast


dave p


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

"It is one of the very few locations where I would say the cameras are wholly justified I am also VERY critical of some (most) "safety" camera locations "

Thank you. My point entirely. And it doesn't help we persecuted motorists from trusting the Police's methods and motives. What are the Police doing to rectify this massive, nationwide problem?

Dave


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

The reality is that revenue gathering cameras have very little to do with the Police, in the main they are just happy with the harvest. Clearly each force will have one or two senior officers sitting on the committee of a "partnership" ensuring that they get their share and pointing out roads worth harvesting, Alan.


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

DTPCHEMICALS said:


> Some of our local vilages have problems with speeding traffic.
> 
> A new sign is beig erected as i type.
> 
> ...


Funny enough Dave I have always said that more of these light up signs should have the camera's after them --then if the motorist doesnt heed the sign they will be the ones fined.
It is these motorists who are not looking at their clock or are choosing to ignore them.


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Just to put things into perspective.

From memory the cameras, yes there are two, are hidden from view by the brow of a hill. I was caught speeding (?) at 37 mph in a Berlingo with a trailer whilst keeping up with a traffic stream.

The only RTA we witnessed in Chideock involved a police car trying to pull out from a side road into a stream of traffic.


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

When leaving the Bassingstoke canel this week we were Pointed at by these new community people --are these legal and can they fine you???
Is it not true that they are holding uncalabrated camera's.
Or do they get them calabrated every day as the Police should do.
And the Police are involved surely as they have Vans with the camera's out the back as on the A303 near Stonehenge.
They also are out on the side of the road pointing camera's at us from time to time hiding round a corner or behind a tree just inside a 30mile zone. 8O


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

As I understand it the police operate the mobile revenue gathering equipment while partnerships operate the static ones. I do not know what standing the busy body, wanna be civilians with mobile devices have. It is to be hoped that they have none, enforcement of the law ought not to be a civilian responsibility. How could we be sure that civilians would display the same level of fairness and discretion that our brave boys in blue do, Alan.


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## CaGreg (Mar 28, 2007)

Hey! What happened to rumpy pumpy in the morning?????????????? I had great hopes for this thread!!

Ca


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## carolgavin (May 9, 2005)

CaGreg said:


> Hey! What happened to rumpy pumpy in the morning?????????????? I had great hopes for this thread!!
> 
> Ca


So did I, so did I :roll: :roll: It started off so happy and now is so not!


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## CaGreg (Mar 28, 2007)

Carol, if we can't find out more about morning antics, at least tell me what have you in that little oven of yours?? It smells divine!

Ca


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## carolgavin (May 9, 2005)

I have a Victoria Sponge and a gingerbread at the mo. Have just taken out some lovely Coburg buns and a coffee cake!!! Want some??????????


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## CaGreg (Mar 28, 2007)

Gosh! You went for it big time didn't you? I guess home baked goodies are every bit as satisfying as other things. I just made banana bread. 
Please make sure the next time I am visiting that you get an urge to do a huge amount of baking before I come
Ca

BTW what sort of Scotterish confections are Coburg buns? We will probably be in trouble for hijacking the thread, but God it beats speed cameras into a cocked well.......whatever

Ca


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

OK I would just like to clarify a couple of points raised if I may.

You may think of me as you wish and I fully appreciate that not everyone will agree with the views I expressed earlier. However we live in a country with freedom of speech and LONG may that continue to be the case. Everyone is entitled to their view, at least I was brave enough to put mine forward knowing full well it would be subject to "negative" comments. (I have also not been abusive to anyone else)

The cameras that are located in Chideock are very definately NOT hidden from view, they are NOT on the brow of a hill, they are NOT concealed in any way, they are VERY clearly visible.

If Space runner would like to PM me with an email address the next time I am in Chideock I will take a couple of photographs & email them to him to show exactly where the cameras are, I will take them from the driving seat so as not to be accused of taking them from an advantageous angle. !!

There are a large number of warning signs located on the approaches, there are also 2 x 40mph "buffer zones" as you approach the 30mph limit from either direction. There ARE however VERY steep hills down into the village from both directions though.

"Safety (what a stupid term!) cameras are NOT operated by the Police.

They were set up by the government as "partnerships" the ONLY input the Police have is to process the paperwork as they are the ONLY body that can send out a "Notice of Intended Prosecution" which is legally required for speeding cases.

NONE of the people operating the fixed sites OR mobile sites are Police officers, they are ALL civilians employed by the "partnership" yes the vans have "Police" written on the side. I dont know why but the operators inside are, as I have said, NOT coppers. Its a bit Like *Police* Community Support Officers, they are not coppers and have sod all powers but the word Police is in their title to con the public into THINKING there are more Police on the streets than is the case.

Most coppers are against these hateful cameras for the simple reason they are, for the most part, revenue generation devices. They are a very blunt instrument they do NOT catch un-insured drivers (about 1 in 20 now according to an article on Radio 4 the other day) They DONT catch lunatic overtakers, tailgaters, drink drivers, mobile phone users etc etc. who are FAR more of an ACTUAL menace to road safety than people going 5 mph over the speed limit

The Government is more than happy to let people think that these B**** cameras are operated by the police, that takes the pressure off the politicians and drops it firmly onto someone else doesnt it?. Just look at all the posts here talking about the police operating speed cameras. As you can see it is a widely held view that is in fact incorrect, but one the government are happy NOT to rectify!

You state that you have never seen a crash in Chideock, thats because you only pass through it occasionaly so you wouldnt be aware would you?? I did as I have already stated deal with a number of serious collisions in this village over the years. One where an HGV demolished and I mean DEMOLISHED part of a Hotel and another where a removals lorry demolished a phone box which was on a shop forecourt pushing it into a river. I am glad to say no-one was in phone box at the time.

As far as PCSO's pointing speed cameras at motorists are concerned YES they can do so NO they CANNOT prosecute you but they CAN get a "Warning" letter sent out to the registered keeper!!!!

They are a bit like the "Traffic Officers" you see in highly visible Land Rovers etc on the Motorway network. They are NOT coppers either but the way the vehicles are marked up, and the uniform they wear, makes them look like coppers doesnt it??

So folks please dont give the serving Police a hard time over "Safety Cameras" most of them hate them as much as you do, they also create an awful lot of bad feeling between motorist and copper when the copper is not to blame but IS stuck in the middle.


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

Well thanks for taking the time to explain that as I and my husband have always thought they were operated by the Police.
We have always thought the men in the backs of vans and even one was pointed at us from a Motorbike --as we thought a Police Bike--.

Are these devices Calabrated daily --who calabrates them and are they certificated to any ISO standards --so we know they are correct?


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## carolgavin (May 9, 2005)

CaGreg said:


> Gosh! You went for it big time didn't you? I guess home baked goodies are every bit as satisfying as other things. I just made banana bread.
> Please make sure the next time I am visiting that you get an urge to do a huge amount of baking before I come
> Ca
> 
> ...


Oh who cares it was supposed to be all happy like and cheery about the good stuff that can happen out of the blue regardless of the whys n whereforeartthous!!
A coburg bun is a wee spicy confection, not as dark as gingerbread as cunningly there is no ginger :wink: :roll: :roll: Mostly cinammon and stuff and then topped with a wee bit of icing...............
When you come over next will make ya some!
Ok back to speed cameras!


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## CaGreg (Mar 28, 2007)

HHHmmmmm I wonder if there is anyway that we can merge Speed Cameras with morning goings whatsits in Born Again Passion Waggins?? 

Ca


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## marionandrob (May 14, 2005)

Don't think there is a speed limit for rocking the van 8O 
( As in " if this 'van is a rockin' don't come a Knockin' " ) 8O


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Thank you for an informative reply MrPlodd. I stand corrected on the mobile revenue gathering cameras, as you say I assumed they were operated by police officers probably because the vehicles have police written on them. 

You did get some abuse but that was not for being ex-police, we were happy for spacerunner and you took a rather cumudgeonly attitude, which I know having read many of your posts on here was not like you.

Ca, I hope that we have now all made up thereby making this one of those Happy Days, Alan.


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

CaGreg said:


> HHHmmmmm I wonder if there is anyway that we can merge Speed Cameras with morning goings whatsits in Born Again Passion Waggins??
> 
> Ca


Well yes there is ---if you stay in bed and have nooky you jump up and run because you are late for work --whoops speed camera gets you.
Or
You are having an affair and realize you have been conoodling to long and the wife is at home waiting to go shopping --race in the car speed camera will get you


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## rugbyken (Jan 16, 2006)

*not so happy days*

very happy for spacerunner have had days like that myself unfortunately get balanced by the other sort ,
wed got stopped by gendarmes going to fill up with diesel for trip no seat belt 90 euros having a clamp down in retaliation for our plods booking the french in dover according to our expat friends
hands up my fault never wear damn thing work's out about 1 p for every time i've done this over 41 years no accident to date etc etc 
thurs had blow out on motorway near anquleme tread seperated and whipped round smashing valance etc
fri van wouldn't start called m/home assistance from saga great service tow truck arrived in 40 mins couldnt help but took me to main fiat agents can't look at it till mon so back to mates house and sweating on bill hopefully only glow plugs [got to be optimistic]


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Almost losing the will to live now.

However all this talk of home baking has revived me!  

Always thought of home made bread in the morning as 'sex on a plate'. So not that far off topic was it? :lol:


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## CaGreg (Mar 28, 2007)

My banana bread with pecans and plump golden raisins was definitely sechsy!!

Ca


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

CaGreg said:


> My banana bread with pecans and plump golden raisins was definitely sechsy!!
> 
> Ca


Ooooerr  Thats taking unfair advantage :wink:


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## carolgavin (May 9, 2005)

Yes and my chocolate cake with chocolate, more chocolate, a bit more chocolate and err more chocolate all covered in chocolate ganache was so sechsy it would certainly get the juices stirring!

Chocolate cake anyone :?: :?: :?: :?:


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## CaGreg (Mar 28, 2007)

Carol, You win hands down (or hands anywhere really!) You always win when there is matters of a secshual nature! All that chocolate oh God!

Ca


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