Bad Drivers

You know what else annoys me?

Bad drivers.

I can’t officially drive myself, but at least I could pass a theory test. The red light means stop. If you want to turn corners/move lanes, indicating is good. Zebra crossings aren’t the same as the fairground attraction “hit the pedestrian”. And the height restriction means you will not fit under the bridge in a bigger vehicle.

For pity’s sake, please learn this. The drivers here are so bad, I avoid walking at all costs. I don’t cycle any more. It’s just too dangerous.

I don’t understand how some people are allowed to drive. Perhaps they should bring in a compulsory test every 5 or 10 years. Friends of mine admit that they do get lazy once they have passed their tests and don’t do the things which are best practice. But something is wrong when people get so lazy they can’t be bothered to stay in lane or even stop at the red lights.

I’ve seen police driving badly here too. Sure, if they’re on a job, I understand that they are allowed to go through red lights (apparently). But surely they should put their lights and sirens on first? Especially when going round a blind(ish) corner towards a pedestrian crossing.

Clueless Voice-overs

There’s another thing. The voice-overs that do the link in between programs. I was watching “The Great British Bake -Off” a few days ago and the announcer said “who knew making the perfect pastry could be so difficult?” I was temporarily stunned into silence. I knew! I can’t even make pastry! Do you know why I can’t make pastry? Because it is difficult. Let alone making the perfect pastry! And let’s ignore the fact that it was pastry – it’s difficult to get anything perfect.

Maybe it is unfair of me to blame the voice-over. They may well be reading a script. Regardless, it is the person responsible for the words I am annoyed at. Is it too much to ask that you do a little research? Even maybe just watch the program you’re announcing. I took five minutes to look at a cookery website before I wrote this, just to make sure that making pastry was as difficult as I remembered it being (last  time I made pastry, I was still in school).

But something that annoys me even more than general ignorance on behalf of the voice-over is utter wrongness (not sure if that’s the best word to use, but hey). I can’t think of a specific example, but I know I have heard the announcers give “facts” which have been in complete contrast to the information in the program. This is a made up example, but the link may have been “Ever wondered why tigers love Africa so much?” when the program was saying “there are no tigers in Africa”. Perhaps it’s supposed to be sarcasm.

On the other hand, it is funny when the announcer reads the script for the wrong program (“Can the elephants find water before the dry season?” just before Casualty). And I did once see an advert on G.O.L.D. which was saying “Gavin and Stacey is on at 10 pm”. The video was definitely Gavin & Stacey. But what channel did the advert say it was on? Oh, Good Food. Of course! Just where I expected it to be…

Children in Supermarkets

I don’t think there is much point about faffing around explaining stuff. I’m getting right to the point.

I hate shopping on Saturdays. For one, there are too many people and for another, most of them insist on bringing their children along. It is a well known fact that children generally hate supermarkets and use them as a place for misbehaving.

Parents ask yourselves this: must you bring the children with you? Can’t you leave them with a babysitter/older sibling/cheerful gran? Or better still, go shopping while they are at school or round a friend’s house.

Sometimes when I was little, my parents would take me to the supermarket as a punishment. Brilliant idea, mum and dad! Only, please realise that you are not only punishing your children, but everyone around them. It could just be me, but I don’t think everyone wants to listen to your little brat screaming their head off over a bunch of fruit and veg. If you’re wanting to punish them, why not leave them with the strict auntie they don’t like, or the neighbour with the scary dog (which, for the record, wasn’t really that scary. It was just snoring).

If you really, absolutely can’t leave them anywhere else, then please, PLEASE don’t let them bring their recorder – no matter how good they think they are. Or a walkman, because they really have no inhibitions about “singing” in public. Why not leave them in the cafe, or the toy aisle? And if not that, then please stick a gobstopper in them. It may be full of sugar and colourings, but it will keep them quiet for a few hours. And bring a spare because they will cry if they drop them on the floor.