Motoring Discussion > Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Bromptonaut Replies: 44

 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Bromptonaut
Mrs B has been at a meeting just off M25/A1M junction. There's an accident on the M1 and delays from J7/8 all way to 11A so obvious M25>M1 route is not sensible. A diversion is needed.

Given it's cold, getting dark, raining heavily and she's tired SatNav suggestion of a B road route to Leighton Buzzard then on to A5 is probably not best.

So I suggest A1M/A1 to Black Cat then A421 to pick up A428 Bedford Northampton road. Not what a crow would do but not that difficult is it? The Black Cat Roundabout is almost certainly signed as such, like Gibbet Junction on the A5, but only need to follow A421 west anyway so you're not likely to miss it.

Our daughter's Spaniel could grasp it quicker......
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - No FM2R
Either your wife never reads this site or you should start your goodbyes now....


But I have soooo much understanding and sympathy.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Bromptonaut
>> Either your wife never reads this site or you should start your goodbyes now....

I'd considered that but she's almost certainly just as frank about me on Whattsapp/Twitter. Working more than my contracted hours and mentions of a female colleague are hot topics right now.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sat 9 Nov 19 at 16:20
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - No FM2R
Ooo. That's not a good combination of subjects. Easily an area where 2 + 2 can equal 37.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - R.P.
2 + 2 can equal 37....

42 Mark.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - No FM2R
No, because that would be easier. 37 makes no sense and is the anwser to nothing and hence is indisputable.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - sooty123
I think there was an accident in a very similar spot yesterday. Accident at Stevenage backed up all the way to letchworth.

Does she have a good sense of direction normally or does she struggle without a sat nav?
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Bromptonaut
>> Does she have a good sense of direction normally or does she struggle without a
>> sat nav?

That was one reason I was getting frustrated, she has a pretty good mental map of UK and 'north then west then north' again isn't something I'd expect to have phased her.

More a question of reluctance to deviate from her own plan and suggestion I'm second guessing her.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - tyrednemotional
....she thinks you have a tryst somewhere along the M1, and is trying to catch you at it out.

;-)
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - sooty123
> More a question of reluctance to deviate from her own plan and suggestion I'm second
>> guessing her.
>>

Times like that it's best to just let them crack on!
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - No FM2R
As I have been told many times "I want you to understand and sympathise with my difficulty, not try to solve it, I can do that myself"..
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Zero
>> As I have been told many times "I want you to understand and sympathise with
>> my difficulty, not try to solve it, I can do that myself"..

"Then get on and do it, without trying to make a drama or invoking my sympathy. If you can fix it I don't need or want to know"


I tried that only once.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - No FM2R
>>I tried that only once.

Did you make it all the way through the sentence and how was the rehabilitation?
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Zero

>> how was the rehabilitation?

Ongoing. Tho I think she calls it retribution.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - No FM2R
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Runfer D'Hills
As the crow flies, and indeed as a fairly good free flowing A road provides, my wife could have a 14 mile route to and from work.

For some reason, she defies all logic, and indeed the advice of her sat nav, and takes a much more congested route of 20 miles, which is in effect two sides of a triangle instead of the much easier and direct, hypotenuse.

This has been the case for nearly 20 years, and no amount of persuasion can convince her that she might be mistaken.

Quite often, she will call me while en route and stuck in traffic to share her chagrin.

I really don't know what more to say now, so I simply offer brief sympathy and feign the arrival of an incoming call on another line.

 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Bromptonaut
On this occasion the Hippopotamus was on B roads whereas the Squaws on the other two hides were A421/M1 or A421/A428 so probably faster.

In event she took first option I'd thought of - get established on A1M/A1 then come Biggleswade let Sat Nav guide you in direction of Bedford/A428 but in event she went to M1 vicinty of Toddington and home c 17:30 so not too shabby.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sat 9 Nov 19 at 21:07
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - bathtub tom
>> As the crow flies, and indeed as a fairly good free flowing A road provides,
>> my wife could have a 14 mile route to and from work. >>
>> For some reason, she defies all logic, and indeed the advice of her sat nav,
>> and takes a much more congested route of 20 miles, which is in effect two
>> sides of a triangle instead of the much easier and direct, hypotenuse.

SWMBO has a similar aversion to turning right and will take a long detour, although this involves one right turn and two lefts. She can't explain the reason, but just does it!
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Duncan
Lady Duncan is normally a very good instinctive navigator.

With one exception, we have family in Northamptonshire. I believe in following the M1. She will insist on following the M40, then the A43 until it meets the M1!

(The rule in our household is that the driver holds the rights over the route chosen, [and also settings of the various controls]).
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Runfer D'Hills
Probably the best thing about my current car are the memory seats. It used to take me about a week to get the driver's seat back to where I like it after anyone else had been driving.

I don't like my air vents being fiddled with either.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Dave_
>> Probably the best thing about my current car are the memory seats. It used to take me about a week to get the
>> driver's seat back to where I like it after anyone else had been driving

Memory seats were the only non-negotiable on our most recent car purchase, for exactly this reason.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Bobby
I have now had my X1 coming uo for five months.

I still haven’t got round to letting the missus drive it..........
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Bromptonaut
>> With one exception, we have family in Northamptonshire. I believe in following the M1. She
>> will insist on following the M40, then the A43 until it meets the M1!

You're in Surrey if I remember correctly.

We're in Northampton commuter village just west of the M1. If going south on M1 we join at 15A ie the A43 intersection.

Headed for Heathrow I'd regard M1 or A43/M40 as a 6 v 2*3 thing. Final decision would probably be based on Google timings and congestion reports. Friend who used to live in village and who had a job that involved regular LHR trips had same theory.

Even if headed to or from Kent/Channel we'll consider A43/M42/M25W then M26/M20.

More likely to use it coming north because Dartford tunnels are much more prone to stoppages than the QE2 bridge but no seat if there's trouble on M1 or NE quadrant of M25.


>> (The rule in our household is that the driver holds the rights over the route
>> chosen, [and also settings of the various controls]).

I cannot prevent Mrs playing with the heater, usually setting it to 'freeze'.
>>
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Zero
Three Sundays ago, I had to travel back from Moulton (which is kinda North Northampton) so I hit the M1 at J15. It was an accident car park from 10 down, so I came off at 10, S/E towards Harpendon, S/W towards Hemell, then South down the A41 to the M25.

That seemed to work quite well.


Got to do Moulton again next Sunday, lets see what joy that brings. Detest the M1, worse road in the world nearly as bad as the A11
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 10 Nov 19 at 09:33
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Bromptonaut
Dog show Zero?
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Zero
Yup, Judging last time, competing next.

Made me think - Going to add up my total dog show mileage for the year.

Last edited by: Zero on Sun 10 Nov 19 at 09:56
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Zero
Hmmm,

About 2,900 miles, Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Beds, Harts, Bucks, Warwickshire, Northants, Essex, Suffulk, Norfuk.

Next year to that we add, Devon, Dorset, Leicestershire, Lincs with more Norfuk and West Midlands
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Bromptonaut
>> Got to do Moulton again next Sunday, lets see what joy that brings. Detest the
>> M1, worse road in the world nearly as bad as the A11

Only round other side of town* to me but although I've been to nearby Moulton Park Industrial estate on various errands I'd not visited the village until very recently. A work training session was arranged in the village hall on benefits for EU migrants - day before what was going to be Brexit Day!!.

I griped a bit about having to schlepp 'all the way over there' but not to difficult with combination of satnav and colleague I was lift provider for who's a native of town.

*Northampton seems to have an east/west divide, I've had to explain where I live (a big village with a comprehensive school) before today.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Robin O'Reliant
It amazes me how most women seem to get muddled up between left and right. Mrs O'|Reliant is just as bad and get's annoyed when point out that there's only two of them, how hard can it be to remember which is which?
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Bromptonaut
>> It amazes me how most women seem to get muddled up between left and right.
>> Mrs O'|Reliant is just as bad and get's annoyed when point out that there's only
>> two of them, how hard can it be to remember which is which?

I get those confused too even just out and about, never mind trying to read a map from north to south......
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - henry k
>> It amazes me how most women seem to get muddled up between left and right.

Easy demo.
Hold your hands up in front of you , fingers pointing upwards , palms away from you and thumbs horizontal.
One hand makes an L shape and that is left. The other hand is right.
Simples
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Robin O'Reliant
She'd never remember which way her hands should be facing.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - John Boy
I expect I'll be patronised for admitting it, but I found the book "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus" useful in understanding some of the male/female issues described here. It generalises, but I think the basic principles it outlines are about right.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Zero
>> I expect I'll be patronised for admitting it, but I found the book "Men Are
>> from Mars, Women Are from Venus" useful in understanding some of the male/female issues described
>> here. It generalises, but I think the basic principles it outlines are about right.

That book is a massive simplification, in reality we are not even in the same universe
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - CGNorwich
The sequel is more interesting - Men are from Mars, Zero is from Alpha Centauri.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Zero
>> The sequel is more interesting - Men are from Mars, Zero is from Alpha Centauri.

I can see it would look that way to a three fingered norfuk swamp monkey, but be affeared not boi.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - CGNorwich
Talking of Space have you seen Farmageddon, surely the funniest and most likeable film of the year. Absolutely brilliant.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Zero
I havent, I'll download it tout de suite.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - henry k
>> She'd never remember which way her hands should be facing.
>>
Try yelling "Put your hands up" ? :-)
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - CGNorwich
Interesting concept left and right. No way to define it mathematically or scientifically without reference to something else. There is no absolute left and right it’s all relative so you could say it doesn’t really exist.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Zero
>> Interesting concept left and right. No way to define it mathematically or scientifically without reference
>> to something else. There is no absolute left and right it’s all relative so you
>> could say it doesn’t really exist.

It does, literally, depend on your viewpoint. Which is why ships have different colours for starboard and port. And one for "front"
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - bathtub tom
>> Interesting concept left and right. No way to define it mathematically or scientifically without reference
>> to something else. There is no absolute left and right it’s all relative so you
>> could say it doesn’t really exist.

It's like asking which way do a clock's hands revolve?

The perfect answer being 'it depends which side of the clock face you're on'.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - Zero

>> It's like asking which way do a clock's hands revolve?


Clockwise.
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - neiltoo
A friend navigates for his wife with "watch" and "bracelet"

He has been Known to say "that was magnetic left"

8o)
 Aaargh How Difficult Can It Be - MD
Why are there more female archaeologists than men? Cos they love digging up the past.
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