I've done it

[linda_joyce]

Thanks to my lovely cousin Beth(see previous entry) I had the chance to go out in a car on my own. I've drven about 16 miles and only got honked once. I wasn't doing anything wrong, just going too slow round a roundabout for their taste, some people have no patience.

I'm off out again this afternoon to try again. My only problem is I can't get into reverse in Beth's car.

Comments

[inyadreems.livejournal.com]

He! You got honked! Reverse? It took me years to get round to reverse.
btw, the meeting with the councillors was tonight - nearly 80 people turned up to object to the proposed changes. Go us! We'll see if we have any impact on democracy soon.

[linda-joyce.livejournal.com]

Go you indeed, we found that making constructive suggestions as to where they could put their extension ( and take that slashers smirk off your face, you know what I mean) helped. If you could suggest an alternative site for the go cart track(?) it could swing it in your favour.

And I have now mastered reverse, which has helped my parking. Prior to finding the knack of getting the Astra into reverse I didn't park so much as abandon. Beth forgot to tell me about lifting the collar on the gear stick prior to trying to get the thing into reverse.

[inyadreems.livejournal.com]

They want to build a housing estate on Green Belt fields. Well, the landowner, local farmer, does. There's no shortage of housing sites on brownfield sites in the area. But he's offering the Council a sweetener (otherwise known as a bribe) by giving them the bit of land they want to build a railway station and car park in return for change of designation from Green Belt status. Grr.

Re reversing: I don't understand why cars have different ways of selecting reverse - different positions, some you pull, some you push and some you lift the collar. I can sit for ages in a strange car diddling the thing trying to get it to co-operate!

[linda-joyce.livejournal.com]

The go cart track must be something I've dealt with in work. This might not help as the land in question is farm land and has probably been 'improved'. We had a back up plan to defend our field. It had bluebells in part of it. They are protected flowers and cannot be dug up, and at the time of year the site visit was made they weren't in bloom so not easily recognisable. Especially since the committee didn't even come within 50 yards of them.

The green field site you are defending may have similarly protected plants on it. Get in touch with your local wildlife trust. You can find if you have one on this site:-
http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/

They might have someone who would do you a survey. there is another site on the web that tells you how to object on the grounds of loss of natural amenities but I can't find it at the moment, I'll e-mail you with it if I ever find it again. The best of luck.

[inyadreems.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much for the info. I think someone in the protest group is involved with "rural stuff" but I've noted the wildlife trust addie - I might go out and plant a load of bluebells!

Next meeting is next week.