Monday 17 March 2014

Bad Irish driving on St Patrick's Day


It must about 2 years ago since I nagged everyone who used the 'word verification' thing on these blogs to cease and desist or run the risk of losing me as a follower.

Either my impotent, lightweight and meaningless threats worked, or Blogger has given up the system as a bad job, because I find that nobody is asking me to re-type a distorted, fictional word or try to read their house number from 200 yards with no spectacles, as they used to ask in UK driving tests.

Too many of you lot are still making me wait to see my valuable contribution to your own posts though, and you have no idea how cheated I feel when I tick the 'submit' box only to be told by your footman - in a snotty voice - that my comment is awaiting your approval.

I want - and need - instant gratification, and I take it as a personal slight that you think I could be capable of using the sort of language on your blog that I use on my own.

On a lighter note, I do notice that I have gained a follower to replace the one that I lost as a result of using the 'C' word once too often, but I think this is only a polite, reciprocal response to me following him after he left a valuable comment on my blog which he was not asked to wait to see if I approved of or not.

Talking of UK driving tests, my car insurance renewal form arrived last week, and I was so shocked at how much money they wanted as a premium to cover my old Volvo, that I called up the office to threaten to leave them.

The woman said that her computers had been down all day, but she would call me back today - Monday - to see what could be down about lowering it. Over the weekend I looked through the small print on the schedule, and was surprised to see that I passed my driving test in the Republic of Ireland. I have no recollection of that.

If you live in the UK and have to select your domicile from a huge drop-down menu, you have to scroll very close to the bottom to find 'United Kingdom' nestling close to places like Uruguay and the United States of America. I often envy Hippo for living in Angola - it must be so quick and easy for him to select his country.

I can only think that the woman in the insurance office must have got fed up with looking for the UK and settled on 'Eire' which is much closer to the top.

I wonder if that is why my premium has been set so high? I know that Belgian drivers are all completely hopeless and dangerous - as are the Chinese - but are Irish drivers really that bad?

24 comments:

  1. Commiserations to you.

    The final table tells no lies. Ireland are Six Nations champions. The margin may have been miniscule to the dramatic end, but this was their reward for seeing out games to the last minute, ensuring they both scored the most tries and conceded the least. Champions of Europe alright!

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    1. Well, considering that the average professional rugby player takes the equivalent of about three car crashes per match, this may explain the rise in my premium.

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  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Beggin' yer pardon for the bollixed comment above.

    I know nothing of Irish drivers or Irish driving -- I'm in the U.S. -- but Carrie Fisher said, "Instant gratification takes too long."

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    1. But I want it, and I want it now.

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    2. Also, I am just glad of the extra hit your deleted comment makes. Why should I spoil it by tidying it up?

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  4. Drive in Dublin in the sixties and never know fear on the road in the future.....

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    1. Try crossing the road in Cairo for the same effect.

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  5. I joined. You are a complete count... spill chucker missed the 'O'. I'm busy reading your back posts. I may be sad but you write as I'd wish to.

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  6. Instant gratification is a scotch egg WHOLE

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  7. I was once hitch-hiking in France and got picked up by a car with Belgian plates. Soon we were up on two wheels. I started shouted "Arrete! Arrete!" because I remembered something from O level French and he laughed. He laughed more and soon he got fed up and chucked me out. Later ended up in the South of France in a 2CV with some boys who were mad and let me drive. Soon they were shouting "arrete", but, no, I refused and soon they were begging me. No comment moderation on my blog. Say what the fuck you like and it goes on.

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  8. I am sorry but I am not removing it. I closed my previous blog because of complete loons who hounded me and others. From what was a completely normal book review and they took offence. some people have nothing better to do all day than be nasty and mean to people all the time.

    It probably means I don't have many followers but I would rather have genuine nice people who actually read my posts, than people who hate on me because I didn't like a book or don't post huge amounts of styled pictures. I have a full time job. Blogging is a release, not another job just to please others.

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  9. p.s. I do at present reply to each comment. I am sure if people could comment all over I would lose track of which post they were looking at.

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    1. Well I see that you have replied to each one of John's - that's more than he promises to do on his blog.

      I almost left a comment about book-reading on your last post just now, but didn't want to offend you about the parent's lap thing, so didn't. I would have really regretted it if it suddenly made me wait for moderation. Phew!

      I have a full time job too, but if you can't please others, then why bother to publish in the first place?

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  10. Just had mine too, the bastards want€213..... Outrageous; and me the perfect non-Irish driver!

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    1. Mine were asking for £378! They have come down to £334, but that's still too much.

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  11. Oh the bliss of being married to someone who pays the car insurance for you!

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  12. I tried both systems - the numbers game I don't like - and the wok spam I get in my email box which sends my pc dizzy when I sometimes do away with the codes I don't like either - so now I'm afraid down to no comments. Not an ideal solution. But life is much simpler.

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