Pretty Nifty.

Advanced Driving skills were called upon today.

3 nights ago, there was a fatal motorbike accident on the A316. Roads cordoned off, many small markers in the road, presumably identifying small fragments of glass from the collision. They reminded me of 'cop' movies you see where the upside-down wedge shaped markers with numbers on denote that location of a bullet casing. It was all rather disturbing to think of a young man, with his life ahead of him, riding along without a care and suddenly his life is taken. Just like that. Dreams, plans, family, career. Now just words.

So today, I was traveling the same route, proximity triggered thoughts returning fresh into my mind, once again wrestling with the injustice of it all. As I approached a roundabout not 200yds from the incident, the lights turned green for me. Entering the roundabout, bright lights from the right pierced my vision. The offender has gone through the red lights on the roundabout and was heading for my door.

Hard left hand down. Hard right foot down. Move away from impact. Right eye closed preparing for contact...and inevitable pain. Heart pounding. Training into practice.

I heard the screeching of brakes. All in the space of maybe a second or two...there was silence as I avoided the kerb on the far side of the roundabout an off onto the A316. I pulled over and looked back just in time to see the offender turning his car back around and heading off north. No apology. No acknowledgement. I guess just embarrassment.

I sat for a few minutes, allowed my heart to stop racing. In that time, there were three cars that passed me finding it necessary to toot at me, presumably for being stationary on the A316 - funny, all the ones traveling at speed. (I had pulled over, and was no threat - I waved at them as if to offer my thanks.)

It did make me realise how delicate the threads of life are!...but for a bit of nifty driving.

On a happier note, this is Lynette. She brightened my day. She needed a passport photo. This one isn't it, but she couldn't quite get the 'no smiling' thing, and the more she tried not to, the tougher it got.

I thinks she's pretty darn nifty for.....her age.