so I move out of London 5 years ago, to avoid daily stresses of being sardined on trains, inconsiderate drivers and a general lack of appreciation for the people around you.
(only my perception)
So I move to a rural village, with a high proportion of pensioners and farmers.

So on Tuesday morning I hear a car beep its horn around the time the dustmen are collecting bins. 15 minutes later, a police siren.

It transpires an elderly car driver got annoyed with the dustcart delaying his passage, so beeped his car horn.

At which point a surly dustman walks to the car and asks what the old boy is doing ? The discussion gets heated, but after a couple of minutes of asking the old boy to "get out of the car", the dustman walks back to the dustcart.

At which point the old boy gets out of his car and walk towards the dustcart, whereupon the dustman jumps back out of the truck and walks up to the old boy with a camera held outstretched to record what oldboy is saying.

Oldboy doesn't like the camera, so knocks it to the floor. Whereapon the dustman punches oldboy to the ground, and police arrive a few minutes later.

This first-hand witness report was provided by my neighbour (an ex-personal trainer in his early 40's)
He saw the whole thing from his bedroom window.

I asked why he didn't intervene, and he shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't believe it would get that far.

Mind you, at least no knives or guns were used, which I had the personal misfortune of being threatened with both in Forest Hill

Edited by Forest Hillbilly (18 May 2018 3.48pm)

I disengage, I turn the page.

if they had to move out the way for every car their round would take five times as long and you and I would be paying more tax to cover the extra time. People should be able to wait five minutes.

They don't have to move for every car but they should do so where possible. They don't, as I said. They simply stop when and where they like regardless of whether there is somewhere that would be more convenient for everyone.

Funny how they didn't get any quicker (or save us taxes) with the bins now being left at the side of the road, on wheels and with no manual handling to do.

Optimistic as ever

You think idiots are restricted to London?

We have plenty here in sunny Kent.

I lived in the Village of Downham Market (near Kings Lynn) for a year & absolutely loved it, the pubs, the walks & the wildlife were great.

Really made me realise just how awful it is in Croydon..

The mountains are calling & I must go.

No issues at all with the refuse collectors here down on the south coast - they even come on Bank Holiday Mondays !

Spoke to one about the training they are given - he said NO formal training - we just pick it up as we go along.