Pay the penalty

Home again after a 566 mile round trip to Runcorn, and feeling more than a bit tired.

Left at 5 a.m. , and as usual the white van men did not let me down, tearing past at breakneck speed throughout the journey. Met Bob D. at Glasgow, picked up my paperwork and headed south which was a good run as road was fairly quiet.

As I arrived on site at Runcorn I was talking to Ann on the hands free, and having been hunted around the site by the yellow coated "jobsworth" the last time I headed straight for the visitors car park, BUT , my way was blocked by Mr Jobsworth and when I tried to get round him he stopped me. Turned out that the car park was needed for "other" visitors, but he let me stop nearer the offices. I had forgotton that Ann was still on the hands free and was giving it laldy when she chipped in and gave me a row for all the swearing within the car, and muttering as i made it along the pavement.

Met Jill at reception who made me count to 10 and calmed me down before i met the folks inside. Nice quick meeting this morning, Liam and lorraine were in good sorts as were the other girls. Went to the Canteen for my roll and mocha where Chris, showed me her fancy new glasses which she had been made to buy after her last eye sight test ( Two pairs for £99 - a bargain).

Headed home and the fun started, first eejit, a guy in a brand new Ford Transit car transporter, possibly lost, nearly hit me on three occasions as he made it from the M62 to the M6, he was totally oblivious of anyone else around him ( nice set of dark shades). Then further north, eejit No 2 in black VW golf, as he answered his mobile swung out into my lane and braked at the same time, making me brake and skid as I had nowhere to go. Obviously ranting again about the use of mobiles without hands free kits. Further north, a black Transit, "The meatloaf show.com", he passed me, at speed chatting away on his phone, then just kept getting slower and slower.

In the meantime, it would appear that I was getting faster and faster, and a bit tired, when at Abington, as I crested the hill, there it was , a bloody camera van on the bridge ahead, nowhere to go, nothing I could do and I am sure I was travelling somewhere near the speed of sound !!! Anyway, it was my foot on the pedal, and if I was speeding that's my bad luck. The most annoying thing was that after slowed down a bit, there were loads of motors passing me. To make matters worse, as I came off the M73 onto the M8 going back into Glasgow I found a Police van on my tail, so slowed to let him past, and then followed for the next four miles, through, 70's, 60's and then the 50 limit, and what was he doing - about 75 with no blue lights, etc. There aint no justice in this world.
It was the same from Glasgow to Edinburgh, I felt that I was more of a hazard keeping to the speed limit rather than keeping up with the traffic in the outside lane.

Anyway, popped in to see my friend Danny and Katriona, so they calmed me down with tea and chocolate (white) biscuits, and we had a wee blether to catch up with the gossip.

Robbie ( koala hugger) has been on wanting to know if Mark has remembered the safe place where he put his shades!!

Now about to get ready to go back out again, another meeting tonight, but at least it is in Penicuik.