Would someone explain

what is the point of big flashy signs on motorways, if, a year later, you put up camera gantries just in front of them?

No? Me either. I’m assuming that these are NPR camera installations, and there appears to have been precisely no thought applied to where they are being sited – in front of flashy signs, behind them, hidden around bridges, in front of directional signs, you name it, we’ve got it. Or maybe this is a quiet act of mutiny from the men erecting them, to put them in places where they are going to cause problems in the hope that we, the public, will complain. I’ll complain, if I can figure out where to and what about. I don’t think anyone is listening though.

Anyway, to the day. It’s Big’s 7th birthday, and I should post a glowing post about how I feel being seven years into motherhood. To be honest though, every day that I look at them it’s a surprise to discover that I gave birth and being to these wonderful creatures, and an anniversary doesn’t change that all that much. So not feeling overly soppy tonight, or no more so than usual.

It was fun watching her opening pressies – she got a very sizeable batch. Highlights appear to have been yet more Rainbow fairy books and a castle. If you’re lucky Tim might blog piccies at some point. Small missed the entire proceedings – despite being very excited to see Grandma when I picked them up from school, he couldn’t sustain it and was very firmly asleep when I got them home. We left him on the sofa for a bit in the hope he’d come around, but no, far too tired for that. So at least he didn’t have the disappointment of lots of empty carrier bags this year (small mercies I feel).

I’ve done half an hour on the wrap, and now I’m off for an early night. Very tired tonight, and the start of a sore throat – I’m going to grab some extra vit c in the hope I can head it off before it’s a cold.

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11 Comments

  1. Posted Wed Jan 17 2007 at 9:39 | Permalink

    Happy Birthday to Big, Fairy books and a castle sound like lovely presents. looking forward to some photos. :-)

  2. Posted Wed Jan 17 2007 at 10:48 | Permalink

    Happy birthday Big! I’ll refer your mway query to the right honourable Baz the civil engineer, see if he knows!

  3. Layla
    Posted Wed Jan 17 2007 at 11:54 | Permalink

    Happy (belated) birthday! I hope you had a lovely day :)

  4. Posted Wed Jan 17 2007 at 12:53 | Permalink

    Sorry it’s late but, Happy Birthday Big!!

  5. Posted Wed Jan 17 2007 at 15:35 | Permalink

    happy birthday Big! and can anyone tell me roughly what age they grow out of those *** Fairy books :lol: I’m not sure I can stand many more years!

  6. Posted Wed Jan 17 2007 at 23:01 | Permalink

    Gill, be interested to hear what Baz has to say.

    t-bird, no sign of outgrowing here I’m afraid :)

    Jules/ Layla, belatedness of any kind never an issue here – lovely to hear from you both :)

  7. Posted Wed Jan 17 2007 at 23:02 | Permalink

    A belated happy birthday to Big.
    Olivia’s heading towards 11 now and, if I’m not quick enough with a big stick, would still be grabbing them off the shelves!
    Exactly how many are there??!!

  8. Alison
    Posted Thu Jan 18 2007 at 1:30 | Permalink

    Every time I hear you lot talk about those books, it makes me feel *so* relieved that we’ve avoided them!

    Glad she had a good day :)

  9. Baz
    Posted Thu Jan 18 2007 at 8:46 | Permalink

    I would imagine the cameras are being put up in advance of roadworks, because the VMS signs they use on the motorways cost in excess of £50k a piece and it would be monumentally stupid to obscure one permanently.

    That having been said, I’m a Maintenance Engineer, not a Traffic one. They are a totally different breed of people who seem to have no concept of practicality.

    We have a motto on our office door that goes “You stop messing about with it and we’ll make it right.” Sums it all up really.

  10. Posted Thu Jan 18 2007 at 20:38 | Permalink

    Chiming in late to say I hope Big thoroughly enjoyed her birthday, has lots of fun with her presents, and has a wonderful eighth year :-)

  11. Jax
    Posted Fri Jan 19 2007 at 12:56 | Permalink

    Thanks for popping by with that Baz – looked at the cameras again today, and they look just like the ones on the stocksbridge bypass, meaning they could be the average speed ones? They are due to start roadworks on that stretch, ooh, two weeks ago, so perhaps it’s in anticipation of that? Completely pointless if so, it’s very rare on a morning or evening to be able to travel much above walking pace on that stretch anyway, stick roadworks in and it just isn’t going to happen!

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