Re: The all-new all things driving thread

[Fangirl Three]

Checking out the mighty St. Mirren?

My friend in Paisley instructed me to say that was who I supported, if asked, so as to avoid sectarian targeting.

I had a hell of a journey yesterday. Bolton was all snowy, everyone was being very careful when slowing down at junctions. The M61 was a hellish nightmare of wind-blown snow, with lines of slush between the lanes. The first bit of the M6 was awful too, at one point a huge gout of slush and water splashed onto my car and I couldn't see where I was going at all.

After that it was just raining, and I pressed on as fast as I could so as to get to Shap before they closed it. But when I got up to the Lakes it wasn't even raining, so I relaxed at Burton-in-Kendal with a sandwich. And at Carlisle the sun came out!

In Scotland the snow was in its proper place on top of the hills looking pretty in the sun, instead of on the M74 incommoding me.

[SiberianPrincess’sMidriff]

Lucky I filled my car up yesterday,

[Fangirl Three]

I topped mine off too, even though it was on 7/8 full.

[Butterfield]

I filled right up yesterday too, but only really because I had a long journey to do. The low fuel light was on, and I put £63 worth of petrol in - the most I've ever spent on a tank of fuel in 23 years of driving. This is just a small Peugeot and usually a full tank (50 litres) would be more like a little over £50, giving me about 450 miles of travel.

[SiberianPrincess’sMidriff]

I put 37.45 in, and I was only 2/3 empty

[Fangirl Three]

Mine cost £16.01, for let me see, 11 litres. That's rather more than 1/8 of my tank, but it's hard to judge accurately, cos the gauge only has 8 pips.

[SiberianPrincess’sMidriff]

Guess which famous junction I went through this very mornin'

[The Call of the Wendigo]

Clapham?

[Fangirl Three]

Guess which famous junction I went through this very mornin'

???

[Butterfield]

And I'll be going over it later today!

[Butterfield]

Unless he means Spaghetti Junction, or indeed Clapham Junction.

[Fangirl Three]

And I'll be going over it later today!

I'll be passing under it on Sunday, if everything goes according to plan. About 1pm I think.

[Butterfield]

The most trodden crossroad of HotW.

[Fangirl Three]

Today's the day I have to drive from Glasgow to Northampton again.

As I was dropping off to sleep last night I was mentally ticking off the list of junctions and service areas. It's surprising how well you remember them after doing the trip only 4 times.

Also yesterday I spent 2 hours updating my strip map to reflect the A14 improvements since 2017, and to give more accuracy about where slip roads are. I hate driving through a junction and expecting to accommodate traffic coming from an on-slip, and then realising there isn't one.

Also the inverse situation where you're driving along, minding your own business, and an on-slip appears out of nowhere, from a road which you were given no opportunity to join.

[Fangirl Three]

And I'll be going over it later today!

I'll be passing under it on Sunday, if everything goes according to plan. About 1pm I think.

Owing to miles and miles of 60 limit round Stafford, it was nearly 2.30pm by the time I got to J10.

[SiberianPrincess’sMidriff]

Jeremy Clarkson getting a nostalgic ride over Buttertubs

[Fangirl Three]

When I got to my parents' place today my dad pointed out there was a gap at the top of my nearside rear window. I was concerned because the rear windows don't open - there are no switches for them in the car.

But when I opened the door, he silently pointed to an actual winding handle like car windows had in the old days. The back windows do open! I must have knocked the winding thing when I was loading the car.

Btw that explains the strange breeze I felt in the car when I was driving earlier.

How odd though that a car made in the late 2000s would have power windows in front, and manual ones in the back.

And how much odder that I should have been driving this car for 3½ years and only found out about this today.

[Butterfield]

All of my cars from 2001 model onwards (small Renaults and Peugeots) have had front electric windows but windy rear windows. A while ago I too had knocked a winder at some point and had unbeknownst been travelling around with a slight gap in the top.

[Fangirl Three]

Imagine if we crossed over at M6 J10 while both driving with a slight accidental gap at the top of one rear window!

[Fangirl Three]

I went under J10 yesterday (with all windows firmly closed).

I see the northbound exit sliproad has been doubled in width! No doubt this reflects the seemingly unstoppable demand for access to Wolverhampton.

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