Yes, I'm so Happy! 2012

[maggiepie]

If everyone buys a camel ( Australia have plenty spare) there would be no problems on the roads.

( Camels are the worlds next investment opportunity, when the oil is gone it's camel power  )

Do you know which country is among the more important exporters of the rare bactrian camels? - at least in Europe -

Norway! 



http://www.dyreparken.no/dyr/Pattedyr/Kamel/

I hope you don't have to sit on the pointy bits!!!

 

[Lesley Cox]

Watch the rugby did you yesterday Ian Y?

That was unkind David.

Well done the Welsh. All down to their NZ coach of course!

[Lesley Cox]

I understand there are literally many millions of camels in the north and centre of Australia, mostly wild and increasing at a huge rate. I believe there was a move to harvest them for food at one stage.

I've also read they can be very loyal and even affectionate to their handlers. Wouldn't want one kipping on my bed.

[Lesley Cox]

Having driven Cape Reinga to Bluff and lots between, I was blissfully unaware that these weren't the rules already

You are not alone there Ashley. In October when being driven by an Australian visitor to our annual Trillium weekend gardens, I had to be the passenger seat "driver" several times. Fortunately it was centred in a smaller city and on quiet country roads.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

At least now your Aussie visitors will be driving correctly.... given your rules now match ours.  Good to see that NZ is finally modernising. 

 

[Anthony Darby]

Two things irk me: the number of cars driving at night with no lights on and people just accept it, and people who make their vehicles into armoured personnel carriers with lethal bull bars.

[Peter Maguire]

Two things irk me

Only two , you must be very tolerant!

[Anthony Darby]

Oh, I'm sure I could think of more Peter. I'm always baffled by car design: why do we now have orange indicator bulbs that fade through time instead of clear bulbs and the orange plastic cover? Why are front indicators so close to headlamps that you can't tell if a car coming towards you in the dark is indicating or not? Also, why do people drive with their front fog lamps on when the only fog is between their ears?

[fredg]

And.... if you get a bactrian camel they have built in crash force dampeners for the driver 

Both species are perfectly capable of taking care of jay walkers too.

[David Nicholson]

Two things irk me: the number of cars driving at night with no lights on and people just accept it, and people who make their vehicles into armoured personnel carriers with lethal bull bars.

Bull bars now illegal in UK. Given the Government is consulting (apparently) about doing away with an annual MoT Test for vehicles over 3 years old (various times are being suggested-bi-annually, tri-annually etc) I find it annoying to see how many vehicles are used with defective lights. The defectiveness (is there such a word!) ranges from:- lights missing; lights badly adjusted- some to the extent that they have more chance of seeing Boeings than of seeing me;top of the range cars, more often than not 4x4 types, with lights so strong they could replace the Blackpool Illuminations of my childhood, and try driving any distance with one of those following you!

The absence of reflective lane marking studs; red reflective studs marking motorway hard shoulder margins, and the orange studs that define the edge of the motorway carriage way and the crash barrier zone from huge sections of motorway also irks me together with the current system of switching off the lights on lit sections of motorway between mid-night and 5am. If this practise is to continue reflective lights are surely a pretty cost effective safety measure.

Rant over, sorry, should have been in the Moan category

[Martinr]

Rant over, sorry, should have been in the Moan category

No lad, moaning keeps you happy

[Anthony Darby]

In New Zealand you have a Warrant of Fitness (WOF), which you can get for about NZ$20 if you shop around. For cars less than 6 years old it's every 12 months; for cars older it's every 6 months. Just over 6 months ago mine passed with a faulty front side light. It failed for the same reason a couple of weeks ago. The difference? The first WOF was done by a garage that only does WOFs; the second by a garage that also does repairs! Am I cynical?

A Warrant of Fitness inspection includes the following safety checks:

Tyre condition (including tread depth)
Brake operation
Structural condition (rust isn't allowed in certain key areas)
Lights (are all bulbs working?)
Glazing (is your windscreen safe?)
Windscreen washers and wipers (do they work?)
Doors (do they open and close safely?)
Safety belts (must not be faded or damaged; buckles must work properly)
Airbags (if fitted - SRS light should work correctly)
Speedometer (must be working)
Steering and suspension (must be safe and secure)
Exhaust (there must be no leaks and the exhaust must not be too loud or too smoky)
Fuel system (there must be no leaks).

BTW Here in New Zealand car insurance is not compulsory! How does that work?

[Paul T]

No sure whether this should be in the happy or moan topics.....

I've just passed 100 days time on this forum.  Scary!! 

[Lesley Cox]

Fred, I thought in your picture the camel driver was looking to see what was wrong with the carburettor!

I agree with you too, that we all should drive camels instead of petrol/deisel powered vehicles. Think of all the extra employment opportunities that would make, for poop-scoopers, while the material could be made into gardener-friendly compost products. Of course there would have to be some sort of harness available so the animal could pull load of sand etc.

[Lesley Cox]

Two things irk me: the number of cars driving at night with no lights on and people just accept it, and people who make their vehicles into armoured personnel carriers with lethal bull bars.

The no lights on must be an Auckland thing. I don't see it down here though I'm always asking Roger to put the lights on at sunset. His "I can see" answer gets my "but others may not be able to see you" reply. Sunset to sunrise is the legal requirement for lights on but many now drive with them on all the time. I do. In the south of course, the definition between day and night is much less obvious than in the north, it being daylight in Invercargill for instance, in mid summer until 10pm, just a little earlier here.

I was once years ago pulled up by a police car after 10pm, driving without lights, the reason being that at the time I lived in the country and was usd to driving in the dark, with lights but going home from a concert, the town streets were so bright I didn't realize my car lights weren't going.