“You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today...

They sent a letter through the post saying 'Speeding Fine.'

(With thanks to Tommy Cooper, whose joke I adapted. Although I'm sure he wouldn't notice since he died in 1984 but...my conscience, you see.)

The incident actually took place in December - in fact, I railed about how unfair I thought it was in my blog -
Murphy's Law

In reality, it was a fair cop. I WAS speeding. (Not very much though, officer) No amount of excuses can exonerate me from the fact that I was breaking that particular law. (But not by very much, officer, honestly)

 I chose to take the fine plus Speed Awareness Course instead of the fine plus three points on my driving licence. Why? Pride. I wanted to keep my clean licence (even if only nominally)

The course took place yesterday. Yesterday was the hottest, sunniest Saturday of the year when I could have been on the beach or having a picnic. The course was four hours long. I went along feeling slightly resentful.

I came away feeling chastened, educated and, funnily enough, entertained. The facilitators were VERY good.

There were quite a few quite distressing film clips and also this one which has been seen all over the world and was made by the Sussex Safer Roads team - the very organisation responsible for my course.

 Embrace Life

Do watch it! (The link's under the picture) Thank you Sussex Safer Roads for making this and for showing me how to be a better driver.

Murphy's Law...

 The first horse I loaned was called Murphy - a beautiful, gentle Irish Draught cross - so I do feel that the term Murphy's Law, 'Anything thats can go wrong, will go wrong,' is a bit of an insult to his memory.

Here he is. Here we are. (No, that's not Alfie)

Happy days. Until he had to be put to sleep some five years ago with debilitating arthritis.

Murphy's Law apparently came from the following incident, although this might be apocryphal.

"There was a Captain Edward A. Murphy, Jr., who worked on the effects of acceleration on humans who were riding rocket sleds at Wright Field Aircraft Laboratory shortly after the Second World War. Setting up the sensors for measuring physical effects, he managed to connect them all backwards. That supposedly inspired Major John Paul Stapp, one of the people riding the sleds, to name the phenomenon Murphy's Law."

  

Anyway, Murphy's Law seems to pursue me at the moment. The perceived perversity of the universe. Fate laughs in my face and says 'Pah!'

Today, the farrier was due to shoe Alfie and Poppy. I needed cash for him. Last night, I was very tired driving back from Brighton, but resolved to take a slight detour via an ATM, saving an extra journey out this morning, saving time and, YES,  saving money on petrol.

Enter Fate. I was on an unfamiliar route, came off a roundabout from a road with a 60 m.p.h. limit and was immediately zapped by a speed trap camera because the limit was suddenly 30 m.p.h. Which will cost me...I don't know quite what - perhaps £75 - and 3 points on my licence if I don't attend a special course teaching me how to be a Good Girl.

Grrrrrrrrrr!

Oh, Day 6 advent image:

Believe me, I don't feel very sweet at the moment.