Superstitious??

Not usually superstitious but once I noticed I thought I’d better do another post...

I'm not superstitious either...or rather I wasn't...

So I do two house down a tight single track lane...usually park 50m from houses where the lane's a tad wider...last time

custy comes out and say's "oh just pull into my drive"

me - "it's ok van is long and wide"

her- "it's fine, don't want the neighbours acting up"

me-grr 'ok'..

I try to get on her drive..scrapped side of my van (hedge had a fence post lurking in it)….

me-"It's ok luv I'll park in my usual spot"

her - 'no park in the neighbours drive (my other custy)

me- no it's fine...

she looks at me with puppy dog eyes...me 'ok'.

Reverse back and swing front end round as backing it - CRUUUNCH - 'hidden' railway sleepers in the hedgerow rip off my front spoiler...when did this happened Friday 13 (Dec2019)!

Never been superstitious....touch wood !!

Had a difficult 7 years and all because I flung an old mirror in the skip, thank god it never broke! ?

scottish cleaning service said:

Had a difficult 7 years and all because I flung an old mirror in the skip, thank god it never broke! ?

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I've broken several over the years.. had nothing but the worst luck ever. To make matters worse i also broke a few pieces of those broken mirrors - I'm guessing that 7 years is then squared or something..

Don't know if its because I was working under a ladder but not having a good week. Before I got handbrake fixed my van rolled into a friends car with me trying to stop it. Stepping over a fence I knelt on one of those plastic chest things and my knee went through it. Reversing back this morning and i went and bumped my neighbours car, nothing but bad luck.

scottish cleaning service said:

Don't know if its because I was working under a ladder but not having a good week. Before I got handbrake fixed my van rolled into a friends car with me trying to stop it. Stepping over a fence I knelt on one of those plastic chest things and my knee went through it. Reversing back this morning and i went and bumped my neighbours car, nothing but bad luck.

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With a driving record like that you need to have a word with @Shammy Davis Senior ?

Part Timer said:

With a driving record like that you need to have a word with @Shammy Davis Senior ?

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Interview next week. ?

Received my Lollipopman outfit today at least folk will see me!

Scottish that reminds me of a similar incident -

I pull up outside a Property Mgmt co to drop off an invoice, nip in say hi, quick chat, then leave, get outside - Van's been nicked - it's nowhere to be seen!

Then out of the corner of my eye I see 'activity' 50m down the street, some blokes waving at me...'ello what's my van doing down there - great he's obviously nabbed the thief...I run down to him to realise it's rolled (handbrake  was off - doh!) down the road (really slight fall in road), crossed over to opposite side of road, came to 'rest' against a bollard on the pavement  - it had just dinked the side bar (aka 'steps') on the side - missed all cars inc parked & pedestrians! Phew close call! Could have been a very different day!

NoName said:

I'm not superstitious either...or rather I wasn't...

So I do two house down a tight single track lane...usually park 50m from houses where the lane's a tad wider...last time

custy comes out and say's "oh just pull into my drive"

me - "it's ok van is long and wide"

her- "it's fine, don't want the neighbours acting up"

me-grr 'ok'..

I try to get on her drive..scrapped side of my van (hedge had a fence post lurking in it)….

me-"It's ok luv I'll park in my usual spot"

her - 'no park in the neighbours drive (my other custy)

me- no it's fine...

she looks at me with puppy dog eyes...me 'ok'.

Reverse back and swing front end round as backing it - CRUUUNCH - 'hidden' railway sleepers in the hedgerow rip off my front spoiler...when did this happened Friday 13 (Dec2019)!

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had something similar today, parked over custys drive by about 6 inches as didn’t think she would be going out.  Van doors open, she comes out gets in car asks me to adjust her seat and her steering wheel as her daughter was last driving her car and she has Parkinson’s. I looke back and say I’ll close van doors, continue cleaning have a mind fart and say awk someone with Parkinson’s will be used to reversing well with their mirrors so I shudnt need to move the van all 6 inches, BANGGGG... I’m still continuing cleaning and she drives down the drive and does a wonder turn and scrapes her car of her hedge. She drives off and I go and look at my van that’s due to be traded in this weekend ? lucky enough it was only a smashed light so I continue cleaning the last couple of houses in the street. Gutted like and she pulls back up to her house with the grandchild and I can see through the bulkhead window them both looking at her car so over I go and she said sorry she hit me and would pay for the damage. Her car looks like it’s been hit with a sledge hammer to be fair. Not looking forward to giving her the £97+vat bill ?

@scottish cleaning service & @NoName have you never heard of putting it in a safe gear so either 1st or reverse, my van is always put into gear when parked up

Iron Giant said:

@scottish cleaning service & @NoName have you never heard of putting it in a safe gear so either 1st or reverse, my van is always put into gear when parked up

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Or just turn the wheel towards the curb

Part Timer said:

Or just turn the wheel towards the curb

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Or get my handbrake fixed. I usually leave it in gear but didn't this time. Sometimes in life one gets a week where nothing goes right because of other things going on and its hard to forget it and that's when mistakes happen. Can't really do much about it unless one turns to drink. ?

Part Timer said:

Or just turn the wheel towards the curb

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Quite often I need to park partially on the path, so not practical for myself in all situations, I put the van in gear automatically without really thinking about. 

Iron Giant said:

Quite often I need to park partially on the path, so not practical for myself in all situations, I put the van in gear automatically without really thinking about. 

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But what happens when he forgets it's in gear ?

Part Timer said:

But what happens when he forgets it's in gear ?

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Maybe he should just right off that 30k and sit at home watching daytime tv ?

Iron Giant said:

@scottish cleaning service & @NoName have you never heard of putting it in a safe gear so either 1st or reverse, my van is always put into gear when parked up

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Oh yeah it's easy to be wise after the event ?

Iron a 'safe' gear is neutral - that's kinda the point of it...

If you have ever started the car when in gear, it lurches forward - too close to something and that approach risks sooner or later causing a dink (for most people I would suspect) especially if it's 'always' left in gear.

PT do you turn your wheels into the kerb when you park on an apparently totally straight, flat stretch of road??

If I park on an obvious hill/slope I normally do both, in gear/wheels to kerb - but on the fateful day it was apparently a straight flat road, no perceptible decline. 

NoName said:

Oh yeah it's easy to be wise after the event ?

Iron a 'safe' gear is neutral - that's kinda the point of it...

If you have ever started the car when in gear, it lurches forward - too close to something and that approach risks sooner or later causing a dink (for most people I would suspect) especially if it's 'always' left in gear.

PT do you turn your wheels into the kerb when you park on an apparently totally straight, flat stretch of road??

If I park on an obvious hill/slope I normally do both, in gear/wheels to kerb - but on the fateful day it was apparently a straight flat road, no perceptible decline. 

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According to to the Highway Code a driver if parking up hill should leave the vehicle in first gear ,if facing Down hill  hill it should be in reverse ,with the wheels facing the kerb so should the hand brake fail there will be minimal movement .

when starting the engine again it is considered good practice  de press the clutch so again it doesn’t matter if it’s in gear . 

If parked on the level again wheels should be in towards the kerb and vehicle in either first or reverse gear . 

This is the advice given to all drivers when learning , but in the real world few do actually do it , but it does  offer a bit more safety should the hand brake fail .

The reason I had a slight bump was because I was so busy being nosy. My neighbours were all dressed up for a funeral and i was looking at them all to try and work out who was dead. It turned out it was one of my neighbours son who had a heart attack and he was only 52 years old. We can only concentrate at one thing at a time.

Handbrake on, first or reverse gear, switch off engine. Press clutch pedal before starting.

Davy G said:

Handbrake on, first or reverse gear, switch off engine. Press clutch pedal before starting.

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The easiest way to make a driver have an accident is to continually talk to them when they are turning right at a busy junction.