FIVEWAYS has become a nightmare in the rain for drivers trying to negotiate the corner of the junction between Chickerell Road and Radipole Lane, Weymouth.
The drain there just doesn’t do its job and the result is that vehicles turning in to Radipole Lane suddenly plough into a large pond up to a foot deep.
Worse came recently when one of many cloudbursts coincided with the rush home from school.
Traffic was busy, the road flooded and every few seconds a car or lorry sent a wave of floodwater over the pavement where children were trying to cross, much to their angry dismay.
I’m sure there might be authority arguments about the wrong kind of leaves blocking the drain, but there is one inescapable fact.
This site lies on the side of a gentle hill. The road rises up Radipole Lane and descends down Chickerell Road, so why does it always flood at this point?
There has to be a design defect somewhere since gravity is clearly on the side of drainage. Tyre pressure from turning vehicles has undoubtedly created something of a hollow, but surely this could be levelled at the same time as a better culvert was being put in.
Christmas trees to rent - a great idea!
DON’T laugh. This really is a local true story about a Charminster company, near Dorchester, which is offering Christmas trees for rent.
The idea is so unusual yet so obvious that you wonder why no one thought of it before. All you do is contact the company and rent your living Christmas tree in a pot for the festive season, then the company comes round and collects it later.
This environmentally friendly solution to throwing dead Christmas trees away in the New Year after they’ve outlived their usefulness could be a real winner.
I was chatting with shoppers and shopkeepers in Weymouth about the idea and they all loved it because the potential landfill saving must be enormous and they liked the idea of doing their bit for the environment.
Trees For Rent, which has been going less than two years, takes back the trees and keeps renting them out until too large when they are offered for corporate sale or planted out for landowners.
Anyhow, if you fancy a Christmas tree which could still have a useful life come spring, then the website to log on to is www.treesforrent.com
Reindeer in danger!
WEYMOUTH is now decked out in all its Christmas light finery which really annoyed one little boy walking past the Fire Station roundabout at the bottom of Boot Hill.
On the roundabout were glowing renditions of several reindeer, but the boy was very angry at the risk the reindeer were running from all the passing traffic.
He told his mother: “If I was Father Christmas I wouldn’t leave them there where the cars might hit them. I’d park them in the multi-storey.”
A wonderful sentiment, little boy, but I think Santa might be a bit horrified at the bill for 24-hour festive parking in Weymouth for a month or so.
Buy a local turkey
AS mentioned in an earlier column, Christmas turkeys are available now but are in short supply due to recession-reduced ordering by two major supermarket chains.
However, if mass produced turkey numbers are down then the Weymouth area remains strong in the number of free range turkeys for sale.
Mine is nicely tucked away in a freezer ready for the big day and I understand from my supplier that more people than ever are choosing to go to a farm or small private supplier for their festive bird.
I was given one word of warning. Make sure the giblets are stored frozen with the bird and not separately in the fridge to ensure no one winds up with an upset stomach.
Holiday gift
A FORMER Weymouth woman was drawing towards the end of her holiday in Australia and she wanted to take back a present for her work boss.
She knew he liked a beer and decided to help him keep his drinks cool by buying him some insulated can sleeves decorated with three kangaroos.
Her gift was a great success and the boss promptly used them at his next barbecue. It wasn’t until a second barbecue was held that the boss’s son noticed the can sleeves.
He then quietly pointed out to his father that the kangaroos on them were doing a bit more than just decorating the sleeves. They were actually having sex!
Fortunately for the woman, her boss saw the funny side of things.
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