WEYMOUTH has scooped the world with the creation of Formula 1’s first ever motor racing school for budding world champions.
The school, also known as the roadworks at the beginning of Chickerell Road, has been designed to challenge every facet of driving skill needed to take charge of a roaring engine on tracks from Silverstone to Sepang.
Like Formula 1, traffic only moves one way on the Chickerell Road track.
Bug-eyed trainees who negotiate the first few yards of this challenge find themselves swooping over a left to right road hump before plunging down to the first chicane which is narrow enough to make the Monte Carlo street circuit look like the M1.
A gut-wrenching tweak of the wheel and the by now white-faced newcomers have weaved through the hazard, dodged the pavement and shot forward into the next section.
Here they are hemmed in by barriers tighter than a coffin’s lid which allow no margin for error before whimpering drivers are spat into an even tighter chicane.
This hurls them towards the final section and salvation at the appropriately named Boot Hill end of the road where they have a chance to lever fingernails out of the wheel.
To be fair, the work on the road has to be done but in a few short weeks I’ve seen barriers hit, drivers fishtail all over the place as they approach the first section of roadworks and at least one pedestrian flatten themselves against a wall, convinced an oncoming car was going to mount the pavement.
Better traffic experts than me came up with this nightmare. Let’s hope we can all wake up soon and find it gone.
Self service library
PEOPLE from Tophill, Portland are the latest Dorset Library Service users to benefit from new self-service facilities being rolled out across the county.
Long-time library supporter Hilda Swinnney along with regulars from the parent and toddler group were among the first to try the new user-friendly technology which provides customers with quick, easy and independent access to library stock including books and DVDs.
This frees staff from routine tasks, letting them spend more time helping readers with detailed or complex enquiries, providing a better service for everyone, said the Service.
Hilda said: “I feel very honoured to be asked to re-open the new look Tophill Library. I consider libraries to be the greatest single benefit for education for ordinary people.”
Quiet please!
PASSING years have seen films at the cinema change out of all recognition but one thing sadly
remains the same.
I speak of those annoying few whose appreciation of the main feature is seemingly incomplete without some noisy sweet wrappers or packets to rustle.
Tender love scenes from Brief Encounter to the Bridges Of Madison County don’t tug on more heartstrings if accompanied by some idiot sorting through their toffees.
Battle scenes from Ben Hur to Star Trek don’t thrill even more if accompanied by bath tub draining noises from someone finishing off their fizzy drink through a straw.
Most reputable cinemas have a warning policy for such offenders which I understand has been backed up on more than one occasion by people actually being asked to leave the cinema.
Good for them but such policy does need to be enforced because recent visits to local cinemas have provoked comments from several people about films being spoilt by customer background noise. Courtesy for fellow film fans costs nothing.
Don't do overboard this Christmas
PEOPLE are rapidly becoming full of the joys of the festive season, but some of them are having just a bit too merry a Christmas.
There can be few sadder sights than two drunken men dancing in the street when they can barely stand up never mind trip the light fantastic.
I’m sure it seemed like a good idea at the time, but this was a cold and dismal Saturday afternoon in St Thomas Street and the only people cheering them on were their mates who were scarcely Craig Revell Horwood.
Women are joining in as well and two lovelies wearing Santa hats literally fell out of one pub, entertaining afternoon passers-by with language which showed they were no herald angels.
There are still eight full days and nights to go just to get to the carnage which is Christmas Eve, so spare a thought for the police and ambulance crews.
We can walk away from people with a bit too much Christmas spirit on board. They have to deal with them.
All the fun of the fair
IT’S great to have friends and I certainly seemed to have more than most people at a recent Christmas fair in Weymouth.
People smiled at me, laughingly asked how I was getting on and generally exuded warmth and good humour. It was wonderful.
Then my daughter pointed out that the good humour might well owe something to the fact that I’d just spent the last 20 minutes walking round with a blob of butternut squash soup on the end of my nose!
Harry Walton can be contacted on 01305 787843 or email hdswalton@yahoo.co.uk
www.viewfrompublishing.co.uk
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