Mags n Dave's Weblog

Lowestoft - Does the council dislike cyclists THAT much?

I know I grumble about the council and the (lack of) services ... but now it appears that they are trying to kill off the cyclists on the main A12 road ....

Yet again there are 'road improvements' taking place, on the main A12 road. Picture this in your mind as you leave Lowestoft, going over the bridge towards Pakefield ....

Beach <---- Pavement ¦ Parking ¦ Cycle Lane ¦ A12 Road (single lane)

A couple of things that are going to be difficult that I can foresee ....

People wanting to Park their vehicles and rush to the beach. If tourists are like locals, they will probably get their kids to get out on the main road side ....

Where are the cyclists to go?

Will the cars waiting to park take the cyclists into consideration? Nope - I don't think so.
Will people leaving their cars think about the cyclists? Nope - I don't think so.
Will people driving away remember the cyclists as they drive over the cycle lane? Nope - I don't think so.

I posted it here first .... I just hope I am not the first person to experience an accident due to the stupid and unthoughtfull council planners

I cannot believe such an idiotic and unsafe road system is being implemented

But then again, its the Waveney District Council ....... nuff said :rolleyes:

I'll post pictures in an update soon!
mags on 01.14.06 @ 06:30 PM GMT [link]

Pakefield and the fox

The other night (Thursday 12th Jan 2006) whilst looking out of the bedroom window for a last glance at the sea (as you do) ... would you believe it, there was a fox sniffing away at a public bin!

I had understood there was rumoured to be a fox in the area, but never thought much about it ....

We've told Treacle to be carefull out there, but does she understand us?

I had a bit of a search around and found out that foxes in the wild don't live long, only a year or so :(

A fox is always on the look-out for food. Foxes are adaptable carnivores, one of the main reasons why they are able to survive close to man who persecutes them by hunting shooting and trapping. Foxes eat a huge variety of foods depending on what is available in their habitat. In coastal areas they will eat crabs and dead sea birds while in inland rural areas they eat earthworms, beetles, small mammals and birds, carrion and berries such as blackberries. Urban foxes eat scraps provided by people as well as raiding bins. Foxes raise their young during the spring in an underground earth in the countryside and often under garden sheds in British cities. The 4 or 5 youngsters emerge from cover during early May. Foxes tend not to live for very long, one or two years being typical.

Source of Info


mags on 01.14.06 @ 05:52 PM GMT [link]

Pakefield and the missing link

Well, just before Christmas it was announced on TV. 'It' being something that we (Dave and myself that is) realised quite some time ago. Pakefield/Lowestoft is probably home to the 'missing link'.

Looking at this image (nicked from the bbc website - see link below) - I am sure I recognise some of the locals today!!

On the BBC website it says

New research shows early humans were living in Britain around 700,000 years ago, substantially earlier than had previously been thought.

Using new dating techniques, scientists found that flint tools unearthed in Pakefield, Suffolk, were 200,000 years older than the previous oldest finds.

Humans were known to have lived in southern Europe 780,000 years ago but it was unclear when they moved north.

The findings have been published in the scientific journal Nature.

A team of researchers from the UK, Italy and Canada found a total of 32 flint tools in a fossil-rich seam at Pakefield. They say it represents the earliest unequivocal evidence of human activity in northern Europe.

BBC website link with more info



mags on 01.14.06 @ 05:19 PM GMT [link]

Well - its been a typical Monday

Do you ever get bad days that seem to just run into each other?

Gazzy bought himself a new laptop and was kind enough to give me his old pootah ... Not everything went according to plan .. but most things have now (finally) been sorted out. Dave has a new lean, mean fighting machine and I have his old hard drive in this PC to hold various backups - and everything seems to work ... I've just got to do some backing up ..... :)

Picked up my car from the Triangle garage, and when they say they looked out for me, they sure did .. I had loads wrong with it including needing a new battery, oil filters, steam clean, small service ... and it came to under £100 - at least I can drive with it for a while longer (MOT due in Feb :cry: )

It seemed different today cycling to work, perhaps that is because I had to and it wasn't a choice I made. I'm cycling tomorrow though! :P

I've just watched a McKenna programme on Sky (taped it too!!) which is supposed to help you loose weight ... I like the rules so far and it all makes sense

1) When you are hungry - EAT
2) Eat what you want
3) Eat consiously (be aware of what you are eating and eat slowly - chew it, don't gobble it)
4) STOP when you are full

Sounds good to me ...

I can hear Dave re-installing Call of Duty 2 ... I'm betting he will be really into the game a lot more with better speeds and memory ... I'll continue with the Sims2, I think my old PC can just about handle that nicely



mags on 01.09.06 @ 11:07 PM GMT [link]