The General Chat Thread (2016-2022)

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creative said:
I became VERY nervous about cycling past each parked car in case it happened again
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I think the point to remember and it is not directed at you alone, because I have come across it time and time again teaching advanced level driving, is that you can see into most cars. (OK not all, but most) and you can make your decision on how wide a birth to give them (not that you should be cycling or driving within 1 car doors width of any parked vehicle anyhow end of story). Based on what you can see in that car, you can make a judgement on if a car door could possibly open. no occupant on the drivers side and there is no chance the door can open. End of story.

sidevalve said:
There are no cyclists on motorways
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Curiously, here in Australia you are allowed to cycle on motorway hard shoulders in some states. Motorways in Sydney for example actually have cycle lanes!

This is on the M7 around Sydney for example.

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Yorky said:
Or possibly a little more illumination?
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I can very definitely understand the Australian obsession with installing extra lights on vehicles. We have installed the lowest power LED strip to our SUV which has had full roo bars fitted (not the nudge bars). We had been aiming to have a pair of the lights above, but the gap between upper and middle bars wasn't big enough so we had to have the LED strip instead. I can honestly say that when you drop from the LED lights to full beam (not even main beam, but full beam) you feel like you don't have your lights on at all. The difference is amazing and worth every penny (or cent I have spent on them). The only disadvantage I have found is that people no longer overtake me if I'm not going fast enough because they know you have roo bars and extra lights and want to sit behind you. The aussies are awful for tailgating and using the car in front as a barrier between them and kangaroos. In fact there is an assumption made by the aussie insurance industry that in the event of a rear end impact, it is always the fault of the vehicle behind unless they can prove it otherwise. that is the insurance industry, not law! It is the law as well, but that is beside the point (or at least the one I am making)...
 
Well, if you will excuse my language, it has been a bloody shitty few days. On Wednesday I had to leave the house for a fortnightly physio appointment. It is about the only time I really leave the property (or land). I had to rush the morning feed including my precious little blind in one eye Fred. When I got home (my husband was to take the train home and me pick him up from the railway station) I came across black feathers on the track. Too many black feathers. I got out to have a look at them and realised immediately that they were one of my chickens, but when I got to the house everything was calm. Some of the chooks were dust bathing with my rooster watching over them - normal and the chicks were either under the conifer bush or nowhere to be seen - normal.

So I got on with my lunch because I was late home. About 30 minutes later a fox sauntered into the garden as though there wasn't a care in the world. It went after a couple of the hens so I grabbed the nearest thing to hand (a fork) and ran at it screaming. It still ignored me, so as it was on the point of capturing another hen I threw the fork at it. only then did it acknowledge I existed and ran off. It came back again but found me around so disappeared after another blood curdling yell from me. My chickens (all but one of the survivors) had by this time gone to the chicken enclosure, so I locked them all into the inner enclosure which is fox proof (we hope - completely fenced in anyhow) and with one needing immediate attention and me not wanting to leave the chickens alone during dusk when any survivors may return to roost and not be able to get back in, I went to get hubby from Canberra. Then after bringing him home and collecting the injured hen, I went over to a friend 100km away and we tended to the injuries of her old hen. I knew it was an important hen to her. It was the very first hen she ever hatched and we have an arrangement that if hubby and I ever part company with any of the hens I have, she gets first refusal of them (and will help me rehome them to people she trusts).

Pipper has now survived 2 nights so infection will now be the biggest concern. it is almost impossible to bandage her wounds because of where they are. you would need her in a nappy which I know they do do for hens but they are not suitable for this type of injury one of which is right next to the vent so can't have crap on it! nappies are not an option... anyhow, she's still alive which is good. She's out with me on the veranda now and has made some noises to the flock which is great... she tried to escape from the pen I have her in and leave... excellent! but she can't be with the flock - dirt in the wounds, flock members pecking at the wounds... and I can't capture her during the day to feed her special food - basically anything she will eat and all she wants is egg white and cheese... high protein basically - they are programmed to eat anything white. I'll try a little rice into her later.

So the last few days have actually been hell. Its a disadvantage of being rural. this was a city fox drawn away from the town because of the lack of rabbits alive now due to the release of a virus to kill them in the state. we don't get foxes or any predators other than from the air here. road kill rots at the side of the road, untouched.

I lost 10 hens in total. All of my older ones, all of the flock leaders, all the experience bar one. The oldest survivor is not a flock leader, she is an individual. She is a loner, she doesn't do company except for mine. So I now have a flock of inexperienced hens, 3 cockerels, 1 rooster, 6 chicks, a pullet and only 4 hens (in amongst the 13 survivors). And one injured hen who needs lots of special attention.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
I think the point to remember and it is not directed at you alone, because I have come across it time and time again teaching advanced level driving, is that you can see into most cars. (OK not all, but most) and you can make your decision on how wide a birth to give them (not that you should be cycling or driving within 1 car doors width of any parked vehicle anyhow end of story). Based on what you can see in that car, you can make a judgement on if a car door could possibly open. no occupant on the drivers side and there is no chance the door can open. End of story.
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Ha! Well! Do you think I haven't thought of looking into parked cars? And NO - you can't always see the driver's section AND if there are several parked cars altogether, do you have any idea how s-l-o-w-l-y you would need to cycle to try and peer into every single car? This doesn't work in a built-up area....believe me I have tried! It sounds like your immediate environment is much more spacious with just the odd car....not here!

Also, of course I have tried cycling further away from parked cars but I live in an area that has narrow roads mostly so that is not feasible. Please understand that I am an intelligent person so have tried all possible options.
 
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creative said:
Ha! Well! Do you think I haven't thought of looking into parked cars? And NO - you can't always see the driver's section AND if there are several parked cars altogether, do you have any idea how s-l-o-w-l-y you would need to cycle to try and peer into every single car? This doesn't work in a built-up area....believe me I have tried! It sounds like your immediate environment is much more spacious with just the odd car....not here!

Also, of course I have tried cycling further away from parked cars but I live in an area that has narrow roads mostly so that is not feasible. Please understand that I am an intelligent person so have tried all possible options.
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Plus... your problem like mine with 'cars coming out of side junctions' is mainly psychological. Even if I can see the car is perfectly stationary at a junction I am still fearing it will pull out and hit the side of my car!
 
creative said:
Ha! Well! Do you think I haven't thought of looking into parked cars? And NO - you can't always see the driver's section AND if there are several parked cars altogether, do you have any idea how s-l-o-w-l-y you would need to cycle to try and peer into every single car? This doesn't work in a built-up area....believe me I have tried! It sounds like your immediate environment is much more spacious with just the odd car....not here!

Also, of course I have tried cycling further away from parked cars but I live in an area that has narrow roads mostly so that is not feasible. Please understand that I am an intelligent person so have tried all possible options.
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Nail on head. Cycling is seen as slower by some. To the extent that you'll end up with parking areas to your left, and traffic flow to your right. You might even see the odd marked cycle lane in this no go area as well.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
I just use a bar of soap. When the become too thin to use, it goes into pot and joins the others. I then make another bar from it after about 10 bars... A full sized bar at that.
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I'd love to hear more. Family drive me up the wall with their ways with soap. Grandson tends to 'model' it when it gets soft too. This seems a bit expensive.

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
I have cycled again, but I need a recumbent trike to ride alone. Hoping that I'll get out in the next few weeks here in Australia.
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That's good to hear. You do realise you'll have put a report on CC?
 
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mybike said:
This seems a bit expensive.
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Thats ridiculous! It would take quite a while to make the outlay worthwhile. Can't you just collect the bits in a plastic tub until there is enough and then microwave to soften and mix them together? I'm guessing that might work.

I looked at this - cheap enough. And here is an extract from a review:

Put a few small left over ends of soap into a small pan. Put the pan into a slightly larger pan of simmering (not boiling) water, and slowly let the soap ends melt - it takes a while, you need to do this bit slowly.
When they're melted, stir in a few drops of your favourite essential oil - use about 2% essential oil to 98% soap. If you want, you can add a few dried lavender flowers, or small pieces of broken up pot-pourri petals at this stage.
Oil the inside of the mould so that the soap, when set, pops out easily.
Gently pour the melted soap into the mould.
Let it set for about 24 hours in a cool, dry place.
When set, pop them out of the mould and wrap in greaseproof paper until needed.
If you've got soap left over from soapmaking, it will store easily enough in an empty, clean yogurt pot until you want to make another batch.
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creative said:
Ha! Well! Do you think I haven't thought of looking into parked cars? And NO - you can't always see the driver's section AND if there are several parked cars altogether, do you have any idea how s-l-o-w-l-y you would need to cycle to try and peer into every single car? This doesn't work in a built-up area....believe me I have tried! It sounds like your immediate environment is much more spacious with just the odd car....not here!

Also, of course I have tried cycling further away from parked cars but I live in an area that has narrow roads mostly so that is not feasible. Please understand that I am an intelligent person so have tried all possible options.
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How far ahead do you look ? Long line of parked cars - nothing has moved in several minutes - chances of someone jumping out much less - plan a looong way ahead - it's not foolproof but it helps. Further if a child runs out from between those cars is it ok to hit him ? Look under cars for feet, especially small ones. Sorry but like too many car and van and truck drivers you too are assuming the road is going to be clear, complaining that you have to ride slower is simply saying "I want to ride / drive faster than the road conditions safely allow". If someone is impatient let them go past - let them kill the child.
morning glory said:
. Even if I can see the car is perfectly stationary at a junction I am still fearing it will pull out and hit the side of my car!
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Stationary is irrelevant, on most side roads it is a legal requirement to stop but that doesn't mean that the driver [or cyclist I'm afraid] has actually looked.
You've seen him - watch him - see if you can make eye contact when he looks towards you. If he doesn't look in your direction get ready to swerve / stop fast. Again it's not perfect but it helps. Driving / riding is hard work - it can be pleasurable but it requires 100% attention and we can ALL make mistakes or do stupid things - expect it and you no longer have to fear it.
 
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