The Witch of Worcester

Feeling a bit down in the dumps this morning – green woman’s burden and all that – I spotted a group of travellers with traditional horse drawn vehicles in the same vicinity as my sighting of the Route Master last week.  As I haven’t seen the travellers here for a several years, this was a welcome return. Yes, these folk’s encampments can be an inconvenience, and will no doubt upset a few of their suburban neighbours, but how uplifting to see something different from the same polluting motor vehicles, who, let’s face it, are a far, far  greater issue for us all.

Two episodes occurred yesterday, on which I’d like to reflect.

In the morning, there was a torrential downpour in Worcester. Walking along the Foregate, not far from St Swithin’s Street, I stopped at the traffic lights on Sansome Street (whose sign says “formerly Town Ditch”) . A woman and child in a push chair were just in front of me. As the traffic sped (!) past, both were covered in a large splash of filthy water. I remarked to her that Worcester drivers have no manners, least of all in wet weather. However, she seemed remarkably accepting of the situation, almost saintly in fact.

I therefore had to contrast this lady’s behaviour with the reactions of motorists on the Worcester southern-bypass later in the day, when a rather amusing episode occurred.

Walking towards the by-pass, from the direction of Worcester, I noticed an “old” Route-master bus headed towards Malvern, although it carried the destination “Marble Arch” on the front (No 159, I think). Readers of my blogs, may be aware that these all-too-rare Rout-master sightings bring on a quasi-spiritual experience for me – an epiphany so-called – and when I saw a young man trying to flag down said vehicle so he could jump on board, I was all too tempted to pursue him.

I then realised what had happened ! A group of men had disembarked at the botton of Crookbarrow Way to attend to a “Call of Nature”. The bus driver, not wanting to block the round-about (it was Friday pm after all) had left the group behind,  and pulled in further along the by-pass so they could re-alight. Needless to say, this did cause a little traffic jam, but not so as to justify the great sounding of horns from irate drivers, of the kind only found on the Continent at one time. 

Meanwhile, as the group of gentlemen ran past me en route back to their wonderfully retro vehicle, I had tell them that the average Worcestershire motorist has no sense of humour….along with a equal lack of road manners !