Sunday 24 April 2022

Progress?

 When my first husband and I were 'courting' - we met in 1950 when I was 17 and we married in 1952 - he had a motor bike.   I was forbidden to go on it - and as most of us did in those days we did as we were told.  When we married we lived at home with my parents for a year and saved up hard.   We both worked and the first thing he did was to sell his motor bike and put the money into his savings account - and I can remember he got £50 for it.   My father, who had just retired, gave him his bike and for quite a number of years he went to work on his bike.

Then we bought our first house ( an old school which with the help of a grant we had converted into a cottage).   It was twelve miles from Lincoln where he worked so he had to decide what vehicle he would buy.   Because he already had a motor bike licence he could drive a three-wheeled vehicle on it if you blocked out the reverse gear which he did and for quite a few years he drove Reliant three wheelers - the last one being a new one.   We thought we were in clover.

Then came the really big decision.   Did he take a four-wheel test and move up the ladder.   He didn't like the idea at all.   Finally we all worked on him and he took the plunge but had a few sleepless nights before he took it - and passed first time.   From then on he always bought Ford Fiestas and updated them every three years when the warranty on the new car ran out.

As far as he and driving were concerned that was as far as he wished to go.   We had many holidays abroad but did he ever drive abroad.   You have to be joking.

I thought of him this morning when - because it is Election Day in France- there was a commentator standing by L'Arc de Triomphe.   The traffic all seemed to be going every which way.   It was horrendous.

Then my carer came and was chatting as she busied about doing various jobs.   She had seen a programme about how it wouldn't be all that long before cars were driving themselves and the "driver" needn't even look where he was going.   "Well, said my carer, "you won't catch me driving one of those."


But we can't stand in the way of progress.   Or can we?

32 comments:

Tom Stephenson said...

I paid £45 for a 1958 Triumph motorbike in 1968. Your hubbie's must have been a good one.

jinxxxygirl said...

If we were going to stand in the way of progress we should have done it a long time ago... In MY Honest Opinion... Hugs! debs

JayCee said...

The standard of driving by some people already suggests that many aren't looking where they are going!

Barbara Rogers said...

When I met my husband to be, (in early 60s) he was riding a Triumph across the US from Connecticut to California. I did have a short ride on it. We only corresponded the next couple of years while he was in the Coast Guard. I have no idea what he paid for it, but he switched to a US Ford by the time we married. He had sold the Triumph in Cal. Have a great day!

Rachel Phillips said...

If your husband sold a secondhand motorbike in 1952 for £50 it must have been some supersonic top of the range out of this world motorbike. Are you sure about that figure?

The Weaver of Grass said...

Rachel - I am not good on makes or models but I remember the sum as being £47 - but i stand corrected.
As both Rachel andTom seem to say I have the amount wrong I am sure they are right. Sorry about that - all I remember is that he had bought it new a couple of years vefore he sold it. No idea what it was.

Rachel Phillips said...

Don't worry, I didn't notice Tom had said something as well, but all I know is £50 was a lot of money in 1950. Sometimes our memories play tricks on us. I bought my first car, a secondhand Triumph Herald in 1969 for £35.

Rachel Phillips said...

I am guessing he bought Ford Anglias before he went to Ford Fiestas.

Susan said...

Good memories! When I met my husband, he drove a 2-seater, Fiat Convertible. Not my favorite car. When the baby arrived the car was replaced.

busybusybeejay said...

Ignore the comments! Not doing a lot for your memory.Why do people do this.Have to be right.
Barbarax

Debby said...

LOL at your carer's comment!

I was talking about getting my husband to go kayaking with me once. He's never been. Last summer was wet and the water was high and muddy for the entire thing. I said, "I am not the most experienced kayaker myself, and with all the debris being swept into the water, I'd be afraid of hitting something and dumping us in on Tim's first trip. I mused, "If he drowns his first time out, I'll never get him in a kayak again." I realized how funny that was even as the words were leaving my lips.

My children's great grandmother was a tiny thing, but very lively. When she was dating the man who eventually became my children's great grandfather, they were giving airplane rides at a local fair. She was dared to go up, and she did, but she did not enjoy the experience all that much because she knew how much trouble she would be in if her parents ever found out.

Melinda from Ontario said...

Cars and the dangers of driving have been on my mind a lot these days. My youngest son, 18 yrs., was delayed in getting his driver's license due to Covid. Now he's almost in a panic to get it. I'm anxious every time he leaves for a driving lesson. My oldest son, 20 yrs, is driving home from school today, (over 2 hrs away), on a major highway with his car crammed full of his posessions. I've been anxious about that all morning. Cars that can drive themselves can't come soon enough for me.

the veg artist said...

I can remember closing my eyes in taxis in Paris, and telling myself that the odds on us crashing were actually small, as they all seemed as mad as each other, but they knew what they were doing!

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

The actual figures are interesting: In 1950 there were 5,012 deaths on British roads, this rose to 7,985 by 1966. But since then the figures have actually declined steadily year by year till in 2019 there were 1,752 deaths. All this happened despite there being far more cars on the roads and people driving farther (and faster). You can put these figures down to better roads, unbreakable windscreens, better brakes, seat belts, drink-drive laws - so that is progress, I'm sure.

Midlife Roadtripper said...

I recall when i said I'd never get an answering machine. Or a microwave. Then I did. Sometimes we just evolve and forget what we say we wouldn't ever do. My husband bought us electric bikes. I thought idea stupid. When we rode, he would ask what level of power I was on. I'd tell him I hadn't turned it on. That I was getting my exercise. Today, I was riding, and came to a large hill. Darn if I didn't turn that power on. Only Level One though, and a quick burst of power to aid my tired legs. Sigh.

it's me said...

When we visited France in 2005, we drove around the Arc de Triomphe in a rented vehicle . What a crazy experience ! After that we returned the rented vehicle and used cabs.

Bonnie said...

I always enjoy it when you describe events from your past. I had to look up the Reliant three-wheeler as I don't think I've ever seen one. You have many wonderful memories to remember and share! As far as cars that drive themselves, there need to be many improvements before I would ride in one. There are some self-driving cars on the road here and it is not unusual to hear of accidents that should have been prevented. I suppose they have to start somewhere but you won't find me in one!

Heather said...

A car that drives itself might be an improvement on a few of today's cars with drivers! However, I don't think I would want one, nor do I wish to drive any longer.
I have seen videos of traffic in Paris and Rome and am happy not to be there. I dare say parts of London could be just as bad.

Anonymous said...

John's comment and statistics are interesting. I'm sure in the old days many found the introduction of the car frightening and not as safe as horses, and a showy indulgence of the well off. We then of course, became slaves to the oil companies and their profits, but at least horses were spared the hard life , weather exposure, and overexertion many would have suffered in the name of transport...still the 1950's figures are alarming.
My daughter and her husband in their thirties, parents of a toddler, have purchased, like most in that age demographic, a big SUV. As my husband and I have always purchased a small car, even when she was little, for economy and necessity ,while still trying to 'tread ightly on the planet' we queried her choice, and was told it was 'purely for safety reasons'.. I look at all these huge SUV's around and think 'Is that really progress?"- Pam.

Joanne Noragon said...

I'm not looking forward to driverless cars, either.

Anonymous said...

I didn't know there were 3 wheel cars. I googled because I didn't get the licensing stuff. I wonder why/how they came to be. I love reading this blog. So many things to learn about. Rose

Red said...

It was much different when we started out. However, we lived through the best of times. The economy was great and we always had a job and good pay. Many technological developments have happened and there will be many more before we are finished.

sparklingmerlot said...

We recently had a tragic accident in Melbourne where a woman was killed by a hit and run driver as she was getting on a tram to go to work. The driver later turned herself in. She was driving a Tesla that was on self drive and therefore blamed the car, not herself. Her trial will be interesting.

Cro Magnon said...

I actually enjoy driving; both here and in France. So the idea of a self-driving car to me is a definite NO.

thelma said...

There are two trains of thought on cars on the road, either you see them as giving much pleasure to people of driving to a particular spot or to visit a relative, or they are a curse as they pollute the planet. Whichever side you fall on, I will never get in a driverless car, almost got run over by a noiseless electric car as well!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Well dear readers - this is another of those occasions when it woud be lovely if we were all aitting in the same room with a drinkof our choice, plenty of nibbles and an afternoon to spare.


Thank you for such a lively discussion on so many issues. Thank you to Rachel and Tom for talking about the cost of that motorbike. I am sure they are right. And the same on the model of car - I should have just said Ford car of course as they frequently do a few alterations and name a new model. He had Fords all his life - just as the farmer never changed from Vauxhalls. I suppose that says something about them both. Not sure wat!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Sorry about my spelling of WHAT!!!

Anonymous said...

Makes me think of traffic in Thailand years ago - I was afraid to step off a mid-road island; finally someone crossed through traffic, took my hand and walked me to the sidewalk. That was it for my pedestrian excursions to that part of town!

Sometimes I think the key is not standing in the way of progress - there is a television ad showing here (in connection with baseball games) where a couple get out of their car in the middle of a parking lot and the car pulls itself into the space to the awe of passers by. I can imagine so many disasters, like stepping into the path of the car and its camera not seeing. Of course that happens with human drivers too.

ceci

Derek Faulkner said...

My first ever car was in 1970, a Morris Oxford that I bought for £20. I then went onto a Mini Countryman, Morris Ital, Ford Anglia, Renault 4 - all well past their best days - after that the quality improved.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thank you everyone.

thelma said...

Made me look up that other three wheel motorised scooter, which apparently was only made for 3 years between 1953 and 1956. The Messerschmitt, a sort of fancier model than the Reliant, though I still see an occasional Reliant pottering around.

Jean Winnipeg said...

I really enjoyed hearing about your life and about your husband and motot bikes, bikes and cars. Many years ago we had friends who lived in very small villages like us. They had 3 girls, and their mode of tranasportation was a motorbike with side car. We went to dinner once at their house and the logistics to get me, my mum and dad there and back in the motor biike and side car were quite something.I also saw the scene with the traffic in Paris it was a bit unnerving!