AN interesting sight this week was the passage of about a hundred or so Land Rovers, and Range Rovers along Old Malton Road. Grey ones, green ones, yellow ones, a bright red fire engine, and so many variants of style and colour I just can't remember. It was great to see this parade of 'Made in England' passing by, some even flying the Union Flag or that of St George, and all of them making far less noise than the would-be racers small hatch-backs, whose drivers use far more revs and make far more noise than necessary in the false belief that they impress us.

From the Pedestrian Association's magazine come some chilling statistics, none more so than the fact that in 2001, a total of 4,768 children were killed or seriously injured on our roads. That's more than the total population of Malton! 3143 of these youngsters were pedestrians - so watch out - walking is a dangerous game!

And in an interesting development insofar as 'cat's eyes' are concerned. Now, like me, I expect you think that cats eyes are just wonderful but the latest are solar powered and even better still. They light up when the road is foggy, and more importantly, turn red when a driver is too close to the car in front. They will turn blue when there is ice about and are visible from a distance ten times greater than at present. Currently on test on part of the A143 in Norfolk, where crashes there fell by 75pc.

As for driving close to the car in front, this is a real menace these days. I'm sick of the sight of a vehicle behind me, filling the whole of my rear view mirror, and the number of commercial vehicles driving so close together so that they can't be overtaken seems an everyday occurrence.

You might recall I've expressed that the word 'accident' be replaced by the word 'crash', for reasons evident if you look in the dictionary. Others think the same, and whilst I've been voicing this for some years, I expect it started long ago, for the word 'accident' has been banned by the US National Highway Safety Administration based on the meaning that in an accident no-one is actually to blame. Police service departments will need to re-think their current abbreviation from RTA (Road Traffic Accident) to something else. RTC seems a bit too obvious, and I wonder what will emerge.

Still on transport reminds me of my days in the trade, having just paid a bill for some work on my car. At the time in question we were charging 9/6d (47p) an hour, like the rest of the garages in Malton and Norton, and the finance folks decided that it would have to go up to ten shillings (50p) an hour. This was rather a worry, because I knew folk would complain, and until everyone did the same, then we could lose customers. However, it seemed everyone went along the same path, and the customers' costs just sent up. One dear lady, a regular customer, of gentle upbringing, just couldn't believe this drastic rise of five pence an hour and came to see me to voice her concern. How, in all fairness, could we charge such a price when she was sure that we wouldn't be paying our mechanics anything like ten shillings an hour. Half an hour later she left the office, still not convinced with my explanation, but dear soul, she stayed with us to the end of her driving days.

Talking of dear old ladies, my Dad used to do the garden for on a sort of irregular basis for a lady who lived in Newbiggin, who had some rather good rose blooms each year. One morning she told him how a neighbour had asked her if she might just smell some which she had picked and was taking into the house. "I told her, that, yes, she could have a smell, but only one. I think that if people come along and smell your flowers, they will take all the smell away, and there'll be none left." I don't know what my Dad said in response to that and I've often wondered if she had a point.

Once upon a time, sounds like a fairy story doesn't it, there used to be a much-used product called paraffin. It's getting to be a bit of a rarity believe me. I have a garden flame gun which uses the stuff, and sent to a garage for some. "Sorry, we don't sell it." Try Ryedale Mowers close by. That sounds like a good idea, but no, it wasn't, for they didn't either. Boyes Stores I seemed to recall sold it in pre-packs, but no, they didn't have any, and then I was directed to R Yates where they sent me across the road to their garden centre and where for £2.95 I came away with a gallon (or 4 litres). Success at last, but long gone the cheapest fuel. I wonder what the folks with greenhouse heaters do?

It's true! "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion". Cyril Northcote Parkinson (1919-) Parkinson's Law.

Updated: 10:22 Wednesday, October 09, 2002