Tag Archives: Seer Green

A perfect day: Owen enjoys a British summer

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This is Owen, age 22 months, experiencing the joy of exploring on a glorious summer's day. (Let's not quibble over the fact it's technically still spring: in Britain, we take summer whenever it appears!) I didn't deliberately let him roam so far – I didn't realise how quickly he can run now!

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Karen is still recovering from her operation (she had her gallbladder removed five days ago), so Owen and I spent a lot of time together this weekend. Today, we went on a bike ride to the playground in the neighbouring village of Seer Green after breakfast. (Above.) It was great fun sweeping through Seer Green at 18mph on my bike before we set foot on the swings, slides and roundabouts. In the 25 minutes we were there, we didn't see another soul!

We came home in time to join our friends Jo, Ian, Martha and Baby Betty (as Owen calls her) for a visit to Chalfont St Giles' playgroup's fun day at the village cricket ground. Owen was in an independent mood, despite the presence of his first love, Martha. He simply wouldn't be led. But he liked his hot dog, and the lolly that Jo bought him. (And I enjoyed the beer Jo bought me!) I had no idea the fields beyond the cricket ground stretched so far. No wonder Owen felt like an explorer! And as you can see below, Owen and Martha did enjoy their time together.

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 I love these summer evenings. Padding about the house and garden in shorts, t-shirt and bare-feet, while savouring a cold beer. Let's hope the weather holds for our Dorset holiday in two weeks. 

Sensible but sneaky: Buckinghamshire’s new speed limits

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Driving Owen to nursery yesterday, I noticed a tiny '40' speed limit sign on Longbottom Lane between Seer Green and Beaconsfield. Strange, I thought, I wasn't aware a 40mph limit had been applied to this rural road. But the return journey confirmed that Bucks County Council had done just that. And I noticed that the same 40 signs between Seer Green and Chalfont St Giles. 

I agree with the lower speed limits. These roads are narrow and twisting, making 60 too fast for the conditions. It will make life easier and safer for cyclists and horseriders. But I wasn't impressed by the fact the council hadn't put up the usual large signs telling drivers that the speed limit had changed. Even worse, they've removed the 30 limit sign as you enter Seer Green from Chalfont St Giles, which means that many drivers will enter the village at 40, not 30mph. 

No wonder drivers think they're being victimised – this kind of sneaky action creates the suspicion that Bucks County Council is trying to trap drivers into speeding fines. I doubt they're that clever. This and my previous posts this week about the Narcot Lane cycle route and Amersham's closed zebra crossing suggest they're just incompetent.

PS: my wife Karen tells me that the new speed limits have been widely covered in our local paper. I don't think that lets the council off the hook. Most people don't read the Bucks Advertiser – including me. They certainly don't read the council's website on the off-chance that it might be about to change the speed limits of their local roads. Bucks County Council put up large signs when they changed the speed limit from 40 to 30 on Stanley Hill and London Road West in Amersham a few years ago. It should have done the same now.