Two gripes
I am no less wound up by these topics than the next person but what can I do about them? For some time I posted a sign in the window requesting boats to pass moored craft slowly.
The problem with this was that the term slow is too subjective—one man's slow is another man's average. So I amended the sign to read 'Tickover'. At least that is more definable. I was interested to see that someone at Crick was handing out such stickers this year.
Definitely not
However, whilst on the Ashby Canal a few weeks back a boat came past us at a pace which was definitely not 'Tickover' and by most peoples definition would not qualify as slow. My very subjective assessments was too fast for the conditions.
Furthermore he was sporting one of the Crick stickers which I guess he could not read as it was stuck on the side of his boat. It seems that boaters do not like to be told what to do and so now I take a more positive approach by rewarding those who pass at an appropriate speed with a smiley face. This, at least, elicits a smile and, from one young lady, a shriek and joyous dance which compromised her driving for a while.
Pink poo
On the subject of dog poo I have given up offering offending dog-owners a bag as they now walk so far ahead of their mutts they can ignore what it is doing. I am still left with the risk of bringing the revolting mess back into our home when I step aboard. the first thing I do when we moor up is to check for dog poo and spray it baby pink so no-one is likely to step in it and the dog owners know they have been rumbled. I don't expect my approach to these two gripes to make any difference to the perpetrators but I certainly feel less wound up by them.
[Peter sent a picture of the pink poo, but we thought a little bit too much, especially as some readers may be eating when seeing it!]