Men and cars

Did you hear about the Grandad who always took his grandaughter to her music lessons after school? He broke his leg so couldn't drive and Grandma took her instead. When they got back he asked his grandaughter how it had gone and she said "It was lovely Grandad and did you know we didn't see a single B....y idiot, T..t or stupid p.....k all the way!"

An extremely elderly lady-friend of mine gave me a lift home [on a foggy day] through the narrow Cornish lanes. She drove very fast, whilst nattering umpteen to the dozen. She zoomed past the blind corner that led to our cottage. When I told her so, she slammed the car into reverse and hurtled backwards to the turning. I swear, I thought we were doomed!

alison,

A couple of thoughts passed through - I wonder if there are any unbenownst 'second' or even 'third' wives amongst us - hmmmm maybe more comparing notes!

And the second, when navigating does yours simply say straight on when there's a possible 5 choices! We ended up in someone's drive once when I followed through and did exactly that - straight on - at which point I mentioned maybe more informative directions would be nice. Nowadays I always use dear ole Tomtom who I am sure has saved many a marriage.

Love that, Alison!

I remember once late at night ending up in someone's drive when we were leaving Edinburgh late at night on our way to Glasgow. DH followed someone because 'they looked like they knew where they were going'!

Also, he will never stop and ask the way!

So there is an upside to not having a car!

Alison I've yet to meet a man who will ask the way. Mr soop will go umpteen miles in the wrong direction and claim that he's not lost [even though he knows damn well that he is!]

Too right Hunt.

Alison I am the one in my family who refuses to ask for directions. I also follow people who 'look like they know where they are going'. I havent ended ip on anyone's driveway yet but have gone miles out of my way. I know it's supposed to be men who behave like this soop - maybe I'm a bloke

I do all the driving now as DH has lost his peripheral vision following a stroke. He has never criticised my driving so I was freaked out taken by surprise when we were on our way home from a hospital appointment and he started shouting in a total panic because he thought I was going the wrong way round a roundabout. He was disorientated for quite a while following the stroke and often confused left and right. Luckily things have settled down now and it rarely happens.

merlot, mine does that even though he hasn't had a stroke!

I am on no3, and he doesn't confine his interfering to the car...he is the original Mr " you don't want to do it like that" (remember the Harry Enfield character) ,being younger than me it gets right up my nose,until in fish wife style how do you think I managed for the first 50 years of my life escapes my tight lips,including a few choice expletives ...bless him

MY DH always knew better than me when I was map reading, even when we were in Europe. Now he argues with the Satnav! And yes, I am good at map reading, started as a child with the OS maps and navigating for my father who used to be a pilot!

When we got together, I decided we agreed that the driver did the driving and the non-driver did the navigating. (We take turns driving on long journeys). And the driver would always follow the navigator's instructions - if the navigator got lost, it was up to him/her to put this right without interference from the driver.

After a few years of marriage, DH reverted to type and one day when driving did not follow my directions because he thought he knew better. We got rapidly lost. I threw the map out of the window and said "sort it yourself then". Took him a long time without a map!

The original agreement has worked ever since!

I believe MrsJ that having a strop is considered mandatory in such circumstances

We lost our bearings in Leith. Family in the car. After an embarrassing half hour of going around in ever decreasing circles, Mr soop suggested that our teenage grandson might ask a burly-looking lorry driver for directions. Grandson [being a chap] didn't want to do the deed. He was coaxedpushed out of the back seat and shuffled sullenly over to the burly man [who was eating a hamburger.] The two appeared to be having an intelligent converstion. Lots of nodding and arm-waving. Grandson returned to the car. We pulled away from the kerb. Mr soop asked...'Well...?' Grandson replied, he was Polish and spoke with a funny Scottish accent and he had a mouth full of burger...couldn't understand a word he said!'

nanban, I agree with you that satnavs have probably saved marriages. My sister has a satnav, we call her Sonia because she '' gets onyer nerves'' Geddit?

Littlenellie - does that sound like No.4 is a possibility? I am amazed that so many home truths are coming out now we're talking cars! Brilliant stuff.

Our satnav is some bloke - I am so very used to being 'instructed' from the passenger seat, it would seem very odd to be given directions by a Sonia. We are driving to Kent and Cambridge tomorrow - long way from here - and it will be oh so interesting to see if Himself dares say a word ......

All three of my daughters learned to map read at an early age because I can't drive and navigate at the same time and I'm always getting lost. Mind you, I'm always getting unlost as well. No problem about asking the way, sometimes several times in one journey, but usually only about the itty bits. No satnav so I rely on road numbers and simple coded directions written large in thick marker pen on a piece of card stuck to the dash with blutak, and daughters. DH always knows the way so we don't need to navigate for him .

nanban...No I ll keep him.....can't keep taking 'em back when they're faulty

It is not only when men are driving......if you ask a man for directions he will never admit he doesn't know and will give you some complicated instructions which are rarely correct. It always amazes me how locals don't know the way to the next village!

My OH can make anything more complicated than it is! I have no idea why..though I am tempted to think it is because he thinks if its complicated he must be clever to have done it!! He also tells me when he has done chores as in' I've just swept the kitchen floor'.... grrr

Why does mr g. always drive the long way round to anywhere he has always lived in the area and there is no need to take the town centre route you can just slip through the side roads but no no we have to go the long way ? just wondering really as he has never given me an answer yet !!

I should be so lucky, ej!