Monday, March 12, 2007

More on my mum

Mum and I have both recently had 'issues' with parking tickets. I got one in London back in January in spite of having purchased a valid ticket for the entire 20 minutes before any parking restrictions were lifted for the evening. This provoked a three page letter accompanied by several photographs to illustrate the profound injustice done unto me. I won my appeal but I suspect my mum will not be so lucky. In fact, I suspect her card is now 'well and truly marked'.

Two days ago she was headed into town and realised she needed some change to park in the town centre multi storey carpark so she stopped to pop into a shop and get some. Her first mistake was to leave the car on a single yellow line. She reckoned she was less than 5 minutes but when she emerged form the shop there was a traffic warden writing out a ticket.She went and protested that she had only been 5 minutes. "Oh no" says he, I saw you parking and that was definitely longer than 5 minutes ago."
"I bet you ran like bloody hell to get here before I got out that shop" says my mum, who is incensed. He ignored her and continued to write out the ticket which he then slapped with a grand gesture on her windscreen.

Mum's second mistake was to take the ticket off the windscreen and slap it on his chest. He did n't exactly see the funny side of being insulted thus by a 71 year old pensioner.

When he announced that she would have to pay double the fine if she left the ticket where it was she was unfortunately forced to remove said parking ticket, but I still hope I have got half her spirit when I get to that age.

And also that I look like she does.

6 comments:

Greg said...

Just followed the link to your Mum's picture.
I'm sorry if that lady says she's 71 then I don't believe it. Prove it to me and I still won't believe it. She'd easily pass for 51, and a young looking 51 at that!
*bows to J.J.'s mum* Your servant, ma'am!

Gill said...

Your mum looks lovely and a fun person- don't forget to buy her flowers this weekend!!

JoeinVegas said...

A three page letter? I am impressed with your desire to right an injustice.

cookie monster said...

as an aside, parking attendents and clampers etc are all required by aw to carry security licences.

when they clamp you or start writing out a ticket, demand to see their SIA licence. if they dont produce, just make a note of them and thne report them, itll earn them a £5000 fine or 6 months in jail.

itll also help you get off of the ticket

or you could just buy a buss pass!

n p.s., your mum looks like a right laugh, so i can see where you get it from!

Arthur Clewley said...

JJ, 'more on my mum' sounds like an Amodovar film, in which you mother with her movie star looks would be super - contest closed, I win

J.J said...

Steg, I don't believe it myself and I have seen the proof.

Gill, oh she is - and oh, I certainly will.

Joe, well, I was VERY cross!

Cookie, it's the lack of humanity in certain traffic wardens that pisses me off.

Arthur, yes, my mum is a star.