The blog of photographer Kim Ayres

Reasons for living in Galloway #27

Wander into a newsagent on any day of the week and a quick scan of the headlines will show a world that is at war on terror, that global environmental catastrophe is imminent, that the economy is about to take a nose dive, that people are being maimed and killed in foreign countries and on our own doorsteps, and that nobody except Charles seems to like Camilla as much as they did Diana.

This week’s Galloway News, however, has as one of its front-page stories the scandal of the “Parking Paradise” on King Street, Castle Douglas.

King Street is a fairly busy road, by SW Scotland standards, and the on-street parking has a restriction in place from 9.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Saturday, limiting motorists to a maximum stay of 1 hour. After you have driven your car away you are not allowed to park again on King Street for at least a further 60 minutes.

Unless, that is, you happen to have taken one of 3 spots outside the post office, between the pedestrian crossing and the corner of Academy Street which, by some bizarre oversight, is not covered by any parking order.

This blunder, seen by one local councillor as “Systematic of wider issues regarding car parking in the town” means that “…motorists can park there morning, noon and night – and not get a ticket.” (Click here for the complete article)

Sometimes you need stories like this to help put the world in perspective.

Oh look, a man from Dalbeattie is having his court case deferred until September 6th to await a psychiatric report. It says here he threw "…a lit cigarette at police officers while sitting on a third floor window ledge playing loud music…"

19 comments

Dr Maroon said...

Dalbeattie always was the downtown Los Angeles of D&G. Ask anyone. Creetown was worse. I could tell you stories that'd turn you

Kim Ayres said...

Aye, Glasgow might be the murder capital of Europe, but Dalbeattie is Galloway's main source for filling the "Court Cases" section of the local papers.

Ever been to the Creetown Gem Rock Museum?

Mary Witzl said...

I always knew Dalbeattie was a hotbed of juvenile delinquents who flagrantly disobeyed the law, and now you've just confirmed that opinion. I'll be pretty careful the next time I pass through on my way to Kipford! I'll tell you what else: my killer cat comes from Dalbeattie. That really says it all.

stinkypaw said...

It's all about perspective, isn't it?! :-)

Anonymous said...

i was down near loch trool a while ago and i love the sort of signs you find around there...sort of

"robert the bruce did a sh*t here in 1304 (allegedly)"

or

"william wallace, possibly, picked some fluff out of his belly here in 1296"

that sort of thing.

actually one time up north i was walking by a patch of grass and in the place where you would expect to see "no ball games" was "no shinty"

I suspect it was for the toursits because i can't expect games of shinty to breaking out sporadically all over the place.

Restaurant Gal said...

Well, now I know where to park when I visit during my next "road trip." :) Oh, and the Creetown Gem Rock Museum sounds like a must-see. I will bring my camera, of course.

ADW said...

Were the police officers standing in a giant puddle of gasoline? Oops, I forgot - Petrol? If not, eh? Just kidding, I hope the guy was naked, it's always funnier when naked people go off.

Dr Maroon said...

Creetown gem rock museum?

I've shit harder.

Kim Ayres said...

Mary - who cany deny the proof of a cat?

Stinkypaw - absolument :)

Michael - you should checkout my post on Bruce's Stone

Restaurant Gal - here's a link to the Creetown Gem Rock Museum

ADW - it didn't mention his clothing, though I don't think it's because he didn't have any...

Dr Maroon - in that case, this link's for you

Jeff said...

Ah, finally something written to put the world back in line about what is important....I wonder if the story ever got published about the yank driving the box truck in Bath that got caught on a narrow street and surgically removed 18 mirrors....I wonder how I know that..

Peace.

SafeTinspector said...

Chucking a cig from a third story window is a casebook case of attempted genocide.

redhead83402 said...

heheh ~ kim, your town sounds a little like my town. The nationally important bits are always 2nd and 3rd page items ~ here, the mayor's decision to let the water back into the man-made lake/park is BIG NEWS, who won the library read-off, the newest ranking Eagle Scout, you know ~ the IMPORTANT stuff ~ makes front page headlines with full color pictures.
~Red

Pat said...

Doc: 'turn' him into what?
This post triggers a thought that has been bothering me for some wee while viz that we are tending to wallow in bad news and pessimism. I have started stopping the rot - if you see what I mean - in allowing two gripes a day - MAX o in this house! Let us encourage the good news from henceforth.
The army are preparing to return from Basra!.

Dr Maroon said...

Ah Kim, the old prep H routine.
Simple but classic. You still managed to get a loud snitter out me. I never saw it coming. What is it about bottoms and their troubles that we British find so funny?

Eryl Shields said...

Cripes! I didn't realise you could only park for an hour on King Street. I often park there for several hours whilst eating cake in Design gallery's cafe after perusing the shelves of the second hand bookstore.

Doc, bottoms with or without troubles just are inherently hilarious.

MikeP said...

Oh, I get it now! He meant "symptomatic." I can barely make out the words because the Scottish accent is so thick. Like reading "Trainspotting" for me.

Kim Ayres said...

Jeff - that's a blog entry I'll be looking out for!

SafeT - he should be charged for war crimes

Red - I don't think we ever get nationally important items, even on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th pages. After that it dissolves into car and property ads

Pat - 2 gripes a day and no more - sounds like a slogan worth printing on a t-shirt :)

Dr Maroon - the old ones are the best...

Eryl - Street Lights does a damn fine coffee too. However, if you're through in Castle Douglas, do pop in for a cuppa - top of the street,opposite the library - you have my number

MikeP - welcome to my ramblings. You need to see if you can get a copy of "Oor Wullie" and/or "The Broons"

avocadoinparadise said...

This sounds just like the newspaper in the small town where I grew up! Everytime I go there I'm amazed at the lack of actual news covered by the paper. Last time they had a giant spread about some guy who drives vans. Including two half page photos of him... But no world news, and barely anything outside the county. These papers are like glorified scrapbooks!

Unknown said...

'Until it is implemented, local traffic wardens are powerless to act.'

Something about that line in the article really amused me.

I come from a small town in Montana where the news is local and oh so serious and it was the favorite paper of dorm rooms when my sons were in college.

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