As soon as you can.. because a major oil refinery has just shut down down south, and also, there is a petrol tanker strike soon, so people will be panic buying. (I know I am encouraging you to do the same, but fill up soon if you can, so you're not caught short.)
Luckily I live walking distance from my job and hubby cycles half the time (when the weather is OK,) as he only works 4 miles away.. And the kids walk to school/college. So our tankful should last us 2 to 3 weeks if we're careful.
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i forgot that people panic buy-i'll fill the tank in the morning-if theres any petrol left
ta for the reminder
Thanks for the heads-up. I will fill up tomorrow..
i forgot that people panic buy-i'll fill the tank in the morning-if theres any petrol left
ta for the reminder
Panic Tank! 
So have we.
Just cycled past a garage and it was packed with single occupied cars filling up. Saps! When are people going to start moving under their own power? There they are in their sealed environments unable to communicate with fellow man. I remember when people walked or cycled everywhere, and smiled and talked to each other. It was nothing to sneak up behind someone and pull their pants down. Nowadays if you say "Hullo!" to the wrong person you are likely to get stabbed.
Oh no Pancakes! 
Hopefully it will be OK. If you have a 500 miles trip, you are unlikely to do it on one tank. Hope you manage to refill OK.
When I went to town today, I actually saw a mahoosive queue at Sainsburys AND Morrisons.
We only generally tend to to use the car when we need to anyway, so the tankful should last us several weeks...
Just cycled past a garage and it was packed with single occupied cars filling up. Saps! When are people going to start moving under their own power? There they are in their sealed environments unable to communicate with fellow man. I remember when people walked or cycled everywhere, and smiled and talked to each other.It was nothing to sneak up behind someone and pull their pants down. Nowadays if you say "Hullo!" to the wrong person you are likely to get stabbed.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr you made me LOL then GJ.....
Just cycled past a garage and it was packed with single occupied cars filling up. Saps! When are people going to start moving under their own power? There they are in their sealed environments unable to communicate with fellow man. I remember when people walked or cycled everywhere, and smiled and talked to each other. It was nothing to sneak up behind someone and pull their pants down. Nowadays if you say "Hullo!" to the wrong person you are likely to get stabbed.
You old rebel you, GJ
But sadly it is true..... I don't drive, never have, (although Mr Baz does) so tend to notice how everything is geared around the car.......
Just cycled past a garage and it was packed with single occupied cars filling up. Saps! When are people going to start moving under their own power? There they are in their sealed environments unable to communicate with fellow man. I remember when people walked or cycled everywhere, and smiled and talked to each other. It was nothing to sneak up behind someone and pull their pants down. Nowadays if you say "Hullo!" to the wrong person you are likely to get stabbed.
You old rebel you, GJ But sadly it is true..... I don't drive, never have, (although Mr Baz does) so tend to notice how everything is geared around the car.......
I like to walk or cycle whenever possible.. 
it makes you feel good and saves a mint on fuel! Cannot fathom why people drive EVERYwhere.. if they can walk... This woman filling up her gas guzzling 4 wheel drive yesterday laughed like she didn't believe me, when I said ÂĢ20 of petrol often last us 2 weeks and sometimes longer if hubby cycles to work a few times.. She said she spend ÂĢ80 a WEEK on petrol! Holy shit!
Just cycled past a garage and it was packed with single occupied cars filling up. Saps! When are people going to start moving under their own power? There they are in their sealed environments unable to communicate with fellow man. I remember when people walked or cycled everywhere, and smiled and talked to each other. It was nothing to sneak up behind someone and pull their pants down. Nowadays if you say "Hullo!" to the wrong person you are likely to get stabbed.
Could you suggest how I manage tomorrow's itinerary under my own power, please?
Battle, Sussex (with +1 passenger) to Dartford via Bromley (collect another passenger).
I need to arrive at Dartford by 1pm.
Then I need to get from Dartford to Clapham, and then from Clapham back to Battle.
I can't see how I'm going to manage this unless I take one of my cars
Cosi, Of course there are times when you NEED to have a car sweetie.
I guess it's just good to not use it whenever possible. Me and my hubby and kids can get away without a car quite a lot, especially as we live 5 mins walk from the high street and a mile from our town centre....Even so, we DO need it sometimes...
Also we can get to the coast in 80 to 90 minutes in the car and it's 3.5 hours on the train! Also, it works out a lot cheaper (as there are four of us) And my best mate has 3 kids at different schools and they are 8 miles apart (she moved house twice in 5 years - long story,) and she lives in the sticks and without the car, she would be lost.
I can't see how I'm going to manage this unless I take one of my cars
Well.. all I can say, is I hope you'll be using the micra!
It costs me ÂĢ40 a week on petrol.. I bloody hate it! I seem to always be scraping together money for fuel.
I had thought... now the girl is no longer at the boarding school 90 miles away (so not longer doing the weekly 360 miles (2 x 180 mile round trips) that my fuel costs would significantly fall.
It cost me about ÂĢ65 a week then! So how the hell is it still costing me ÂĢ40 a week now?
I have no choice but the run the boy to school... he goes to a school out of area (cos of bullying issues at the local school)... thats 7 miles away... so 28 miles a day...
I'd love to be able to cycle to work... I only work a few miles away in the next village... my mate bikes it and I am dead jealous of her. But I am on a tight timescale... drop the boy off at 8.40... have to get to work for 9.20 and only just make it in the car.
And the girl & I have both tried using public transport.. assuming there is actually a bus (or 2, or 3) that will get us within a couple of miles of where we want to go... it actually costs more in bus fare than in petrol!!! I run her to college now... I actually can't afford the ÂĢ4 a day in fares.
And don't even get me started on the other costs of running a car!
*dreams of the living a Good Life kinda life... with chickens, and a cow, and a bicycle with a wicker basket on the front... burning firewood for heat*
I am sick of this bleedin rat race! I can see I am gonna end up a hairy old hippy when I am older
Awww Ditty. I do get where you're coming from. I do actually get quite pissed off when people have a go at people for using a car: basically, they are probably attacking over 90% of the population! It's all very well saying that we should all get there under our own steam, and we should give up our cars, (or should all share cars if we MUST use them!) but its not always convenient or practical. My other half works various shifts where he works and his nearest colleague is 5 miles from us. Also the kids I know, and in my family, have different schools and colleges with different start times and finish times and as someone said above ^^^ some people have kids in the same family at different schools.
Once upon a time, people worked close to their home (some companies even used to provide housing for a small weekly rent taken from your wages,) and families - close and extended - used to live within a decent walking distance of each other, and people lived in the same home for their whole life! And the pub or social club was close by... But now people do not live close by the their family, and hardly ANYone lives near their work... and it is not their fault!!! (remember Norman Tebbit: 'get on your bike and find a job, even if it means moving towns!) People have been FORCED into having to use cars. And the fact that public transport is unreliable and costly and sometimes takes two to three times longer than it does in the car doesn't help!
And mums have been encourage/forced/coerced, (whatever you want to call it,) out to work over the years...so have kids to get ready for school in the morning, then they have to get them to school, THEN they have to get to work...Not having a car is impractical for many... When women were told it was a good idea to go out to work, someone didnt think of a very important issue.... who would look after the children??? People have jobs in different towns, and their kids are not always 'walking distance' away from the school (and it's not safe to let them walk these days - for various reasons.) These days, people (women especially!) have to constantly juggle. And having no car is hardly on ANYONE's agenda. Especially if you're a working mother!
And you are right that it's often cheaper to use the car - especially if there are more than one or two in your family. PLUS, it's much much faster.
People who do not have a car and don't need to have one are very lucky, but I wish they wouldn't look at people who do have a car (or more than one,) as pondscum who are wrecking the planet, and treat them as if they are lazy by 'not walking or cycling...' Not everyone is in the same position as them.
In my experience of people I know/have known, the 'bash the car driver' brigade often fits a typical template... the smug and slightly pious leftie who refuses to shop at mainstream clothes shops, (and sometimes makes their OWN clothes,) who cooks absolutely EVERYthing from scratch, (and looks down on people who don't,) who have not bought a newspaper in 20 years or more (if ever) and have probably not got a telly and would rather poke their eyes out than read OK or Heat magazines. It's not the fact that they have their little 'ways' and lifestyle choices that pisses me off; it's the way they look down their noses at people who don't live like them, and how they often think they're better people because they don't have a car, they cook from scratch and they don't shop at Tesco, Asda or Morrisons!
Phew what a rant! Upshot is Ditty (and anyone else who uses a car regularly,) don't feel bad about it. It's not your fault!
I watch the programmes about the Amish communities.. and I envy them.
(apart from the religious bit )
and the grey dresses...
and the hand washing of clothes
and dishes...
ok... I envy them the bit where they clip clop around everywhere in little buggies pulled by horses
I can't see how I'm going to manage this unless I take one of my cars
Well.. all I can say, is I hope you'll be using the micra!
KaffyBaffy! You bad, bad Go-Mo driver! That's a dreadful insult 
I understand the logistics of it all for you Ditty 
And I'm loving your work this evening, Sparkles 
I don't feel the slightest bit guilty about using my car.
I've paid my road tax.
I'm fully insured.
My cars are bang up to scratch and road-worthy at all times.
I can afford to fund my vehicles from my own pocket.
Mr. Mercedes, Jaguar, BMW et al etc design vehicles for me to purchase.
When the government decides to make this an illegal action then I'll have to stop buying, won't I..? In the meantime, I've paid my contribution and shall take full advantage of using the roads for my own benefit.
And I promise not to abuse Micra drivers. Much.
Just cycled past a garage and it was packed with single occupied cars filling up. Saps! When are people going to start moving under their own power? There they are in their sealed environments unable to communicate with fellow man. I remember when people walked or cycled everywhere, and smiled and talked to each other. It was nothing to sneak up behind someone and pull their pants down. Nowadays if you say "Hullo!" to the wrong person you are likely to get stabbed.
I think you should change your name to 'Bike Shed Joe'
Only joking, Joe
I associate bike shed joe with tabs n tryin' to get wor tops.
I have seen a 2p rise in fuel prices across all petrol stations in just four days in my area.
My monthly trip to the petrol station is in 6 days time.
