Anyway, I decided to have a Southern Breakfast. Yum! Thanks to Carol I have Grits and Bisquick. I had bought free-range eggs (the best) this week so I was very excited. I had bacon, fried eggs, grits and biscuits (for the non Americans, biscuits look like a scone, but taste a bit different and you eat them for breakfast!
Skipped the white gravy this time, but will have leftover biscuit with gravy later!
Breakfast was just about ready, keeping it in the pan to stay warm while the biscuits finished baking, so I went outside to get the (delivered) Saturday newspaper to read while I ate my breakfast outside on the patio. I realised I hadn't grabbed the mail on Friday so I opened the box and grabbed the letters etc. Took them all inside, dished up breakfast and went out to the patio table. I started to eat while sorting the letters and noticed that one was from the RTA (Roads and Traffic Authority)
I went into immediate panic. These are the people that issue speeding tickets.
Now for those who don't know, I have been on a probationary Licence for the last 10 months. Over the last 3 years I have recieved 4 speeding tickets. When you reach 12 points in 3 years you lose your licence for 3 months and I had reached that last January. You are allowed to sign a form that you will promise not to lose any more points in the next 12 months (after you pay the fine and sign). If you do, you will lose your licence for double the time. Can you imagine trying to get to work at Menai or anywhere else without driving? I am on this probation until March 2010. i was so careful driving in the USA not to speed - that's hard in Atlanta where everyone else on the road is going 10 mph over the limit.
My history with speeding is new, never got a ticket before this current (very powerful) car. So I like to blame the car, but also we now have speed cameras everywhere. My weak spots seem to be in Nowra down the south coast where I go once a year (for 3 years I got one every year!) and school zones. Normally I am at school working, in school zone times, so only on the occassion that I leave early or don't work that day would I be there, but yes, I have had two of those!
I had been especially "pedantic" (there it is Carol) about watching the speedo all through Berry and Nowra this year as I went to and from Kioloa twice. My immediate thought was "Don't tell me I missed a spot and went too fast somewhere." (We now have varying speed limits of 40,50,60,70,80,90,and 100 kmh (110 on freeways) and someimes there is no logic to the speed chosen, so you have to watch for the signs ALL the time!)
I was almost crying over my breakfast, and reluctant to open it. I ate half the breakfast in a panic. What if, what if etc. Finally I thought, well the letter is here so go ahead and open it and find out what you did wrong and then start thinking how you are going to manage without a licence.
When I opened it, it was some dumb letter about claiming cashback if you paid tolls on the Motorway. You cannot imagine my relief (although there is still always a possibility until March.)
I was able to thoroughly enjoy the rest of my breakfast!
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