Courtesy

We followed these two camper vans for a couple of miles into the village yesterday. It quickly became apparent that they weren't going to pull in to a passing point to allow us to overtake, even though they drove past about twenty. It's the safe thing to do because, if the following driver is in a hurry, he/she may attempt to overtake and cause an accident. It's also.... courteous. It's like holding open a door for a lady, or giving up your seat on the bus to a pensioner.

It does seem that large camper vans are the least likely to allow overtaking. Perhaps it is that the drivers haven't learned to use their wing mirrors, or they're frightened that, if they pull in to a passing place, they'll fall off the road and get stuck; or perhaps it's just a macho thing.

What a contrast when, this morning, the driver of this vehicle was coming along the Ormsaigbeg road and saw me standing in the middle of the road with my camera pointing at the verge.

Unlike the camper van which, presumably, was driven by someone enjoying their holiday, this driver had every reason to be in a hurry, as he had umpteen premises to visit to remove their rubbish. Yet he had the courtesy to stop well back from where I was standing and wait for me....

....to finish taking a picture of this beautiful scotch argus, the first this year.

So this picture is dedicated to Gael Cameron and her dad, Gillespie, with sincere thanks for your courtesy.