Bounce test - FAIL

[Bill S]

Hi all

Well, I'm in two minds about posting this but decided that if I can prevent anyone doing the same stupid thing that I did yesterday, then it is worth the humiliation that posting this might incur...

While out searching for Morels to photograph, I was in and out of some scrubby undergrowth on Stockbridge down and I spotted a tick crawling up my trousers. As I got back to the car (another unsuccessful search I might add, Morels are tricky devils to find), I remembered to brush off my clothing. The camera was around my neck so I slipped it off and rested it on the roof of the car. You can see what's coming...

I put my camera bag on the back seat, took off my jacket and hung it over the open car door while I brushed my top and jeans off. Before stepping into the car, I took the jacket off the door and put it onto the passenger seat and, with the attention span of a herring, got in and drove off.

It turns out that a 40D will stay on the roof of a Mazda 323 until you get to about 60mph ...luckily nothing else was on the road at the time.

Stupid stupid stupid momentary lapse in concentration.

Bill

[Gruditch]

What a nightmare, was it insured.

Regards Gruditch

[Bill S]

What a nightmare, was it insured.

Regards Gruditch

I think so - on the house contents policy,

Bill

[Jack Harrison]

I did exactly the same (but in my instance, the camera was hanging out the door) when I was on day one of my honeymoon. I lost the camera and all the wedding photos. The marriage didn't survive either but the loss of the camera wasn't the reason.

The subsequent marriage has lasted 26 years and I haven't lost another camera either

Jack

[David M]

Oops. No chance of retracing your steps then? (though I suspect the apparatus would be broken anyway).

[Jack Harrison]

I did retrace my steps (drive) that day, but didn't find the camera or any remains.

Jack

[Gibster]

Ha Ha! I did a similar thing in Scotland a few years back. I habitually put my binoculars on the car roof as I strip off outer layers (I'm not comfortable driving in much more than my usual t-shirt/sweatshirt combo) and merrily sped off out of Speyside heading towards the north west coast. An HOUR or so later I took a dual carriageway, approached a roundabout, took the third exit and listened horrified as the pal in the back seat said, "was that your binoculars just go flying off the roof mate???" Cue a very rapid vergeside stop and one mental nutter waving busy oncoming traffic around his £1000 pair of bins!

Unbelievably they survived the fall amazingly well, in fact the slight double-vision problem cleared up nicely! But I wouldn't really recommend anybody else try it...

My friend once drove off with his birding scope and tripod on his car's roof. We made it as far as the end of the car park, he braked and the whole lot slid down the windscreen, off the end of the bonnet and disappeared out of sight in front of the car. No harm done then either, other than to his pride.

Gibster.

[Dave McCormick]

Sorry to hear that happening, hopefully you can get some compensation on it but not sure if ome insurance would since wouldn't it have to be in the house if its damaged?

That is not too bad though. A friend of mine told me this story once. Someone (think it was his uncle) was working on the roof of their house, tied a rope to himself, onto a wheelie bin and tied the bin the tow-bar of his car so he wouldn't fall of so easily. Now his wife didn't know he did this, and got into the car as she was borrowing it. She started up the car, not knowing what was tied to it, and started to drive of, the rope tied to the guy snapped, he fell but didn't receive much more than some bruising injuries as it wasn't a tall house, but the rope tied to the wheelie bin was still attached and she only realised when the cops pulled her over on the motorway going 60mph with a wheelie bin attached to the car. How she didn't notice the ropes attached I don't know.

[Jack Harrison]

Dave quoted:

...tied the bin the tow-bar...

Best April Fool's joke I've seen so far.

Jack