Welcome Back - NOT

We headed off to my parent's place in South Australia for Christmas. It's about a 7 hour drive with the car loaded up with surfboards and luggage packs just to fit everything in! (I've decided it's impossible to pack light for a summer holiday in southern Australia - you're just as likely to get sweltering, baking heat as you are freezing cold rain.)

I was driving as we approached the town, about an hour and a half from our final destination, where I was born and spent my primary school years. Nestled in a valley with a river at the base, it's a pretty town with a population of less than 2000 and known as the birthplace of the famous Australian cattle dog, the Kelpie.

As we swept in down the curving highway, I was chatting to Geoff and kids about something - probably reminiscing about growing up in a small country town- when I rounded a corner and was suddenly confronted with  a red traffic light, with roadworks further on. That was a surprise! I checked my rear vision mirror and noted the car behind me was also travelling at about 100km/h and equally loaded up. I hit the brakes and slowed fast but for the sake of safety, rolled on through the red light before coming to a complete stop. Hmmm. Now what.

Because I'd overshot the light, I had no way of knowing if and when it would change. Up ahead, I could see a guy with a STOP/SLOW sign so I edged forward.

BLAAAAAHHHH!! The horn of the roadworks truck next to the traffic light blared, so I stopped and saw an extremely angry young traffic manager in the rear vision mirror, leap from the cabin and storm up towards my window. I lowered it.

That was a red light you went through, she snarled at me
I know, I agreed. It took me by surprise as I came down the hill and around the corner. I wasn't expecting that while I was going at about 100.
Did you NOT see the road sign a kilometre back that said slow to 80, then the next one that said 40 and the second one after that that also said 40? There was a faint whiff of sarcasm that caught me off guard, which is probably why my answer was rather blunt.
Nup.
Clearly annoyed by my response that invited no further discussion, she was forced to tell me off like a kid.
Well pay more attention next time! And stomped back to her truck.
Okay.....

I guess the light changed because she gave me another blast of the horn to send me on my way.

I didn't even get a chance to tell her it was my home town 😒