Peter Stewart e-mailed Home Truths with this...

"This is a note about Pottingerisms.

Actually a Pottingerism is an event first noted and described by my friend Arthur ... Pottinger. The world famous Shetland folk/country and western singer, now based in Orkney.

What you ask is a Pottingerism?

Imagine that you are in your car driving along a road, just an ordinary road, anywhere, minding your own business and paying full attention to the road and the world around you. Lo and behold, you notice, there is a car coming the other way, also obviously minding its own business and threatening no-one.

But wait, what is that just about midway between you and the oncoming vehicle? It's a bicycle, It's a bicycle, it's the only other thing in sight, apart from the car coming the other way and now substantially closer. It's the only other thing that's been on the road for the last 20... 200 miles, (OK that's far fetched ... but lets say it's Christmas morning and there are no other cars). The other car is getting pretty close and so is the bicycle and the bicyclist and they are getting very close. It's no use, it's quite obvious, that the point of passing the car will also involve passing the bicycle. One will have to slow down and give way. That is a Pottingerism. That is Pottinger's Law. The Oncoming vehicle and the bicycle will always conflict, exactly.

For bicyclist you can substitute, horse, telegraph pole, pedestrian, parked car. Although they are not strictly Pottingerisms, the rules still applies. Need I go on? The point is that 'it', whatever 'it' might be, will always, on an otherwise clear road, conflict with whatever vehicle decides to be on the other side of the road coming towards you.

Pottinger's LAW. Good old Arthur.