Duchess Pictures Row Goes From French Farce To An Irish One
It would appear from what I’ve read and heard on the radio, that both in France and Ireland the reason for publishing was to try to prop up rapidly dwindling circulations. According to a well-know media commentator, one of the most likely outcomes in Ireland, as both the owners have disowned a unilateral decision of an editor is that a hundred jobs might be lost.
I think that the Duke and Duchess have been a bit slow here. The damage has been done and nothing will repair it. But a substantial donation to his favourite charities might help.
I also think they’ll be also be more careful where they sunbathe.
Network Rail Ruins My Autumn Football
Living in London, I need to use the trains to get to home matches at Ipswich. But this autumn, it would appear that we have replacement buses on most match days.
It’s not the going that the problem, as I can go via Cambridge or Bury St. Edmunds and have lunch in the Carluccio’s there before the match and then get the train over. It’s coming home, as I don’t want to spend a couple of hours, whilst an elderly bus shows me the delights of the environs of Billericay. It supposedly only takes about forty minutes longer, but then I like a comfortable Mk. 3 coach.
So how bad is it? These are the dates with disruptions.
Sept 22 – Charlton – A possible disaster, if it’s a bad tempered match. At least most Charlton fans are fairly human.
Sep 29 – Barnsley Away
Oct 6 – Cardiff – It’s on Sky, so like many I probably won’t be going.
Oct 13 – No match
Oct 20 – Hull Away
Oct 27 – Sheff Wed – I’ll avoid this, as there could be quite a few away fans on the train and buses.
Nov 3 – Birmingham Away
Nov 10 – Burnley – Should be OK
Nov 17 – Leicester Away
Nov 24 – Peterborough – Should be OK
Dec 8 – Millwall – They must be joking about this one. A few Ipswich fans on coaches full of Millwall ones.
Dec 15 – Leeds Away
At least though it doesn’t appear that Ipswich and Norwich fans will be travelling on the same day.
But given the problems that Tuesday night matches have for many people, it is all a big disappointment!
The Jubilee line Cancels My Plans
This morning, I had intended to take the Overground to Canada Water and from there take the Jubilee line to Waterloo for a wander round the South Bank.
But just before Whitechapel, the driver announced that the Jubilee line had broken down.
So I took the Metropolitan line to Liverpool Street before getting a bus home.
Why is it every time, I try to take the Jubilee line, it decides to go AWOL?
I’m surprised it held up during the Olympics. Or was it because, most people know it’s rather unreliable, they didn’t take a chance.
Bison to Bedlam or How To Make Friends
CrossRail is the biggest project in Europe and sometimes I get annoyed with it, as the works in the City around Liverpool Street do cause a lot of diversions to the 21 and141 buses I use to get to a lot of places. Sometimes, I call the project AngryRail as that’s how it makes me feel.
But they know the problems they are causing and they do their best to mitigate them, be it by green walls or other means.
I have just received an e-mail from the company about the staging of their pop-up exhibition; Bison to Bedlam for a month in October.
They are giving talks on the Wednesdays and offering prizes for visitors.
Prize 1:
A Young Friends pass from the British Museum – includes annual YF Membership (the child receives magazines, a birthday card etc), two tickets to sleepover in the museum, two tickets to attend an activity event organised at the museum.
Prize 2:
An annual family membership card that covers entry into the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, the Banqueting House Kensington Palace and Kew Palace.
They don’t seem to me to be bad prizes.
My only worry about the exhibition is that if the numbers who turned up at the pop-up version is anything to go by, is a month long enough?
When they have completed the railway, and collected a lot more valuable finds, they all need to be properly displayed, together with displays about the engineering. Perhaps there should be a CrossRail museum at Whitechapel?
The Anonymous Widower 