Pictures Of Crossrail
This gallery on the BBC shows some good pictures of the Crossrail sites from the air.
Some of my pictures show the view from the ground.
Did You Know You Can’t Take Flowers In The Channel Tunnel?
I was thinking about taking some to a friend in The Netherlands, but I’ve found out you can’t take them.
It’s all to do with the fact that as the Channel Tunnel is below sea level, the negative pressure causes the petals to drop off. It’s the same if you’re in a train or in the Shuttle.
Hoist By His Own Petard
I’m reminded of one of my father’s favourite phrases by this story about the leader of the English Defence League.
He can’t really complain about his punishment, as I thought the EDL wanted to keep unwanted immigrants out of the country. So what were the Americans doing? Just that, when he tried to get there using someone else’s passport.
Cambridge Busway Troubles
The Cambridge Busway may be running fairly well now, but it still seems to cause trouble for politicians, as this report shows.
At least though the Edinburgh Tram has come along to give the busway company in the book of bad projects.
Do I Need A Smart Phone?
I’ve recently bought a Samsung Tab 2 7. This is the seven inch screen or the small one.
I can keep it in my pocket and use it to send e-mails and surf the Internet. I checked my Zopa and bank details on Saturday and even entered a small post to this blog.
I’ve only a wi-fi version, which proved excellent on the train on Saturday. But then we are seeing more and more free wi-fi hotspots in pubs and cafes everywhere.
So quite frankly, I’ll stick to my Nokia 6310i for phone calls and text messages.
Who needs a smart phone?
The Dignity Of A Sari
On Saturday, I was on a 30 bus at Highbury Corner and an Indian lady of about sixty or so got off the bus and walked up the road.
She was obviously going somewhere special, as she was immaculately dressed in what looked to my untrained eye an expensive sari. She was also carrying a big bunch of flowers, so perhaps she was going to visit a friend or family for lunch.
She had this aura of dignity, that I have observed so many times in India, with women dressed in a similar way.
You don’t see Indian women dressed this way so often where I live.
The first time, I came across a lady in a sari, was when my mother had an operation for varicose veins in the 1950s. The doctor then was a very beautiful Indian lady, who used to do her ward rounds in a sari. Both my parents incidentally, thought it perfectly normal.
I also remember, when I used to work at ICI in Welwyn Garden City, that one of the team I worked with; Manju, occasionally came to work in a sari on important days, or perhaps when someone was leaving.
You don’t seem to see Indian women in the workplace these days dressed in a sari.
The Anonymous Widower 