A Thought On The Philpott Case
The Philpott case, which is reported here, is raising a lot of debate, about the rights and wrongs of the level of benefits received.
C used to deal with some cases, where there was a vast bill for benefits on the one hand and because of the nature of the family, they cost Social Servicves a lot of time and money in keeping things in hand.
She felt, and I would agree with her, that these families are keeping benefits and services from others who need them.
So the first thing we must do is find a strategy to make sure that families like the Philpotts don’t get out of hand.
How you do that, I don’t know!
Visiting Heathrow Airport By Bus
Today wasn’t the first time, I’d been to the airport by bus, as when we were in our teens, a couple of times, we went to the airport by bus on a Saturday or school holiday. We went all the way round the houses on about six buses, finishing with a 140 to the airport. It was all for a few shillings on a Red Rover ticket.
A couple of times too, C and I went to the airport by coach from Newmarket, as in some ways it was quite convenient. Now, I just take the train or the Tube.
But after today’s crowded and slow journey on the Piccadilly line, I feel strongly, that Crossrail is needed now.
The New Bridge Over The Thames
In my lifetime, I can remember five bridges being built and opened across the Thames; London Bridge in 1973, the bridge at the Dartford Crossing in 1991, and the Golden Jubilee footbridges and the Millennium Bridge in 2002.
So today, when the BBC said that a new Walton Bridge was nearing completion, I just had to go, despite the weather.
I went to Waterloo station and got the train to Walton on Thames station.
Walton On Thames Station
From the station, after a fifteen minute wait, I got a 478 bus to the bridge. The bus actually, went over the old bridge next to the new one.
The New Walton Bridge
The weather was now the worst it had been all day, so I retreated on the first bus that arrived; a 555 for Heathrow Central.
It was possibly a mistake, as it went all round South West London, before arriving at the airport an hour or so later,
So in the end I got off at Hatton Cross station and took the Piccadilly line back to Green Park station, from where I got a 38 bus home.
Although, I achieved my objective of seeing the new bridge, the cold, snowy weather, the slow bus and the very crowded Underground coming home, put rather a damper on the day.
April Snows In Piccadilly Circus
I was going to Waterloo and the way I often go is to take the 38 bus to Piccadilly Circus and then get the Bakerloo line direct to the station.
But you don’t normally get snow showers in April!
I Locked Myself Out For The First Time Since 1969
This morning the recyclers turned up, and in the rush to dispose of my green sacks, I managed to lock myself out, as the door slammed behind me.
Luckily, I had my coat on, so I wasn’t too cold and I also had my wallet in the pocket. But my phone was in the house, so I couldn’t call my son, who has spare keys.
Eventually, I borrowed a phone, but he was in a meeting, so I had to go to Walthamstow to get them from our builder.
The journey didn’t start well, as roadworks round the corner, meant I couldn’t find a 56 bus to get to Leyton for a bus to where my son lives and the builder is working. So I went the other way to get the Victoria line from Highbury and Islington.
it was bitterly cold and I was without my hat and gloves and then the train was delayed.
But eventually, I got the keys and was able to get back into the house.
The last time, I locked myself out was in 1969 and a very pregnant C and myself called the Police to get us in. They did with a well-aimed boot. I’ve since used the technique a couple of times.
They also said never call the Fire Brigade in this sort of emergency, as they love to use their axes.
Cancer Isn’t Funny!
But!
They were just talking about drugs for cancer on BBC Breakfast.
They were interviewing a guy from Wolverhampton with stomach cancer, whose specialist at the local hospital said that he should get a second opinion. So his wife searched the Internet and found that his specialist, was one of the world’s leading experts in keeping people alive with stomach cancer. According to the interviewee, she then said “What’s he doing in Wolverhampton?”
There was a lot more in a similar vein.
It was a classic interview about a serious subject, conducted with a real Midlands sense of humour.
You Should Check Your Tweets
This cautionary tale of an MP, who tweeted a link to a porn site by mistake, should be read by anybody, who just retweets, stories, that they are told to.
At least, as I do all my blogging from my computer, I can check what I point to, before publishing.
Hackney’s New Recycling System
I used to like the old system, where I put out two green boxes on a Thursday. You seemed to know where you were and I separated glass and plastic bottles into one box and paper in the other.
Since they have gone to green sacks, I have not had anything collected, as I’m not sure how it is collected. I do have three green sacks full of rubbish in the garage, but as I’m not here next week, when will they be collected? At least being clean recyclables, they don’t smell!
The Anonymous Widower 