I’ve Just Finished My Second Bottle Of Beer Today
And It’s not yet noon!
I felt dehydrated when I got up and started a bottle of Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5 % Beer.
I do find on a hot day, it’s a good thirst-quencher.
Perhaps, hot weather and beer, got my grandfather on the way to being an alcoholic and an early death before forty.
I may already be twice the age at which he died.
I do wonder sometimes, that low and zero-alcohol beer could be used to wean people off the demon drink.
In my case though my father had his own psychological ways, that taught me to be responsible with alcohol.
Walking Between Moorgate and Liverpool Street – 30th May 2025
The BBC were saying this morning, that Finsbury Circus Gardens would be reopened today.
So after having my usual full-English gluten-free breakfast in Leon on Moorgate, I walked through Finsbury Circus to Liverpool Street.
Note.
- The gardens aren’t quite finished and some of the gates aren’t open yet.
- There are some magnificent specimen trees.
- Finsbury Circus Gardens can be approached from Moorgate between the buildings, after Crossing Moorgate on the light-controlled crossing, I wrote about in Moorgate Has Now Got A New Light-Controlled Crossing.
- I think I should have walked around the other side of the circus.
Hopefully, it’ll all be finished in a few days.
An Extreme Day Out – Bradford Forster Square Station
It seems to be the fashion to go and visit somewhere far away in a day. So why not?
For my first trip in this vein, I decided on the spur of the moment to go to Bradford Forster Square station.
Why Did I Choose Bradford Forster Square Station?
There are three main reasons.
- A new platform has just opened at the station to handle the longest LNER trains.
- LNER are now running a seven trains per day (tpd) service via Leeds.
- I wanted to see how LNER’s walk-up ticketing performed on the route.
In addition, I wanted to see how the service performed, now that Bradford is this year’s UK City of Culture.
King’s Cross To Bradford Forster Square Station For £43.00 With A Railcard
I just missed the 11:03, so I booked the 13:03 for £43.00 with my Senior Railcard, from one of the numerous ticket machines in King’s Cross.
The train arrived on time in two hours 47 minutes for the 199.4 miles, which was an average speed of 72 mph.
In What Will Be The Fastest Times Possible Between London King’s Cross And Leeds?, I predicted this.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see with full digital signalling and a 125 mph average between London King’s Cross and Leeds.
- 125 mph Base Time – 89 minutes.
- Four Acceleration/Deceleration sections at 6 minutes each – 24 minutes.
- Three Dwell Times at 2 minutes each – 6 minutes
This would mean a total time of one hour and 59 minutes.
As my Bradford service took two hours and 28 minutes between London King’s Cross And Leeds, that would mean, that a time close to two hours and fifteen minutes could be possible between London King’s Cross and Bradford Forster Square stations.
There Weren’t Many Passengers Between Leeds And Bradford Forster Square Stations
These pictures show the nearly empty train and the small numbers, who alighted at Bradford Forster Square station.
But I don’t think three in the afternoon is a time, when many passengers will need to go between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square stations.
Bradford Forster Square Station
I described that station, with its new Platform 0 in Bradford Forster Square Station – 20th May 2025, where I said the station needed these additions.
The station needs a few additions, like a proper coffee shop, a better shop, ticket machines and toilets.
But it’s not been open very long.
Bradford Forster Square Station To King’s Cross For £25.70 With A Railcard
I bought this ticket from a Yorkshire Lass in the Ticket Office.
There Weren’t Many Passengers Between Bradford Forster Square And King’s Cross Stations
Only about a dozen passengers boarded the train at Bradford Forster Square and some got out at Leeds.
In fact the train wasn’t very busy all the way to London with perhaps twenty passengers in my carriage, when we arrived in King’s Cross.
Will This Service Develop Into A Two-Hourly London King’s Cross And Leeds Or Bradford Forster Square Service With A Trans-Yorkshire Service Tacked On?
Currently, it is the following.
- An express service between King’s Cross and Leeds with stops at Peterborough, Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate.
- An express service between King’s Cross and Bradford Forster Square with stops at Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate and Leeds.
- A local service between Doncaster and Bradford Forster Square with stops at Wakefield Westgate and Leeds.
- Additional calls on some services are at Stevenage, Grantham, Retford and Shipley.
In addition the following would be possible.
- Pairs of trains could split at Leeds, with one train going to Bradford Forster Square and the other train to somewhere like Harrogate, Huddersfield or Skipton.
- Additional stops could be added between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square without slowing services between Leeds and King’s Cross.
But then where does this fit with LNER buying ten CAF tri-mode trains?
Surely they would get better flexibility, if they’d bought more Azumas, which could run on the electrification all the way to Bradford Forster Square, Huddersfield and Skipton. If some had batteries, they could run all the way to Harrogate.
LNER’s Disabled-Unfriendly Refreshments System
I am not disabled, but I only have one fully-working hand, as the school bully broke my left humerus and I have difficulty doing certain things with my left hand, due to the quality of the care I received in Highlands Hospital in Winchmore Hill.
Having a left-sided stroke didn’t help either.
One of the things, I can’t do is take pictures on my mobile phone, so I always carry a proper camera. Because of the injury, I have also never read a QR code with my phone.
On LNER’s trains to get a drink, you either have to order it by reading a QR code or walking to the buffet.
As on the train going North, the buffet was closed, I went thirsty.
In future, if I have a choice of trains, I’ll choose one with a trolly service.
Are The CAF Tri-Mode Trains Part Of A Plan To Drive Open Access Operators Out Of Yorkshire?
This is possibly the only scenario that makes sense.
The ten-car tri-mode trains would be used to take over Grand Central’s services to Bradford Interchange and Sunderland, and Hull Trains services to Hull.
After Monday, LNER are now running more daily services to Bradford Forster Square, than Grand Central are to Bradford Interchange.
If like my return to London on Tuesday, you can buy a walk-up ticket on LNER, then why would you travel on Grand Central.
Conclusion
£68.70 is not a bad price for what is in effect a walk-up day return to Bradford Forster Square.
I’ve just looked how much, I would be charged for an advance ticket on Friday, using the trains I used on Tuesday.
I could get a ticket for £25.70 going North and £28.95 going South or a total of £54.65. All are with my Senior Railcard.
But it does look to me, that LNER and the Government are trying to drive Grand Central off the Bradford route.
If I am right and Hull Trains and Lumo will be next in LNER’s sights, then what was Starmer and other Government ministers doing at the launch of orders for new trains for Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo?
Where Have All The M & S Gluten Free Ginger Snaps Gone?
I eat a lot of Marks & Spencer’s gluten-free ginger snap biscuits.
Note.
- Three make a good snack.
- I find ginger is good for me.
- They are the best biscuits for dunking I’ve ever found.
But I’ve only found one lonely packet in the last two weeks.
And that was in Marks & Spencer’s Islington store, hidden away on the wrong shelf, all by itself.
Relief At Last
I was able to buy three packets in the Marks and Spencer Food Hall today, which is the 21st of May.
Name Your Poison!
The weather is hot and my cardiologist, GP and physiotherapist are advising me to keep hydrated.
This picture shows what I’m drinking.
Note.
- The 500 ml. bottle of beer costs £1.25 or £0.0025 per ml.
- The 330 ml. can of Diet Coke costs £4.75 for 8 or £0.0018 per ml.
The prices are from Ocado.
Tapwater is not much cheaper.
Forty Years On
Tuesday was almost exactly forty years to the day since we sold Artemis.
Remarkably, as my son observed, we’re all still here. Perhaps, a bit battered maybe!
A No-Washing-Up Spaghetti Carbonara
I like these Marks and Spencer’s Gluten-Free Spaghetti Carbonara and generally eat one every week.
Today’s one, was a couple of days out of date, so I though I’d cook and eat it without doing any real washing up.
These are the pictures I took.
In future would it be sensible to buy meals that need less washing up?
Danish Shoppers Boycott Coca-Cola Over Trump
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in the Telegraph.
This is the sub-heading.
Sales slump in Scandinavian nation following US president’s threats to annex Greenland
These are the first two paragraphs.
Shoppers are boycotting Coca-Cola amid a backlash over Donald Trump’s erratic foreign policy, Carlsberg has said.
The Danish brewer, which bottles the fizzy drink in its home country, said sales were “slightly down” as consumers protested against the US president.
Trump obviously doesn’t realise that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
What A Difference Eight Days Makes
Every week, I usually order a Marks & Spencer gluten-free spaghetti carbonara in my weekly Ocado shop.
I order it for these reasons.
- It is gluten-free and I am coeliac.
- I can cook it easily in the microwave.
- I can also eat it directly from the tray it is packed in, so if I’m careful, I only have to wash up the fork, I ate it with.
But above all I like spaghetti carbonara.
Last week, I didn’t eat the spaghetti carbonara, that was delivered last Saturday.
So I had two spaghetti carbonaras in my fridge for supper tonight, which are shown in these pictures.
Note.
- The different sizes of the two packs.
- The larger pack is last Saturday’s and is dated the 22nd of April.
- The smaller pack is today’s and is dated the 30th of April.
- Both packs are labelled 400 g.
It looks like the packaging could have been shrunk, but not the product inside!
I have just eaten last Saturday’s pack and have had no ill effects, despite it being four days out of date.
Incidentally, it looks like Ocado are still showing the larger pack on their website.
A Step-Free Adventure Under The Thames Between Moorgate and Grove Park
I am assembling this post, as a number of sub-posts, so it will not make sense until it is finished.
From Moorgate Station To East India Station
I started this adventure from Moorgate, but I could have started it from any Central London location that is well-connected to Bank station.
As I had had a full English breakfast in a pot, at Leon on Moorgate, it seemed to be a good place to start.
My route started simple, in that I took the Northern Line to Bank station and then took the Docklands Light Railway to East India station.
This first gallery of pictures shows my journey until I caught the SL4 bus at East India station.
Note.
- The first few pictures show getting to East India station on the Docklands Light Railway.
- Moorgate station has a high step into the Northern Line train.
- All the others are more or less level.
- East India station is then shown in detail.
East India station is fully step-free with lifts.
Southbound Through The Silvertown Tunnel
This second gallery of pictures shows my Southbound journey approaching and through the Silvertown Tunnel.
Note.
- The dual-carriageway leading to the tunnel wasn’t busy.
- The bus was in the inside lane all the way through.
- I don’t think anybody passed the bus.
- There appeared to be more traffic coming out of the Blackwall Tunnel.
The traffic from the two tunnels seemed to merging well.
Blackheath Station
This third gallery of pictures shows Blackheath station.
Note.
- Blackheath station has a good number of useful shops for a worthwhile pit-stop.
- There was even a fish and chip shop.
- Blackheath station has a lift to one platform and a ramp to the other.
- The bus stop I used was only a small step into the bus.
The transfer between bus and train would not be as easy as East India station, but I don’t think it would be difficult for say someone in a wheel-chair.
Lee Station
This fourth gallery of pictures shows Lee station.
Note.
- The station was a stiff uphill walk from the bus stop.
- Both platforms had their own uphill walk.
If I was in a wheel-chair, I’d give this Lee station a miss.
Grove Park
The route ends at Grove Park bus station.
This fifth gallery of pictures shows, where the bus terminated.
Note.
- It wasn’t the most interesting of places.
- I couldn’t even find a decent cafe for a coffee.
- In the fifteen minutes I was at Grove Park, I must have seen five SL4 buses.
- I’d hoped it would be near to Grove Park station, but I couldn’t see any signs to it and the two people I asked didn’t know where it was.
- In the end I had to walk about five hundred metres to get the SL4 back to Central London.
My mother always advised you take a posse with you, when you venture into South London. She was right!
When I got home, I looked up, where I’d been on Google Maps.
Note.
- Baring Road running North-South down the Eastern side of the map.
- The Esso filling station and the bus station are at the top of the map.
- Grove Park station is at the bottom of the map.
My mother would have said, this is why you need a posse.
Return To East India Station
This sixth gallery of pictures shows the run up the dual-carriageway approach and the run through the tunnel.
Note.
The Anonymous Widower 