The New Buses Are Back
I saw two at the Angel today and actually took one home.
The New Buses Are Back
Note that every one is now advertising a London show. They only seemed to disappear for the rehearsal of the Olympic Opening Ceremony. I suspect each one is advertising a particular show and will the cast of each be getting out and doing a turn. After all London is the theatre capital of the world.
Crazy Golf at the Olympics?
I took this picture yesterday morning from the Emirates Air-Line.
Crazy Golf at the Olympics?
It looks like a one hole floating golf course for the Olympics. But then golf isn’t going to be part of the Olympics this year, although it is to be added in the future.
That is a disgrace, as golf isn’t a sport, but a pastime played by rich men in diamond check jumpers.
I suspect it could be something to do with the Olympic Opening Ceremony, as it was heading down river towards the River Lee and Stratford.
The New Little Waitrose at Highbury and Islington
It opened yesterday and I was impressed.
The only thing I couldn’t find of my staple purchases was the Waitrose goat’s milk. But surprisingly they had the Genius bread and the Genius fruit bread, which is rather difficult to get elsewhere. There was also gluten-free biscuits and cakes.
It will be a great help for me, as often I come out of Highbury and Islington station after coming home on the Victoria line. So at least I won’t starve.
I was impressed, and the average coeliac could do a lot worse round here. If anybody is going to the Olympics on the London Overground, it will be a good place to pick up a picnic. You could even go round the corner and eat it in Highbury Fields, which is rather a smart little park.
Torch Chasing in West London – Ealing
Today the torch arriving in Ealing, so I took the Central line out to Ealing Broadway station. I took these pictures before and mainly after an early supper in Carluccio’s in Ealing Green.
This road has a lot of good memories for me, as in a wine bar here, a lot of the plotting and design concerning Artemis was done over lunch, whilst some of us were working in Richard Evans house.
Those were the days and I suspect anybody who reads this will drink to absent friends.
Anyone For Tennis?
This seems to me to a good way to promote tennis courts.
Anyone For Tennis?
The adverts have been seen as far north as Islington.
Praise For Hackney, Wooden Spoon for Wandsworth
I know I missed the torch at the end of my road, but that was mainly because I took too long for a pit stop, but I did know where it was going to go, as the maps were good. But that is not what can be said for Wandsworth yesterday, where I tried to see the torch about 17:00. When I asked around, people seemed to be very anti-Olympics and it seemed mainly because of the Olympic Route Network, that made driving difficult. But then I always remember that driving is difficult south of the river.
Wandsworth or at least the centre is perhaps best summed up by the old Ram Brewery site. There’s even an old steam engine in there somewhere, that worked until the 1980s.
It used to produce one of the best real ales, but look at it now.
Chemical lager manufacturers have a lot to answer for. ADanish friend of mine once said that in Denmark, Carlsberg bought up every brewer and meant the only beer you could get is their product. He advised all in the UK, to not let it happen here.
It doesn’t matter to me now, as I can’t drink beer, but I know many feel that the destruction of the traditional British drinking culture has been one of the disasters of the last few decades. As a policeman once told me in all seriousness, you never get trouble in a real ale pub.
Where Have All The New Buses For London Gone?
I went all the way home from Victoria today and didn’t see one going the other way.
Either it was just chance or could there be some devious plot to use them for the Olympics.
Was this a practice?
Promenade des Anglais
This is the headline on the front page of The Times complete with a picture of Bradley Wiggins in yellow.
The Times for July 23rd, 2012
Not quite in the same vein as The Sun’s infamous “Hop Off You Frogs”, but it has a similar impact, especially as it is balanced by an article inside entitled “France hails its favourite Englishman” Even the French President, Francois Hollande is quoted in this article in the Telegraph.
French President François Hollande: “He is a complete rider. He is a good climber and a super time trialist. His team-mate (Chris Froome) is also very good, so if Wiggins had not won the Tour he would have been there. It was the British year.”
Even L’Equipe the French sporting newspaper, declares Wiggins’s victory to be like Miguel Indurain and used the heading of God Save the King as the link to their report of the last stage.
When was that phrase last used in a French newspaper?
So it is a victory to savour and I don’t think it will be unique within a few years. But now we’ve got the Olympics!
Will we see the Wiggins effect ripple through Team GB?
Torch Chasing in East London – Walthamstow
I then rushed to Walthamstow to see the torch in Hoe Street.
I think the mood of everybody was summed up, as a police motorcyclist tried to nick a Jamaican flag from someone standing on the side of the road. In fact the officers were very much in the swing of things, probably doing no more, than make sure no-one got run over.
Torch Chasing in East London – Clissold Park
On Sunday, I missed the torch at the end of my road, as after the Royal London Hospital, it took me longer to get home, have a pit-stop abnd then get down there. So Ijumped on a 141 bus and went to Clissold Park.
The torch was visiting the Hackney Festival.
The Anonymous Widower 