Along the Regent’s Canal to the Angel
I’m about a five or ten minute walk to the Regent’s Canal and today, I walked along the canal to the Angel as it was starting to get dark.
I can remember some of this area in the 1970s and to say it has improved is one of the biggest understatements, anybody can make. I even saw a Norwich City supporter enthusiastically spinning for pike.
This is the third time, I’ve lived near this canal.
In the 1970s C, myself and our young family lived in St. John’s Wood, just north of the canal and we would cross it by the London Zoo to get into Regent’s Park. You used to see the occasional narrow-boat or pleasure craft, but I don’t think there was any easy access to the tow-path. It would probably have been deemed to dangerous anyway to take three small children alongside the water. So when we decry Health and Safety for ruining our pleasure, there must be many more examples like the Regent’s Canal towpath, where different interests coexist together in complete safety.
And then, a few years later when we lived in the Barbican we would often walk up to the Angel to shop walking right past the City Road Basin on the canal. But sadly we never explored.
It is often assumed that canals like this ceased to be commercial arteries, when the railways appeared, but the Regent’s Canal was still busy with freight until the Second World War. It also has another purpose in London’s infrastructure in that under the tow-path for quite a way is one of the city’s main electricity distribution mains. Believe it or not, but the cables at kept cool, by using water from the canal.
Christmas Shopping Completed
I got everything I needed in Oxford Street this afternoon. The strangest request I had was to get six lemons for Christmas Day from my son. In John Lewis, they were in fours, so he got eight.
Some parts of Oxford Street were seriously manic, but none as much so as Selfridges, where I was picking something up. John Lewis was quite quiet, but when I enquired about blinds for my house, the assistant said that a lot of their departments are quiet over Christmas and pick up in January. So as their sales are up four percent on last year, they are doing very well. Although the food department in the basement had the longest queue to pay, I’ve ever seen in a shop.
After I left Selfridges, I had intended to take the 30 bus which stops at the end of my road, but they seemed to be thin on the ground, so I took a 274 to the Angel, where I knew I’d be able to get any of five to get home.
The 274 bus brought back many memories, as it effectively took the route of the old 74 to Camden Town and then meandered towards the Angel. We’d used 74s many times when we lived in St. John’s Wood in the 1970s to get to and from Oxford Street and Knightsbridge. The route used Routemasters and you had to be quick to fold the double push-chair and stow it under the stairs, before someone else grabbed the space. C would regularly do the trip with three children under four on her own. Mothers today have it so easy.
The 274 will be a useful bus for me, as it connects so easily to where I live. Either I can take another bus from the Angel or a train from Cmden Road or Caledonian Road and Barnsbury to Canonbury and then walk.
Today I did the simple thing and got a bus down the Essex Road.
Do I Have a Claim under the Disability Rights Act?
Ipswich Town are playing at home on Boxing Day, but unfortunately there are no trains between London and Ipswich, so I will be unable to go.
If I could drive, it would not be a problem, but because of the stroke, I now no longer have a driving licence, or a car available for that matter. So am I being discrimanated against, especially as I’ve paid for the match with my season ticket?
I can’t even listen to the match on local radio, as I would have done in Suffolk!
I’ve also checked the Supporters Club web site and no-one runs a coach from London.
A Previous White Christmas
All of this bad weather reminds me of a tale of getting home for Christmas in probably 1978. I say probably as the BBC have said that that was a very bad winter. Ian, one of our consultants, was working in Amsterdam and joined the exodus with many fellow Brits back to the UK on Christmas Eve at Schipol. But Heathrow was closed as many aircraft were frozen to the stands. More by luck than judgement BA were able to get a Tri-Star to Schipol after finding out that East Midlands airport was free of snow. The jet then did several shuttles between the two airports to bring everybody home, albeit not to where they wanted to go. BA also hired every coach they could find to complete the passengers’ journeys.
One version of the story says that the last flight came in at three in the morning of Christmas Day.
One gets the impression, that that sort of spirit no longer exists in our transport industry. Although as I said at the time, I’ll give credit to National Express East Anglia for getting me home on Saturday from Ipswich.
The Western Curve Appears to be Going Well
At present there is no link between the new East London Line and the old North London Line, so passengers wishing to transfer have to walk down the busy road, that connects the two stations, as I did yesterday, when I needed to divert because of the snow.
But the Western Curve which connects the two lines appears to be a project that is running to time, if you read this article.
You don’t have to be mad to support Ipswich, but it helps!
On Friday, I bought my train ticket to go to see Ipswich play Leicester at Portman Road, so if I had decided not to go because of the weather it would have cost me £23.55. I could afford that and knew that as I walked along the Ball’s Pond Road to Dalston Kingsland station, the weather didn’t look at all promising.
- Snow in the Ball’s Pond Road
I did get as far as the cash-point on the corner, but immediately returned home and then went to a pub where I had some lunch and some cider.
At about two, I thought that I’d go as snow often makes for good entertainment. So I retraced my steps to the station, bought a paper and then found that the station was closed. So I had to taske the alternative route, via Dalston Junction, Whitechapel and Mile End, where I got the Central Line for Stratford, to get the fast train to Ipswich.
The Olympic stadium looked good in the snow.
- Olympic Stadium in the Snow
But at least the Olympics are in August not the winter!
I actually fell asleep on the train to Ipswich, but that had nothing to do with missing the first twelve minutes or so of the match. The move has been tiring and I just needed the sleep. I completely missed the first goal and only heard the roar of the crowd as the second went in.
I just managed to see the third through the snow, but as most of the action for that goal happened just in front of me.
The second half was much of the same, as 16,728 souls peered through the snow.
Football in the Snow
But all thanks go to the referee, who resisted all efforts by the Leicester players to abandon the match. And of course to the ground staff, who kept the game going.
I had a wait at the station for a train back to London, but when it arrived it was new, warm and comfortable and arrived at its destination without gaining any more delays. It was then a tube to Liverpool Street and a taxi from the station to home. The only bad information I received on the journey home was from the charming policewoman at Liverpool Street, who said that the taxis weren’t running. But they were.
Interestingly, her colleague was in a uniform which said Politie, so he could have been Dutch. Are we that short of police these days that we have to borrow them from other countries? I made a mistake in not taking a picture.
But I suppose, when Ipswich fans talk over a drink in a few years time, I will be able so say “I was there!”
Isn’t life wonderful.
Why I Love John Lewis!
This may be a personal view, but then John Lewis is one of Britain’s most respected brands.
I went to Oxford Street today for two reasons; to have lunch in Carluccio’s and buy some storage and other goods for my house.
I arrived about two thirty and made for the television department, as I wanted a double swivel wall bracket for my lrge-screen television. Some have said that I should have a bigger one, but then I think 32 inches is big enough for me, especially as my eyesight isn’t perfect. But I do want to be able to view it either from my kitchen and both ends of my living space at various times. So I was sold a bracket, that would do all the swivelling, but would also take a larger screen if I decided to upgrade. So that probably saved me the cost of a second bracket, which is about £100.
I then bought some underbed storage boxes, a dual-compartment waste bin and a vegetable rack on wheels in the basement. Three people offered to carry them for me to the till and eventually after I’d paid for them, one even took the storage boxes to the customer collection department, where after a few minutes I was united with the rubbish bin.
But that wasn’t the end of it, as not even a Chinese pole juggler could have carried all of my parcels, even taking account of the fact that the TV bracket was in my backpack. So the guy behind the desk in Customer Collection came out and carried one parcel to the taxi rank at the back of the shop.
The taxi home did cost me £25, but it was the rush hour and the driver got out of the cab and helped me get the parcels into the house.
Isn’t John Lewis and London wonderful?
Am I Bothered?
Look at this picture of a Congestion Charge sign.
Congestion Charge Sign
And this parking ticket machine.
Parking Ticket Machine
But then look at this picture of the traffic as I approached the West End on one of the few means of transport still available to me, my feet.
Traffic in the West End
So am I bothered? Not in the least, as I can still walk, use buses, the Underground and other trains and where it is more convenient or a cost saving, I can even use a black cab!
It’s All So Bare Now!
I’ve packed up a lot of stuff and the house is now looking so bare. I’ve found a few more gems, including a lovely postcard from Barbara Cassani, who started Go. You don’t hear much of her today, I hope she is OK. I’m just probably getting paranoid.
But look at this.
An Almost Bare Office
New Trains for Old
Ever since I’ve lived in West Suffolk, the trains between Ipswich and Cambridge have been on their last legs. But these last few weeks with the cold weather has been a bit of a nightmare, with possibly the worst day shown here. Some days the trains haven’t been able to keep to the timetable because of cold weather, suicides and mechanical problems. On possibly four occasions, the trains have either not turned up or been very late at Dullingham. To make matters worse some journeys out of Cambridge have been very crowded to say the least.
But all was supposed to change today, as larger, faster, more comfortable and very much newer Class 170 have been cascaded onto the service from the Cambridge to Norwich service.
This video shows the first train arriving at Dullingham, exactly on time at 10:06.
And here’s the train at its destination in Cambridge.
The First Ipswich-Cambridge Class 170 at Cambridge
Coming back I did have a problem at Tottenham Hale getting the train to Cambridge, but after diverting to King’s Cross, I arrived at Cambridge to get the on-time 17:12 to Newmarket for a taxi home.
There is only one problem with the new timetable and that is after just getting used to the old one, I have to look up each train to find out their times. But after today’s experience with the new service, it is to be hoped that the timetable will be what happens and not what is supposed to.
The Anonymous Widower 