Drivers Must Not Be Disturbed
This sign is on the platform at London Bridge station.
Sign at London Bridge
I think it is the least that passengers can expect, that the driver of their train is totally of sound mind.
I have to ask though if it is OK to disturb the driver if he is asleep?
Lost South of the Thames
Whenever I go south of the Thames, I get lost. Why this should be I do not know, but its happened to me so many times. It could be that I’m allergic to it, as I was born on the right side of the river. I summed it up in this post, entitled an Expedition to the Deep South.
Yesterday, all I wanted to do was get to Orpington, so I took the Northern line to London Bridge and tried to find a train. I knew they are fairly frequent, but the boards were incomprehensible, the Information Desk was closed and it was a question of taking pot-luck. There was a rumour, that there might be a train on Platform 5, so I went there and waited.
A Train to Which Minster?
A train was going to Orpington first stop, but I had a feeling there was an earlier one on another platform. In the end I waited and caught it.
But which Minster was this train going to? The one I know is on the Isle of Sheppey. So I didn’t want to fall asleep and end up there!
What is needed is some simple means to determine which is the platform for the next train to Station X. Perhaps a terminal with times and platforms, but then that would enable people to be at the right gate for their train, instead of waiting in a scrum until it was announced.
I’ve got to go to Gatwick tomorrow, as I’m off to Greece for a few days. I’m almost tempted to get a train to Croydon on the Overground and then get one to Gatwick from there. But the East London Line goes to the other Croydon.
I wish my flight was from Heathrow, Stansted or City, as that would be so much simpler
Should Buses Be Named?
The number 30 bus, I got on today was dedicated to Dave Gardner. This picture shows the plaque inside. His name is also on the back.
Plaque on a Bus Dedicated to Dave Gardner
He was obviously a great guy to have around and the named bus is a great tribute.
I think we should do it more often. It has to be remembered that many acts of heroism on the railways have been commemorated by the naming of locomotives. They are described here.
Hope Street
When I was in Liverpool in the sixties, there was much more religious tension than there is today.
Part of the reason, was the leadership of the two great churchmen; David Sheppard and Derek Worlock. They are commemorated in this joint statue in Hope Street.
The Sheppard-Worlock Statue
Note how you can see the Anglian Cathedral in the picture. From behind, you can see the Roman Catholic one at other end of Hope Street.
The Sheppard-Worlock Statue from Behind
Incidentally, Derek Worlock was a coeliac. I have a feeling that rulings by the current Pope would mean that he couldn’t be ordained as a Catholic priest today. Religion should be about inclusion and tolerance and not the reverse.
A Very Emotional Day
Looking back on Thursday, I can now see how it was a very emotional day for me. But not in a dark and unhappy way, but more in a celebration of the happy times I have had in the past, and what despite the loss of my wife, C, and our third son, and the stroke, I can do in the future. Was I loosing the unhappy shackles of the past?
I think that truth be told, I was very worried about the lecture. But I was given a warm welcome and I have been told it went well. It is not for me to say, but I hope that I’ll do some similar things in the future.
The walk around Liverpool in the sun, brought back many happy memories of the first few years of my life with C.
If there was a blot on my day, it was that I behaved in a rather silly and almost rude way with the celebrity. I apologise to them unreservedly. I’ve also paid a self-imposed fine to Comic Relief.
So would C be proud of what I accomplished on Thursday?
She told me to be strong and carry on many times, as she lay in bed dying.
So at least I have done that!
The Bombed-Out Church
Liverpudlians always know St. Luke‘s as the bombed-out church.
Urban Strawberry Lunch now use the church as an event space, with music, films and other events.
When I go to Liverpool, I always walk up past St. Luke’s and pay my respects to all those who died in the Second World War.
I know C felt this was one of her favourite places and although I didn’t shed a tear this time, I did think of her when I passed. It may not be as well known as Coventry, but to me this church is an important memorial to those who died.
Coffee in Bold Street, Liverpool
I had a coffee in Starbucks in Bold Street as I walked around the city.
Starbucks in Bold Street, Liverpool
I have a feeling,that this building was a coffee shop in the 1960s, called something like La Bussola. There is nothing to indicate this and the helpful staff didn’t know anything.
However there is a plaque from a Merseyside Heritage Society saying that it was a very good restoration of the building.
Dedicated To All the Lonely People
Eleanor Rigby is one of the Beatle’s most famous songs and one of the few songs, with its own sculpture.
Eleanor Rigby, Stanley Street, Liverpool
The sculpture was created by Tommy Steele, who is better known as a rock-and-roll singer and musical performer. He gave the sculpture to the City of Liverpool in honour of the Beatles.
I sat for a few moments with Eleanor and thought of C, who never saw the modern Liverpool.
Around St. George’s Hall and Lime Street
After the lecture and a very good lunch, I walked back down the hill to the station, where I dumped my bag in the Left Luggage and then took these pictures of the area.
Archeecturally as in many other things, Liverpool is the second city in the UK and these pictures tell just a part of why.
The Anonymous Widower 