The View From Hay’s Galleria
I’d gone south from the Angel to London Bridge station, with the aim of walking along the River Thames to see Tower Bridge.
To get to the bridge, I took one of the exits onto Tooley Street, crossed the road and walked through the Hay’s Galleria. I took these pictures.
This is one of the best ways to get onto the walk beside the Thames. There are also a couple of restaurants and cafes, in and by the Galleria, if you want to eat or drink.
The Best Free Camera Platform In London
I was on the top of One New Change, this morning in the sunshine.
You can also see the Shard all too clearly. But I didn’t take a picture, as it’s ruined enough of my pictures already.
It really is the best free camera platform in the centre of London.
Are We Seeing A New Type Of Shopping Centre?
I have been impressed by One New Change by St.Paul’s in London.
Today, as I needed to eat on the way back from Burnley, I visited Trinity Leeds, which is a shopping centre close to Leeds station to have a late lunch in Carluccio’s.
Although, Trinity Leeds is four times as big as One New Change, it has a similar upmarket feel. When you stand both of them alongside such centres as Meadowhall, Lakeside and quite a few others, there is no comparison, although they are smaller.
They have both been developed by the same company; Land Securities. it would seem that some of the features and tenants have been chosen to improves the shopping experience. Both centres have an extensive selection of restaurants and have been designed to blend in, rather than dominate their neighbours. Leeds has even got an Art House cinema from Everyman Cinemas. Usually shopping centres, just have a multiplex showing exclusively Transatlantic trash.
From my point of view, the centre is ideally placed, as it puts a second Carluccio’s close to my preferred interchange station in the North of England; Leeds. I won’t use Leeds every time there is not a direct service from London, but for Burnley, Blackburn and possibly a few others, it is the best route, especially if I can get lunch.
The Largest Case C Ever Did!
I went to the retirement party in Ipswich, for a judge who was one of C’s best friends, in Ipswich tonight.
It was good to meet old friends and have a drink and some nibbles.
I was also introduced to someone, who as one of the Court Clerks, played a part in the largest case C ever did.
She would tell this story with gusto and lots of actions. I’m sure many who heard it, didn’t believe all of the tale.
She always called the case, the Thorpeness Affray and although she didn’t do crime in the later part of her career, she was persuaded to defend someone in this case, which took place at Ipswich Crown Court.
The size was enormous, in that there a hundred and eight defendants, which my informant said they split into two separate trials. I think once, she said the clerks were scraping the barrel, which is why she got roped in.
It became obvious that the dock wasn’t big enough, so it was decided that each defendant should have a number and these would be placed above their seat. Each of the barristers would carry a flag identifying their clients.
Concerns were raised, as this numbering might not be conducive to a fair trial.
The judge was the well-respected and mildy-eccentric Bertie Richards. He thought, that if the defendants were to be numbered, so should he as the judge. So a number one was placed above where he sat.
At this point in the story, C would get all agitated and would make an action of holding up her flag and saying something like “Your Honour! I represent number 4!” Once the substitute flag in the telling, was a numbered wooden spoon in the restaurant of the pub, much to the delight of everyone.
Whatever happened to her client, I can’t remember. But tonight, I was told that many of the defendants, were part of a gang called the Bramfield Budgies. Bramfield is a village in Suffolk on the A12.
I think it is true to say that in the 1970s and 1980s, the conduct of justice was sometimes a little out of the ordinary.
The Look Of Love
I went to see this film about Paul Raymond. I didn’t go to my usual cinema at the Barbican, but to the Hackney Picturehouse. This incidentally, is probably my most convenient cinema, as it’s a direct bus both ways and one light-controlled crossing of a major road.
I enjoyed both the cinema and the film. But I am partial to the films of Michael Winterbottom. I remember C and I, thoroughly enjoying A Cock and Bull Story, a few years ago. It might have been one of the last films we saw together!
The World At Greenwich
I took these pictures of the cruise ship; The World at Greenwich.
It would be good to see it go downriver from somewhere like Barrier Park.
The Emirates Air-Line Wasn’t Very Busy
Early this morning, I went over the Emirates Air-Line
The Emirates Air-Line Wasn’t Very Busy
The picture shows the queues at Royal Victoria.
On the other hand the view was one of the best.
The O2 Arena And Canary Wharf
Note that the Shard is missing.
Another Serious Problem In The Gulf
This story on the BBC’s web site, looks like a severe problem that is going to happen in the Gulf States.
It would appear no-one has died in these high-rise fires, but it strikes me after reading the article, that regulations and building materials aren’t what we would expect in Europe or North America.
A few years ago, I went to Dubai and the number of residential towers going up was amazing. But how many of them are fire traps?
We’ve had the some problems with tower blocks in this country, like the fire at Lakanal House in 2009, but hopefully we’ve not sed too much dangerous cladding. The only tower block, I’ve lived in was Cromwell Tower in the Barbican, which was built in concrete to a very high standard in the 1960s. You felt very safe in that building.
Typing “Barbican Fire” into Google, just gives you this relevant link and that’s about an event, where the City of London Fire Brigade and showing children how to be aware of fire.
My only quesion, is do fire brigades do enough of that sort of thing.
Justice Gets Attacked In Marion, Indiana
This is a rather funny story, about a drone that went AWOL.
Wonga Fraud Claims Grow
The BBC Watchdog programme is reporting increasing fraud based around Wonga. Here’s the introduction.
There’s been a growing number of complaints from victims about bank fraud, according to the BBC’s Watchdog programme.
It says it has heard from more than 350 people who claim their accounts have been raided for loans they didn’t take out.
They include 16-year-old student Simon Oliver from East Sussex.
“I was at Gatwick airport on a school trip and went to pay for some food and my card didn’t work,” he said.
It strikes me, that Wonga aren’t doing their checks correctly, as obviously, the sixteen year old, who was defrauded shouldn’t have been able to take out a long.
One point is that, the money has been loaned to a different bank account to the one where the payments are taken.
Surely, Wonga, do check bank accounts thoroughly! It looks like they don’t!
I just checked with a guy I know, who’s run finance companies and only in very rare circumstances, would you send the loan to one account and get the repayments for another. Usually, it was a commercial loan, where Director’s guarantees were involved.
I’ve not heard of this fraud being perpetrated on a reputable loan company.
The Anonymous Widower 