The Anonymous Widower

Royal Souvenirs Have ‘Platinum Jubbly’ Misprint

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

These are the first three paragraphs.

A spelling mistake on thousands of pieces of Platinum Jubilee merchandising, calling it the “Platinum Jubbly”, is proving a challenge for souvenir sellers.

The cups and plates were meant to mark the Queen’s 70-year reign.

Clearance website boss Karl Baxter said – “in classic Del Boy-style” – he will pitch them as collectors’ items.

It is so sad that Prince Philip is no longer with us. As a Greek he would surely have had some very appropriate jokes about plate smashing.

February 1, 2022 Posted by | World | , , | 2 Comments

Northern Eden Project Worth £125 million Gets Green Light

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Plans to transform the seafront of a deprived town into a £125 million northern outpost of the Eden Project have been given the green light.

Councillors in Lancashire approved plans for the site on Morecambe seafront which it is hoped will attract around a million visitors and create 400 jobs.

I think the Eden Project Morecambe could be a real Northern success.

Here’s my reasoning.

Location, Location, Location

These are the three most important factors with any house, building or property.

Morecambe has a superb location for visitors coming by car or train, as is close to both the M6 Motoway and the West Coast Main Line.

I wrote about getting to the Eden Project in Getting To The Proposed Morecambe Eden Project By Train.

I suspect visitors coming by road, would drive to a suitable Park-and-Ride and then take a train.

Lancaster Will Be A High Speed Two Station

Lancaster will be served by the following High Speed Two services.

  • London Euston – Two hours and three minutes – One tph
  • London Old Oak Common – One hour and fifty-six minutes – One tph
  • Birmingham Curzon Street – One hour and six minutes – One tph
  • Crewe – Fifty-nine minutes – One tph
  • Warrington Bank Quay – Forty-two minutes – One tph
  • Wigan North Western – Thirty-one minutes – Two tph
  • Preston – Seventeen minutes – Two tph
  • Oxenholme – Twelve minutes – One tp2h
  • Penrith – Thirty-five minutes – One tp2h
  • Carlisle – Fifty-two minutes – One tph
  • Lockerbie – One hour and eleven minutes – One tph
  • Edinburgh – Two hours and twelve minutes – One tp2h
  • Motherwell – One hour and fifty-six minutes – One tp2h
  • Glasgow – Two hours and twelve minutes – One tp2h

Note.

  1. tph is trains per hour.
  2. tp2h is trains per two hours.
  3. A shuttle train between Lancaster and the Eden Project Morecambe will probably add ten minutes.

High Speed Two will make the Eden Project Morecambe one of the best connected entertainment venues in the UK.

Avanti West Coast And TransPennine Express North Of Warrington Bank Quay After High Speed Two Opens

When High Speed Two opens, it is likely that North of Warrington Bank Quay station, the operating speed of this section of the West Coast Main Line will be faster than the  current 125 mph, as the track will have been straightened and digital signalling will have been installed.

It will probably be at least 140 mph.

These trains will be running express passenger services on the route and will be able to match the speed and timings of High Speed Two’s Classic-Compatible trains to the North of Warrington Bank Quay station.

  • Avanti West Coast’s Class 390 trains
  • TransPennine Express’s Class 397 trains
  • TransPennine Express’s Class 802 trains

There is likely to be savings of a few minutes on these services.

  • Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Glasgow Central
  • TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport, Manchester Piccadilly and Glasgow Central
  • TransPennine Express – Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow Central

Connections from the North-West of England and Southern Scotland will be fast and frequent.

Eden Project Morecambe Will Be A Day Trip For Greater North West England

An area defined by Carlisle, Blackburn, Manchester, Crewe, Chester, Liverpool and Blackpool will be close enough to have a day trip to the venue.

Eden Project Morecambe Is Unlikely To Be A Poor Attraction

The Eden Project Morecambe must be worth attending, but with twenty years experience of running a similar attraction in Cornwall, it is unlikely to be a failure.

Eden Project Morecambe Will Be Easier To Travel To Than The Original Eden Project For Many

I have never even been past the Eden Project in Cornwall, as it is not the easiest place to get to without a car.

I intend to go, but it will probably need two nights in a hotel to do it justice.

But Eden Project Morecambe could well be much shorter trip from London.

Currently, Avanti West Coast’s fastest time between London Euston and Lancaster are two hours and forty minutes, which would mean an under three hours trip both ways to and from Eden Project Morecambe. The Cornish site is probably nearly five hours by public transport.

Conclusion

All these factors should contribute to the success of the attraction.

 

January 31, 2022 Posted by | World | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

HS2 To Trial New Building Method Which Could Provide Carbon-Free Energy

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.

This is the first three paragraphs.

Part of HS2’s Innovation programme, an HS2 building site in London is to become a test bed for a new building method which could ultimately provide carbon-free energy to stations on the new high speed route.

The new approach will be trialled by contractors Mace Dragados at the project’s Euston station site in London and will draw ground heat up through the foundations of a newly-built construction site office.

Developed by Keltbray, the innovative new technology is estimated to harness enough energy to supply 80% of the building’s heating and hot water needs.

It’s an incredibly simple, but extremely powerful idea, that revolutionises heating, cooling and hot water in buildings.

Read the article and then read the brochure on the Keltbray web site.

January 29, 2022 Posted by | Energy, Transport/Travel, World | , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What is Mineral Carbonation And How Could It Transform The Building Industry?

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on AZO CleanTech.

This is the introductory paragraph.

Natural carbonates have been prime building materials for centuries, but synthetic carbonates are a modern, robust building material, created via mineral carbonation.

The article is a must-read introduction to this fascinating Australian technology, which could be very important in combating climate change.

There is also an explanatory video, which is worth a watch.

January 21, 2022 Posted by | World | , , | Leave a comment

Green Ships Ahoy Along Vital Corridors

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on 7 News Australia.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Australia’s biggest miners are preparing for a day of reckoning.

Shipping accounts for two to three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions so manufacturers and retailers are no longer just considering what appears in national targets.

The article then goes on to explain how the big mining companies are cutting their emissions.

This paragraph illustrates how important mining and shipping is to Australia.

Resources and energy earnings passed $300 billion for the first time in 2020-21 and will surge towards $400 billion in 2021-22, according to December figures.

Hence the big need for ships fuelled by lower carbon fuels.

January 2, 2022 Posted by | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel, World | , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Time I Said No To Joan Collins

I’m watching Joan Collins In her programme On BBC 2.

It reminds me of the time I met her.

It must have been between 1985 and 1987, as she was with her fourth husband; Peter Holm, who is exactly two months younger than I am.

We had all travelled from Los Angeles to London on British Airways and we were queuing for passport checks. Joan was to my right and Peter was looking very disinterested.

Then out of the blue, she asked me, if I had a light for her cigarette.

I replied that I was sorry, but I didn’t smoke.

She just smiled and put the cigarette away!

January 1, 2022 Posted by | Transport/Travel, World | , , , , | Leave a comment

24/7 Bingo? You Can’t Be Serious?

Yesterday, I went to Dunelm for the first time and came away with a cushion, which I needed for an experiment.

I took these pictures as I walked back to the station to come home.

24/7 Bingo? Have you ever heard of anything so sad?

January 1, 2022 Posted by | World | , | 4 Comments

Young Break For The Border To Ring In The New Year

The title of this post, is the same as that on this article on The Times.

This a subtitle to the report, above a picture of five Scots girls enjoying themselves in Newcastle.

Revellers from Scotland and Wales dodging Covid restrictions at home flocked to clubs and bars in England

It will be interesting to see how the Scottish and Welsh Covid statistics pan out in the next few days.

As a trained Control Engineer, I am totally against lockdowns, except as a very last resort.

It’s like trying to ride a bike only turning the handlebars full left and full right.

Try it and you will soon fall off.

January 1, 2022 Posted by | Health, World | , , , , , | 5 Comments

1,000 Children Shot in A Year As US Gun Violence Soars

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.

This is the first paragraph.

More than a thousand children under 12 have been killed or injured by gunfire in the United States this year.

In addition, 4,552 youths aged 12 to 17 were killed and injured.

No comment from me, can do justice to these figures.

 

December 31, 2021 Posted by | World | , , | 2 Comments

Wandering Around King’s Cross – 20th December 2021

I took these pictures, whilst I wandered around King’s Cross.

The unfinished building is Google’s large groundscraper.

I took these pictures as I wandered.

King’s Cross is on the up.

December 29, 2021 Posted by | World | , , | 1 Comment