The Anonymous Widower

Islington Gets Another Mobile Phone Shop!

My chiropodist has gone and Upper Street has another mobile phone shop.

Islington Gets Another Mobile Phone Shop!

They won’t get me to indulge in a smart phone. In fact sometimes, I think about giving up my mobile phone altogether to annoy those that insist on having the number.

October 26, 2012 Posted by | World | , | Leave a comment

Thames Water And Wet Wipes

Thames Water has problems with sewer blockages and has produced a video and press release called Changing the world from the bottom up. It is reported here in the Standard. Here’s an extract.

No, it’s not April 1. But this stab at lavatory humour from Thames Water sounds like it’s spoof.

A press release, entitled “Changing the world from the bottom up”, begins as follows: “A trend among British adults towards using wet wipes as well as with loo roll is forcing a water company to take drastic action.

“Market research shows the wet wipe market is growing at faster than 15% a year — and for Thames Water that’s a problem.

“Wet wipes, which do not break down like loo roll does, block sewers, adding to Thames Water’s annual £12 million spend on clearing around 80,000 blockages a year in its 108,000 kilometre network across London and the Thames Valley.”

How awful. But, happily, there is some good news or, as Thames Water puts it, “a solution is at hand” — geddit?

I’ve always felt that there should be extra taxes on things like disposable nappies and other non-biodegradable products. Especially, as they just end up in landfill.

I have been down the London sewers and you’d be surprised what you see there.

October 26, 2012 Posted by | World | , , | Leave a comment

There’s Something Wrong With This Central Heating

According to my air conditioning the temperature outside is 11°C.  I have the central heating set to 18°C downstairs and switched off upstairs. But the floor is distinctly warm although my thermometer shows 23°C and 47% humidity. The latter figure agrees with the aircon.

So it looks like the aircon and the underfloor central heating are fighting against each other. Luckily the aircon seems to be winning, as that is set to 23°C.

It surely doesn’t all add up!

October 25, 2012 Posted by | World | , , | Leave a comment

Removing The Old Bathroom

It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

But some of the wood was a bit rotten and probably was causing a smell.

October 24, 2012 Posted by | World | , , , | 4 Comments

This House Has Form

I’ve said that this house is trying to kill me, by boiling me up. Look what the builders found in the back of a cupboard in the bathroom.

This House Has Form

So I wasn’t its first victim.

October 24, 2012 Posted by | Health, World | , , | Leave a comment

My House Is Trying To Kill Me!

It’s cold here and I put the heating on.  Unfortunately, the heating system has a mind of its own and doesn’t seem to have any idea about how to control to a reasonable temperature.

  1. Sometimes if it’s been off for a few hours, the floors are icy cold and take another few hours to show any heat.
  2. Often the boiler doesn’t start on the timer and I have to switch it on and off a couple of times to get it going.
  3. Today, it has been showing another of its traits and is just pumping more and more heat into the floor, without any regard for my comfort. A few hours ago, the temperature was 27 degrees, with the heating turned off and the windows wide open.

At least the air-conditioning has got it down now to 25 degrees.

The plumber came round and they felt something must be jammed.  As the builder is coming tomorrow to gut my bathroom, they’ll be back then to find the fault, hopefully.

The builder is starting the deJerrification of this house.  Hopefully, they’ll finish it before the house puts me in hospital again.  Or even worse!

October 23, 2012 Posted by | World | , , , | 1 Comment

Britain Surges Ahead Of The US In Job Creation

This is said in this article in The Sunday Times.

The truth and the actual figures should be revealed later in the week.

October 21, 2012 Posted by | News, World | , | Leave a comment

Wheelchairs On The Emirates Air-Line

I’ve already commented about bicycles on the Emirates Air-Line, but today there were a few wheelchairs. One is shown here.

Wheelchairs On The Emirates Air-Line

Obviously they can cope well, as the cable-car has lifts and wide cabins.

October 21, 2012 Posted by | World | , , | Leave a comment

The Daily Telegraph Says Start Sharing

This article in the Daily Telegraph should be read by everyone.

It outlines various Internet-based sharing schemes for cars, money and even land.

It says this about Zopa and its ilk.

When your budget is tight, lending money to strangers might seem crazy, but a rising number of savers and borrowers are going online to cut out the high street banks.

Better still, while interest rates stand at a historic low, DIY bankers who advance loans online at “peer-to-peer” lending websites such asZopa.co.uk can earn an average return of 5.4pc a year.

We live in interesting times.

October 21, 2012 Posted by | Finance & Investment, World | , , | Leave a comment

A Plaque At Hull Station

Hull’s part in the emigration of Jews from Eastern Europe in the nineteenth centuries is told in this plaque  at the station now called Hull Paragon Interchange.

A Plaque At Hull Station

The emigrants actually used special platforms to the south of the main station, as the authorities were worried about infectious diseases. My coeliac disease probably came from Askenazi Jews from Eastern Europe, but I suspect they came by a shorter route more directly to London, where my German-speaking ancestors worked in the fur trade.

October 21, 2012 Posted by | Transport/Travel, World | , , , | 2 Comments