Highbury Fields and the Jubilee Clock Tower
When I looked at the aerial views for nearby to where I live, I found some wonderful shots of a clock tower. There’s one here. So I went to Highbury Fields and walked through to the clock tower.
It was actually erected to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
A Dead Bus Outside NatWorst
Apparently, all of the passengers had jumped into the branch to get their money out. The cashiers decided to pay everybody out in 5p. pieces and the result was the extra weight caused the bus to stall and break down.
A Dead Bus Outside NatWorst
Apparently this ruse was tried in 1745 to stop a run on the Bank of England, when Bonnie Prince Charlie was marching on London. In those days though they used sixpences.
There’s An Article Here
The Britain From Above web site has some good photographs of stations. This link shows a good one of Marylebone and the Great Central Hotel in front.
I actually think, that a shot of Marylebone from the same place would look very much the same today, except for diesel instead of steam trains.
Someone will write the article.
On a more serious note, railway and other historians will use the database of pictures to sort out, what was there in the 1920s and 30s and how something should be restored. And also to enliven dull articles.
A Lady After My Own Heart
I’ve never heard of Merryn Somerset Webb, but I have heard of the magazine she writes for; Money Week.
One of my alerts pulled up an article entitled, For better returns, ditch traditional investments. This is something I definitely believe in. But I would say that after once investing £10 e.w.on a nag at 500-1 in the Derby, I don’t think conservatively. In the end as Terimon came second, I trousered upwards of a grand.
If you read the article, Merryn makes some interesting points. She mentions the first two of possibly many alternative banks aimed at SMEs; Cambridge and Counties Bank and Silicon Valley Bank, who have opened or are rumoured to be opening in the UK.
I don’t need such a bank, but I’ll be watching how both progress in the next few months.
Funny Program of the Night
Watching a program called Traffic Cops. The Police nicked this guy, who had eaten a crushed up dog biscuit thinking it was drugs, for which he’d been arrested. The officer said they were barking up the wrong tree.
Has Libby Purves Got A Point Here?
In her article on immigration in The Times today, she virtually says, that we got a lot of immigrants from former Soviet republics, as they all spoke good English, because of listening to the BBC World Service for years. So just as Ang Sang Suu Kyi listened to Dave Lee Travis to stay connected, they listened to get educated and also realised, where they wanted to go.
So if we want to stop immigration, we should close the BBC World Service, except to countries like Canada and Australia?
But then the BBC World Service is one of the things that makes Britain what it is.
England Against Ukraine at Cricket
Radio 5 has announced this morning that an English touring cricket club is in Ukraine. Apparently there are eight cricket clubs in Kiev.
I can’t help being reminded of the very funny Michael Bentine sketch, where he was taking cricket to the natives, in some unnamed country. The last line as he held up a box, was.
And this is 27s. and 6d.
Classic humour from the only Peruvian born in Watford.
Prostitution and the Olympics
Caitlin Moran in The Times, writes a controversial article about prostitution today and especially about how brothels are being closed in East London. In her usual way, it is witty and controversial in equal measure, but it misses one big area about prostitution and the Olympics.
Years ago, I was changing planes in Boston, so as I had a few hours and only a small cabin bag, I decided to take a taxi to the City Centre and have a decent lunch.
I’m not sure how it happened, but I found myself sharing a taxi with a hooker looking for a punter. I declined her offer, as I wanted to be on the connecting flight. But she did say she’d have lunch with me to pass the time, as she had things to do later. I said she was on if we split the tab, expecting her to get lost, as although she was rather good looking, I was quite keen to put temptation well out of my way. She chose a not particularly expensive, but good Italian restaurant in a restored area by the waterfront.
We had a good meal and she did pay her part of the bill. Even the tip! She also showed me how to get the ferry to the Airport, to save the taxi fare.
It turned out, she’d worked as a prostitute for about five years, since she had left University. She had a flat in Boston, but rarely lived there, following the big conferences and high class holiday areas as the year progressed. I remember, she said that she used to go to Aspen for the skiing season, but never got on the piste.
Girls like this will see London as the place to be this summer, but they will not be staying in East London by any means. It will be interesting to see the girls waiting in the popular and very expensive hotels. Some say, it has always been thus, as I remember a friend was propositioned in the bar of a five-star hotel a few years ago by an Arab, whilst waiting for her husband.
It Must Be Easy Being A Spanish Fan or Footballer
At least, before a match, as you don’t have to sing the National Anthem. It doesn’t have any words!
