Sir Roger Bannister and the Affect of Heat and Humidity
I didn’t realise that one of the first papers that Sir Roger produced was about the affect of heat and humidity on people. He did his research in Aden in 1957.
I couldn’t find the paper, but I did find him quoted in a Powerpoint presentation on the subject, written Col. John Gardner, MD for the United States Army or Marines.
The notion that courage and esprit de corps can somehow defeat the principles of physiology is not only wrong but dangerously wrong.
I don’t know what the temperatures and humidity are like in Afghanistan are like, but do the British and American forces take note of the doctor.
Can I Have That in Writing?
This was my response, when a doctor in hospital said I was a young man.
I didn’t get what I wanted. But the thought was nice anyway!
A Stationery Department Has Moved
I took this picture in John Lewis in Oxford Street yesterday.
A Stationery Department has Moved
I always felt that stationery Departments were stationary. But obviously this one isn’t!
A similar pun was used at school in a notice put on a door at school.
Stationery Department
Hasn’t Moved in Years
I think it may have been one April Fool’s Day.
The First of the Many
Is this Queen’s Jubilee tea towel, the first to be washed in a laundry?
A Freshly-Washed Queen's Jubilee Tea Towel
I took the picture yesterday, when I paid for my sheets to be washed.
We Have Ways of Stopping You Smoking Outside Our Building
I took this picture at Canary Wharf
There is No Smoking at Canary Wharf
It seemed to be working!
Commenting on Television and Radio Programs
I like to comment on BBC programs. But increasingly programs are expecting you to comment via Facebook. Which I won’t join!
What’s wrong with e-mail?
I’m Getting Fed Up With Carluccio’s
I should say that I have no complaint against Carluccio’s. Quite the contrary. It’s just that on my travels around London and sometimes further away they are the one place I can trust to get a light gluten-free meal at an affordable price.
Take my trip last week to the East India Dock Basin. It was either go to their restaurant in Canary Wharf, the one in Islington or go home. I chose the last option.
If anything the complaint is against other restaurants, who don’t provide a gluten-free option. In some chains like, La Porchetta, I know that some choices are gluten-free, but when I ask, they treat me like a leper and tell me to go elsewhere.
The East India Dock Basin
Travelling towards the River Thames, you come to the East India Dock Basin, which is now a nature reserve, is described here.
As you can see, it is well-laid out and has good views of the River Thames. The island in the middle of the basin is growing using the same method that salt marshes do in places like Norfolk. There were quite a few birds about with sheld-duck, tufted duck and coot easily spotted. Apparently, there’s a local kingfisher too! There is a lot of good information. What would Jack Dash have thought?
There are plenty of places to sit and considering how close it is to the end of the 277 bus route and East India station on the DLR, it’s an ideal spot to go for a picnic.
The Southern End of the River Lea
The River Lea meanders its way into the Thames in a rather lackadaisical way. Today I took the 277 bus all the way to Leamouth and followed the signs behind the Esso garage. I’m mentioning the garage as it seems to crop up in a lot of directions.
A sign pointed me to the River Lea Walk and a couple of minutes later I was there.
These pictures show that The Lea isn’t the most attractive of rivers.
A Practical Reason for Same-Sex Marriage
There has been so much rheotic and I suspect rhubarb and prejudice talked about this, that it’s difficult to sort the wood from the trees.
But a spokesman on the BBC, who said he’s been in a good civil partnership for six years, said that the reason he wants to get married is for next-of-kin reasons. In the UK you can name who you want as a next-of-kin within reason, but he said that law stopped at Dover. So marriage would sort out quite a few problems, especially if your partner was unlucky enougfh to die.
He may be being a bit simplistic and it might be valid in countries like the Netherlands, Canada, Norway and South Africa, where same-sex partnerships or marriages are allowed, but what about countries like Qatar or Saudi Arabia. On the other hand would British law take precedence?
The Anonymous Widower 