Happy as Pigs in Muck
This building with the two pink cylinders to the left is the primary sewage collection and pumping station for the Olympics.
Olympic Primary Foul Sewer and Pumping Station
Inevitably, the two cylinders have been named Pinky and Perky, by the wags on the site.
Note that I took the picture from behind the ViewTube, standing on this concrete box.
Connecting the New to the Old
I think the box is the connection between the station and Joseph Bazalgette‘s Northern Outfall Sewer. But for now it makes a good authorised viewing platform.
Nowhere in the vicinity could I find any information about the pumping station or the sewer.
I find that a serious omission.
What a Load of Old Bollards!
I just had to post this picture, I took at Canary Wharf.
Bollards on Parade
I suppose you could call them functional and protective. Just like a troop of Grenadier Guards!
Thw Wikipedia article about Canary Wharf explains how the district was named.
Canary Wharf itself takes its name from No. 32 berth of the West Wood Quay of the Import Dock. This was built in 1936 for Fruit Lines Ltd, a subsidiary of Fred Olsen Lines for the Mediterranean and Canary Island (Insula Canaria (from canis) “Island of Dogs”) fruit trade. At their request, the quay and warehouse were given the name Canary Wharf.
So it had nothing to do with Norwich City!
Patek Trading Company
I haven’t seen one of these for some time.
Greetings, If you have access to a computer, and have up to three hours spare time per- week, would you like to work part or full time online from home and get paid weekly? If yes, then please read carefully. _____________________________________________________________________ ABOUT US ______________________________________________________________________ Patek Trading Company Limited was founded in 1986. Besides its main office and laboratory, the Company also owns large warehouse to serve its customers with on time delivery. Since its establishment, the Company has been focusing on trading of textile dyestuffs, pigments and auxiliaries imported from all over the world and Products include reactive dyes, acid dyes, direct dyes, cationic dyes, disperse dyes, vat dyes, leather dyes, pigments and auxiliaries of textile dyeing, printing & finishing etc… ______________________________________________________________________ JOB POSITION _______________________________________________________________________ We are currently seeking part/full time employees for our ever-growing Foreign Payment Receiving Officer. Through extensive demographic research, we have discovered a wealth of untapped human resources that, for one reason or another, need the freedom to work from home and consider becoming part of our company. as part of our ongoing Multi Level Marketing Network, we seek capable individuals to work for us as our representative.You can easily make £500 – £2,000 or more in a week by working for us as Sub-contractor in your geographical location, you will be in charge of collecting payment on behalf of our affiliates and Smallbusiness organizations that are registered under us. Note that no form of investment is needed from you and this job will take only 1-3 hours of your time per week. ______________________________________________________________________ JOB RESPONSIBILITY _______________________________________________________________________ The position of Foreign Payment Receiving Officer entails the following duties: coordinate payments from our clients, receive payments which come in form of Bank Wire Tansfer, process payments at your local bank, and forward 90% of funds received to the proper branch office, as instructed. The remaining 10% is your gratuity. Since this position is need-based, you will have plenty of free time while enjoying a good income. _______________________________________________________________________ RENUMERATION _______________________________________________________________________ Every assignment in form of payment received from clients, you’re entitled to 10% which excludes the cost of processing western union to any regional office accountant Also you get a monthly salary of £1500 which comes at the end of every month, plus other incentives and benefits that accrue, which includes tax holidays. ________________________________________________________________________ INTERESTED APPLICANTS (HOW TO APPLY) ________________________________________________________________________ Interested applicants should reply with: First Name:- Last Name:- Address:- Gender:- Phone Number(s):- E-mail Address:- Our Human Resource Managers can contact you via email, with further details if the management decides you’re a successful candidate. We look forward to working with you. NB: Ignore this mail if you are not interested in this offer. Sincerely, Mr. Sue Young President/CEO Patek Trading Company Limited. Hong Kong, China. .
But just like all of the others, it’s a scam and will do you no good if you sign up.
I do like the opening statement about if you have access to a computer. Would you have received this rubbish, if you didn’t have access?
It also appears to be from a boy named Sue!
Carrot translates as Moron in Welsh
Rob Brydon said this on QI and it would appear to be true according to this page.
So what nickname do the Welsh not use for the ginger?
I always remember that Rolls-Royce didn’t call a car the Silver Mist, as mist means manure in German.
There must be others too!
International Widow’s Day
A very helpful and human customer support lady from easyJet told me that June 23rd is now Widow’s Day.
I think this is a good idea, but having read the UN citation on the day, they have it for widows only. I know in many countries widows suffer much more than widowers, but let’s face it, we’re all in the same leaky boat without a baler.
Free Phone Charging
As I walk along the towpath of the Regent’s Canal above the 400kV cables that power the City of London, I just wonder if I could use the magnetic fields from the cables to create enough power to charge my mobile phone.
Do We Need WikiPlates?
I think I know London and its various sites very well. And as I have read the excellent book; The Great Stink of London: Sir Joseph Bazalgette and the Cleansing of the Victorian Metropolis
But I was caught out on Wednesday, when I went to the Olympic Park, in that I hadn’t realised that the Greenway sat on top of Bazalgette’s Northern Outfall Sewer.
But there was nothing to tell me, that I was walking on the creation of a giant!
Obviously, a proper information board would be best, but these get damaged and if you made them from metal, then scrap thieves will take them.
But surely in this age of the Internet, all that is needed is a simple plate, which points you to the relevant place on the web.
If they linked to Wikipedia, through say a reference number, they could be called WikiPlates.
The possibilities for a simple system are endless, especially if you bring in smart phones and SMS messages.
A Very Old Scottish Joke
This came from Popbitch.
My neighbour knocked on my door at 2:30am this morning.
Can you believe that, 2:30am?
Luckily for him I was still up playing my bagpipes.
Through the Olympic Park on the Greenway
From the Top of the Morning, I had two choices. I could either walk to Hackney Wick station on the North London line, or try to find the Greenway that continued through the Olympic Park to Pudding Mill Lane on the Docklands Light Railway.
I chose the latter more in hope than expectation, as I felt that building or security considerations on the Olympic Park might mean the Greenway would be closed.
About a hundred metres south of the pub, I found this welcoming sign.
Entry to the Greenway
So I’d made the right choice.
Incidentally, the Greenway is built on top of the eastern end of the Northern Outfall Sewer, which was built in the mid-1800’s by Joseph Bazalgette, to take London’s sewage to the works at Beckton.
The Greenway gives good views of the Olympic stadium of which this is typical.
The London Olympic Stadium
Obviously, landscaping and a few other things need to be done, but it is now virtually complete.
You can also see the ArcelorMittal Orbit and the Aquatics Centre.
ArcelorMittal Orbit and the Aquatics Centre
The Orbit structure has aroused controversy, but seeing it close to, I found it rather fascinating. You can also see all of the bits lined up like groups of acrobats ready to climb into position in the tower.
I’m Ready to Ascend!
I suspect that like the Eiffel Tower has for Paris, it might end up as an icon of East London after the Games.
The one think you can’t say about it, is that it is boring! The only things that should be boring are some machine tools and tunnelling machines.
One thing that has been got right is the information for visitors, as this picture shows.
Olympic Park Panorama and Information
Do you think that the far-sighted Joseph Bazalgette had realised that his enormous sewer would one day be used as a grandstand for a construction project, of which I’m sure he would have proud? Obviously not, but with so many things he did, he got them absolutely right. And right for possibly a thousand years!
No walk is complete without a cup of something and at the south end of the portion of the Greenway that crosses the Olympic Park, there is this cafe and viewing point called ViewTube.
The ViewTube, Olympic Park, London
I had a good cappucino and a rest before walking on to Pudding Mill Lane and the DLR, where I took this final picture.
The Olympic Park from Pudding Mill Lane, DLR Station
All in all, this walk took about two hours including refreshments. On a good day, it should easily be possible to do it in the same time from the Angel at Islington to the ViewTube cafe.
But I suspect it’ll get busy!
Is BBC Breakfast in Tatters?
I like BBC Breakfast on the television and generally watch it, as I do my morning chores.
It would appear now, that Sian Williams is to follow others and leave the show, when it goes to Salford.
THe move to Salford is surely one of the most ill-judged moves in British media history, as it will surely mean that many of the best presenters will leave. After all Manchester is not the place many would choose to live and there are many other jobs in London.
I also fear for the quality of other victims of this move, like Radio 5 and BBC Sport.
I feel fairly badly victimised here, as it appears the quality of what I like to watch and listen is about to suffer. As you know, I don’t watch ITV and other channels, unless what is on, is really unmissable, as I’m allergic to adverts.
The Anonymous Widower 