Serial Cooking – Baked Salmon With Parmesan And Parsley Crust
This is one of my favourite quick suppers. It is from Mary Berry and is posted on the BBC Food website.
I actually used some very expensive salmon from Waitrose, that was being discounted, as I think it was even too expensive for Islington. I also got the fishmonger to take the skin off.
The great thing about this recipe, is that it is easily scaled for any number. You just need to guess the breadcrumbs and cheese mixes about right.
Sorting The Under/Overground Around Gunnersbury
After I wrote this article about reversing loops instead of termini, I wondered if I could find any references to operating problems on the Piccadilly Line loop that serves Termial 4.
I didn’t find anything but I did find an article on London Reconnections called Upgrading The Piccadilly: Calling Time On Mind The Gap?
It is a well thought-out article that starts by talking about the new trains and the problems of platform-edge doors. It then goes on to suggest what it thinks appears to be the bad idea of transferring the Ealing Broadway branch of the District line to the Piccadilly line.
This is the map of the area.
Gunnersbury Triangle
The triangle of lines in the area is bordered at the West or left by the North London Line (orange), the District and Piccadilly lines from Acton Town to Turnham Green at the top right and the District line to Richmond at the bottom right. Chiswick Park station is marked with the red arrow.
The article then goes on to suggest reasons why it might not be a bad idea and that Chiswick Park station might be put on the Richmond Branch of the District line.
I think the Overground and Crossrail could be the key to what happens in this area.
1. Transport for London’s Infrastructure Plan for 2050, talks about linking the Gospel Oak to Barking Line to Hounslow through the area. It would branch off just south of South Acton station.
Acton To Houslow Link
The line is there and I suspect, it will be used to provide a link between West and North London.
2. Crossrail calls at Ealing Broadway station, so will it be better if it joins up with the Piccadilly or District lines?
There are probably advantages for both lines and I won’t choose what is better. But note that the District line has two interchange stations with Crossrail and the Piccadilly has just the one at Heathrow.
3. There are also proposals to create another rail route into Heathrow. One is Airtrack, which goes through Clapham Junction and Richmond.
4. There is also the problems of installing platform-edge doors on the western reaches of the Piccadilly Line, as outlined in the London Reconnections article.
I think the only certainty is that these and many other factors will result in major changes in this area.
And the solution will be very radical.
One thing though convinces me that something must be done. I was on Chiswick Park station today, and in about ten minutes, I met two young ladies; one French and one Italian, who had got seriously confused by the track layout in the area.
A Plastic Seat On A New Routemaster
Not a standard fitting on a new Routemaster, but we were all wondering what this red plastic seat was doing on a 38 bus in this morning’s rush hour.
A Plastic Seat On A New Routemaster
The only thing we could think is that it’s a ruse by Transport for London to get more seats on buses.
Another Garden Station On The North London Line
Hampstead Heath and Key Gardens are two stations, with obvious garden or park credentials on the North London Line. Today, I went to Brondesbury Park station and took these pictures.
I think that London Overground have done a good job at this station, in refurbishing the buildings and the platforms, without destroying the original character.
I suspect that as there is a sign saying Community Garden, that a local group is responsible for the plants and flowers. On searching the Internet I found a site called the Edible Overground about the gardens at Brondesbury Park.
A Quiet Finsbury Park Station
As Finsbury Park station was quiet I took these pictures.
It’s certainly a lot better than it was just a few years ago.
After the full Thameslink service opens in 2018, the service pattern in Finsbury Park will be very different, as instead of terminating at Kings Cross, Cambridge and Peterborough trains will go through the tunnels to places in the south. So will some of these stop here?
Great Northern’s New Livery
This Great Northern Class 365 is all decked out in the new livery.
They are also being refurbished, as is described in this section in Wikipedia.
But then the Class 365 is a nice set of trains, even if theyare twenty years old. I’ve travelled in them many times up and down between Cambridge and London.
Crossrail In North Woolwich
After I came across on the Woolwich Ferry yesterday, I got a 474 bus to London City Airport to get the DLR home. I took these photos of the concrete enclosed furrow that will be Crossrail.
It seems to me that the architect of the Berlin Wall is alive and working on Crossrail.
There is also this map from Google.
The bus went along the road labelled as the A112.
The Problem With The Mansion Tax
I’ve just been watching Ed Balls on The Andrew Marr Show talking about the Mansion Tax.
I don’t know Andrew Marr’s personal circumstances, but I wonder how many of the commentators like him live in houses that are worth a couple of millions. The Sunday Times today is reporting that Jeremy Paxman is being paid a million for his memoirs. Will he put that into property?
So many of these heavyweight commentators will be passionately against a Mansion Tax.
Incidentally, my view on property taxes is based heavily on the fact we have a housing shortage and it is a serious moral offence to leave a house empty for more than a few days a year.
Serial Cooking – Sausage Chilli Con Carne
This chilli con carne is another Lindsey Bareham recipe.
I made a double portion and served it with rice. So the rice was Uncle Ben’s but I was short for time.
I think next time, I’ll use some chipolatas though! The cocktail sausages were a bit disappointing.
Match Nineteen – Charlton 0 – Ipswich 1
Unlike Bournemouth, Charlton was only a short trip across the Thames. I actually crossed on the Emirates Air Line.
On The Emirates Air Line
It was then a short ride on a 486 bus to Charlton station.
As I set out, I thought we might have had a chance of a win, but hopes were beginning to fade as a close fought match, which had produced 40 shots according to the BBC, was coming to the end.
But then substitute, Noel Hunt playing his first match for Ipswich, came on and a few minutes after suffering a blood injury, he managed to drill home his first goal for nearly two years.
We certainly all celebrated long after the match.
Getting home everything seemed to be locked solid, so I walked to Woolwich and got the ferry to my side of the River.
On The Woolwich Ferry
I wonder how many people have flown to a football match and then taking a ferry home.
At least, when I got home around five, I had the pleasure of knowing that Ipswich are now up to second in the Championship.
I also looked at the map after I got home.
The O2 To The Valley
Note the O2 in the top left, with North Greenwich station just below and The Valley in the bottom right, with Charlton station close by.
I would estimate that next time, I get stuck there, it will take about half-an-hour to walk to North Greenwich station for the Jubilee line.
The Anonymous Widower 