Are These A Good Idea?
This advert for noise-cancelling head-phones are on buses all over London.
Are These A Good Idea?
Personally, I have always hated head phones, even when I flew aircraft, but surely to cut the noise of traffic out, is not necessarily a good idea for pedestrians and cyclists.
We need a serious analysis of accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists.
I’m An Attack Shopper
I don’t mess about shopping and especially where groceries are concerned.
Take this morning, which as I’m going to football at Ipswich this afternoon, was very much a small weekly shop for my staples and supper tonight.
My local Waitrose in Islington opens at 08:00 on a Saturday, with the Sainsburys next door opening an hour early. Because too, of the dreadful news from Australia, I decided to go as early as possible and left my house at 07:40. I didn’t buy much as the picture shows.
The Spoils Of My Attack
I did have to go to both stores, as Waitrose don’t sell my favourite Genius bread.
I don’t know when we started doing our shopping early on a Saturday morning, but this behaviour of a direct and early Saturday morning raid on the shops, was very much part of our married life.
The one difference, is that I use a list and C rarely did.
I tend to behave in the same way with IKEA. I needed some small pieces yesterday, so as I had nothing to do yesterday afternoon, except read the Internet or the Standard, I went to their store in Edmonton, reading the paper on the way.
Some might find this very much obsessive behaviour, but I do like to maximise the use of my time.
On the trip to football today, I’ll be reading the paper again and doing some difficult Sudokus.
My Ideal Kitchen
My current kitchen is not the best! But what do you expect as it was put in, by the idiot called Jerry, who built this house.
These three pictures show the kitchen as it is now.
This is the view looking into the kitchen from the living area.
Looking Into The Kitchen
Note.
1. The central heating box at the right.
2. The black IKEA shelving unit and one of my dining chairs.
3. The silly high shelf across the top, which is really just a convenient place to put things with no home.
This shows the other side of the wall looking out of the kitchen.
Looking Back
Note.
1. The small fridge without a freezer.
2. The general clutter.
This is the other side of the kitchen.
The Other Side
Note.
1. The dishwasher I hardly ever use.
2. The sink with the atrocious taps, that won’t fill a kettle with anything in the sink.
3. The cooker which does all I need. I never use timers or anything complicated like that, as before here, I cooked for nearly forty years on an AGA.
4. The Le Creuset shallow casserole, that I use a lot.
As you can see it’s not good. But the basic layout works for me.
There are other things to bear in mind.
1. It may seem daft, but I rarely use the dish washer, if I’m by myself. I tend to wash up by hand once a day in the morning to get my left hand thoroughly warmed so that I can do my blood test.
2. I am a pretty competent cook, but as I’m a coeliac, the sort of things are cook, tend to be fairly simple. I don’t keep many vegetables outside of the fridge for instance.
3. I do use lots of spices though.
Lots Of Spices
4. As the picture shows, I use a lot of glass jars for pasta, salt etc.
5. I also watch television and cook at the same time.
Watching Television From The Kitchen
5. I don’t have too many gadgets, except for a toaster, a kettle and a small food processor. Looking at this picture, you can see one of the problems with this kitchen. There isn’t enough space.
6. I do like to prepare everything on a big chopping board. My last one had a hole with a stopper, so I could chasse peelings into a bin underneath.
7. I do have lots of little utensils though.
8. I also want a home for my wonderful Sheba cutlery.
A Box Full Of Sheba Cutlery
Note the rare pie slice and teaspoons.
9. Colour is defined by the steel beams that run across the house. The black/brown IKEA colour is virtually right and I do like proper brass fittings.
Just writing all this down has given me a few ideas.
1. I think that the kitchen should be continuous and sort of overflow through the wall into the living room. Perhaps the worktop should be continuous between the two rooms! And at the normal ninety centimetre height.
2. In the living room, there would be a unit under the top. This would store the Sheba cutlery and other tablewear and crockery, a few bottles of wine and beer, perhaps include a wine fridge and of course hide the dreadful utilities cupboard. The unit would also be capable of holding most of the odds and ends that sit on the counter now.
3. Judging by past history, no-one would need to sit at the top, but it would be capable of being used as a serving table at a party.
4. The continuous worktop should give me a lot of space, which patently I lack at the moment.
5. The side facing the living area, would have a fridge and a freezer under the worktop, with some properly fitted out cupboards.
6. The cooker would be in the same place with cupboards, a built in microwave and a proper extractor above.
7. I do have several large casseroles that need homes.
8. On the window side, I want a double sink. I think, I’d probably still have a dishwasher, even if it’s only a half -size one.
2.
An Unexpected Positive Benefit Of The New Bus for London
This story from Toy News, tells how Corgi are increasing their range of New Bus for London models.
At £36.99 each, somebody must be making some money.
The Closing Of Underground Ticket Offices
The unions will have a field year of disruption over the closure of all ticket offices on the Underground, as is reported here in the Standard.
But the Underground must move on, and another story in the paper is more important, which reports that London tourism will be worth £77billion by 2025. This is a rise of over £30billion from today’s figure.
Many of these tourists will require help in the Underground, so those staff displaced from the closed ticket offices, will be needed in the stations and on the platforms.
I think the unions have a choice here; create some of biggest strikes we’ve ever seen or negotiate proper conditions for staff working overnight and outside of the ticket offices.
East Croydon To Dalston Junction
It would appear that the cheapest way for me, to get to Brighton from where I live near Dalston Junction station in London, is to buy a ticket from East Croydon. I would get there using my Freedom Pass as the station is in Zone 5. Ideally, I’d want to buy a ticket that was valid on all services, but it seems that those that are valid on only First Capital Connect are cheaper. I found a Super Off Peak Return at £5.95.
Coming back from Brighton yesterday, I couldn’t get a fast train to London Bridge to where my return was valid, so I decided to change at East Croydon for Norwood Junction, where I could pick up the Overground for Dalston Junction.
The change wasn’t difficult at Norwood Junction, but it did entail a walk through the subway to get from Platform 3, where my connection arrived at Platform 1 for the Overground. The Overground trains run on the slow line and actually pull in between Platform 1 and Platform 2, which is a walk over from where the faster trains stop on Platform 3. Would it not be an idea, to open the doors on both sides of Overground trains, so that there would be direct access between the trains on Platform 1/2 and 3?
Norwood Junction station is being upgraded for Thameslink. This is from Wikipedia.
The project includes the lengthening of platforms, station remodelling, new railway infrastructure (e.g. viaducts) and additional rolling stock. When implemented, First Capital Connect services will call at Norwood Junction.
I hope cross platform interchange from slow to fast services is also included. it would mean that someone in a wheelchair or with limited movement could get on the Overground at a fully-accessible station like Haggerston, and then go across the platform at Norwood Junction to get on a train for Gatwick Airport and Brighton.
I went back to Norwood Junction and found that we have the bizarre situation, where passengers going South can do a cross platform interchange for East Croydon, but those coming North have to go down into the subway and up again.
A member of staff told me it was for security reasons.
Sausages And Balsamic Onions
I cooked these the Lindsey Bareham way last night and I’m putting the guts here for ease of access.
For myself, I use three Black Farmer sausages and an onion of about 120 grams.
I cooked the sausages like this.
Fry the sausages in a tbsp oil over a low heat, turning every so often, until crusty and done to your liking. Mine took 30 minutes.
The onion is finely sliced then cooked like this.
Heat a tbsp oil in a second frying pan and add the onion. Cook briskly, tossing constantly for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring often, until slippery soft. Add a measure of balsamic vinegar and two of water. Let it bubble away. Turn off the heat.
The result with some microwaved small potatoes is shown.
Sausages And Balsamic Onions
It may take a bit longer than a quick fry, but it is a lot nicer.
Hull Is The New City Of Culture
It has been announced that Hull is going to be the new UK City of Culture.
I’ve only been a couple of times and in everything I’ve read about Hull recently, there is nothing about one thing that impressed me.
And that is the display of Roman mosaic floors in the Museum.
They are in better condition, than most I’ve seen in Europe and North Africa.
My Exhibition List
This is a list of exhibitions, that I might want to go to or I have gone and enjoyed. Most are in London.
British Museum – The Mostyn Tompion Clock – Ends 2nd February 2014
British Museum – Vikings – Ends 22nd June 2014
London Museum – Cheapside Hoard – Ends 27th April 2014
National Maritime Museum – Turner & The Sea – Ends 24th April 2014
PayneShurvill – Circulation – Peter Newman – Ends 18th January 2014
Royal Academy – Australia – Ends 8th December 2013
Royal Academy – Daumier – Ends 26th January 2014
Science Museum – Collider – Ends 6th May 2014
The Anonymous Widower 