The Ladies Who Bus
Three retired ladies are using their Freedom Passes to travel every London bus riute from end-to-end in numerical order. The project is described here on the BBC’s web site.
And I thought I was mad visiting all the 92 football and Premier League clubs in alphabetical order.
Scotland’s Thoughts On An Olympic Homecoming Party
I just read this article in The Scotsman, which I thought was a serious newspaper..
The celebration for the Olympic and Paralympic medallists is going to be in Glasgow, but I would have thought that there was a case for it to be in Edinburgh.
The comments are priceless.
Branson Good, First Group Bad
You have to admire Richard Branson on the way he has marshalled the general public to stand up for Virgin Trains. I listened to a couple of phone-ins and the callers were generally behind Virgin. One caller virtually said that he like travelling on Virgin for the loyalty scheme.
As an extensive train user, there is little to choose between Virgin Trains and First Great Western, but both are much better than the state-run East Coast Trains.
Virgin’s main problem at the moment is a shortage of Pendolino trains. This is being rectified, with a few new ones coming into service and the existing fleet growing by a couple of coaches per train. Whoever got the franchise, would have benefited from the increased number of seats.
But as I said in an earlier post, I think that one of the keys to success for First Group, is its links in Scotland. This could cut costs and also bring about an integrated system to get passengers between the north of Scotland and the south.
Usain Bolt In Sclater Street, Shoreditch
I took these pictures of the painting of Usain Bolt by Jimmy C in Sclater Street, Shoreditch.
It’s very easy to get to and all you need to do is get to Shoreditch High Street station on the East London line, turn left as you come out of the station and turn right at the main road. Sclater Street is directly ahead.
You can even see the painting, from the lift lobby on the Southbound platform.
Wot! No Potatoes!
I bought an egg and potato side salad in Waitrose this morning for my lunch today.
Wot! No Potatoes!
I’d half put it on the plate, when I noticed it had lots of tomatoes and no potatoes.
I was in the Islington branch today and showed them the photo. They gave me another one, which I’ll have for lunch with some smoked salmon.
Job Losses, Higher Fares and Worse Service
Bob Crow’s reaction to the loss by Virgin of their West Coast Franchise to First Group is predictable. When did Bob Crow’s union ever do anything for passengers? Individual members do every day, but will we see the union call out their members in protest at the change of franchise holder? I hope not, but a strike is one way to get the best deal from their new employers.
As to the two companies, I’m in a unique position to judge them both. In my trip around the country to visit all 92 Football and Premier League clubs, I used Virgin Trains and First Great Western extensively. I had no issues at all with either in terms of punctuality and customer service. And as a frequent rail passenger, what really matters.
On a practical level, now that First Group has both the West Coast and Scottish franchises, might we see better connections at Glasgow to places north of the central belt. Could it also mean that services like Liverpool and Manchester to Glasgow and Edinburgh get better?
The two franchises meeting in Glasgow, may also give First Group a cost saving in terms of train stabling and overnight servicing. Only they could tell me the answer to that one, but it would seem to make sense.
It does seem that this will be the end of Virgin Trains. Am I bothered? No! Not at all! Anybody who works for them, will probably get a new job soon somewhere in the rail industry, as overall we’re going to run more trains not less.
Coeliac Disease And Atrial Fibrillation
I’ve got both and according to this study, if you have coeliac disease, you’re more likely to have atrial fibrillation.
Which I’ve got and is generally considered by my doctors to be the cause of my strokes
This is another problem to add to a long list of those caused by coeliac disease.
One For The Freezer
I like a fish pie and use a recipe from Jamie Oliver to cook a big one for a party.
Yesterday I had a fish pie from Waitrose for my supper.
A Waitrose Fish Pie For One
Last night’s was so good so today, I bought another one and put it in my freezer.
It may not be as good as mine, but at least it’s gluten free, readily available and in the double size it would be ideal for entertaining a lady. Not that I’m being lucky in that area at the moment! But then who wants a wreck with a gammy left hand, poor eyesight, a stubborn mind and no driving licence? But I do have a little bit of what attracted Debbie McGee to Paul Daniels. I’m also taller than Mr. Daniels with more hair! So I’m not giving up yet!
The Angel Was Like A Morgue
I went up to the Angel as I usually do and it was like a morgue. There was only myself and one other in the queue in Starbucks and I got my preferred window seat. I didn’t see anything worth photographing for the blog.
Waitrose was empty too and I think the staff were lonely, as many talked to me, whilst they were stacking shelves and looking for items.
There weren’t any chuggers or smokers outside the shopping centre!
And of course the bus was virtually empty coming home.
Perhaps, some big event has finished and everybody has left. The bus doing press-ups has gone too!
The Olympics Cut Crime In London
Figures show that crime fell by five percent during the Olympics. Read all about it, here in the Daily Telegraph.
On a similar vein, the BBC in London has just announced that London Ambulance had a quiet time. Come to think of it, I’ve only seen the Air Ambulance once in the last couple of weeks. It tends to pass over, where I live.
In fact, although I’m not that far from the Olympic Park, I have hardly seen any helicopters at all; police, military, ambulance or otherwise.
Let’s hope it continues. I’m not bothered about the noise, but it just means that crime and serious accidents are a a low level.
The Anonymous Widower 