London’s First New Conductress
As my cooker has now gone, all I have to cook food is a microwave. So tonight, I took a 38 bus up to Upper Street to go to Carluccio’s.
I got a New Bus for London from the Balls Pond Road on my outward journey and by chance the same bus on the return. It was the first time, that the conductor on the bus, hadn’t been a man.
London’s First New Conductress
Note that she has taken up the surf position, that all London conductors, male or female, used to use on Routemasters and their predecessors, like the RTs, on which I used to go to school.
It’s Gibbon Time
I took a New Bus for London up to Piccadilly Circus this afternoon and it was surprisingly busy for a Sunday afternoon.
A Busy New Bus for London
When I got off, I used the rear staircase and I found that the vertical hand holds were alternated for my left and right hands. So I swung down the bus like a gibbon. I’m not sure, whether all buses are like that on the top deck. But if they are not, they should be! The slightly rough texture of the hand holds also gives a good grip for my gammy left hand.
Incidentally, note in the picture, how the handholds slant outwards. Does this effectively make the gangway wider? Or just appear so? I must take my tape measure with me to check!
After all, when you are rehabilitating from a stroke, like I am, isn’t it a bit cheaper to get free exercise in everything you do?
Are All London’s Central Bus Routes Going Hybrid?
I was talking to a bus driver today and he said that all routes through the city would be using hybrid buses. Did he mean the actual City or Central London?
It’s all good progress either way, as they are quieter, emit less pollution, are better to ride on and create less carbon-dioxide emissions. At present we have 225 hybrid buses in London, with new ones on routes 43 and 149 having been introduced recently. There’s more about London’s hybrid buses here.
In some ways though to put the new buses in the central parts of London is a good idea, as that is where the pollution is worst. It also may have a secondary effect, in that it impresses visitors, either through clean air or though curiosity about the technology. It certainly wouldn’t hurt this country, if we became world leaders in the technology.
Haringey to Limit Junk Food
The Sunday Times reports today, that Haringey is to going to limit the number of junk food shops in poor areas of the borough. Here’s a flavour of their report.
Health officials in Haringey, north London, plan to curb the number of fried chicken, burger and pizza outlets in poor parts of the borough where men die, on average, nine years younger than those from its leafier areas. It proposes using planning powers to limit fast-food restaurants after finding there were up to six times more such outlets in poorer districts.
Let’s hope it all works out and spreads to the next borough to the south, Hackney. The Kingsland Road has little else, except loan and pound -shops.
Has Roy Hodgson Made a Good Decision Over Terry?
Let’s face it John Terry has a few problems. Except for the stupid red card, he got against Barcelona, none of these really concern his football.
Now that Chelsea has effectively won the European Champions League without him, he should be fired up to do well in Euro-2012, in a back four, that will contain, two of his club-mates. Only the right back is suspect, now that Kyle Walker is injured.
I suspect Roy Hodgson has told John Terry, that this will be his last chance to get a major honour by means of his playing skills.
So I think he called it right!
Not A Good Result for Ipswich Town
Today’s Championship Play-Off result, which sees West Ham going up to the Premier League and Blackpool staying behind is not good for Ipswich. And especially, for those supporters like me, who live in London. We lose a nice away match in East London and it is swapped for a trip to Bolton, Blackburn or Wolverhampton. Only, the latter is a reasonable trip from London.
Outside of the play-offs, we’ve also lost Reading, Southampton, Portsmouth, Coventry and Doncaster. Only Doncaster, although they have a nice stadium, is a bad journey. At least we’ve gained Charlton, but it looks like we’ll get two more Yorkshire clubs.
A Thought of Angel on Google
This was the Thought of Angel yesterday.
Thought of Angel – Google
No-one was seeming to mind, that it was a bit sexist. Or are wives and their mothers still fair game.
BBC Ignores the Science and the History
Perhaps it’s symtomatic of our age, where people forget or ignore the science and history behind everything.
I watched the start of the torch relay at Land’s End on the BBC.
They didn’t mention that the miner’s lamp used to transport and safeguard the flame is a development of the Davy lamp. The original lamp was designed by Humpry Davy from Penzance. That was close to Land’s End, last time I looked.
Is Beckham Going to the Olympics?
He may be past his sell-by date at 37, but I’m coming round to the view, that Stuart Pearce may pick David Beckham for Team GB at the Olympics.
But he could motivate a young team and all the hype could be a feint to install him as a coach. Let’s face it both Beckham and Pearce are bright enough to fool most of the people most of the time.
Everything so far in the way we’ve organised the Games has been very much conventional, so a surprise of the positive sort would be welcome and would unsettle other teams.
In the meantime, everybody should wait.
More Sherlocks Than Hamlet
According to the Guinness Book of Records, there have been 254 film and television versions of Sherlock Holmes, but only 206 of Hamlet.
The Anonymous Widower 