IKEA’s Non-Delivery Service
Tomorrow, I’m expecting a delivery from IKEA.
But I doubt, I’ll get it, as after speaking to DHL this morning, it would appear that the earliest day I can get it is December 8th. So I’ll probably cancel!
A few months ago, I did get two or three successful deliveries, but the last two have had to be cancelled, as the delivery dates offered were just not convenient and bore no relation to what was originally offered on the web site.
At the moment, I can’t put all my clothes away, as I don’t have a wardrobe in my bedroom. Unfortunately, the fittings were delivered last time, so do I have no chance, but to wait until the eighth? Let’s face it, it’s only a frame that costs £50. I doubt though, it would have fitted in the back of my Jaguar.
As I was expecting the delivery tomorrow, I arranged my schedule around it. Now, I’ll have to rearrange everything again!
The Rising Cost of Fuel
I can’t say I’m bothered, as I don’t drive anymore after my stroke. I think though, if I still lived on my stud in Suffolk in the middle of nowhere, by now I’d be thinking of getting an electric car or at least a small hybrid.
The trouble is that people are unwilling to change their lifestyles to suit the circumstances we all live in.
I don’t regret not having a car anymore. I don’t get ripped off by fuel costs, insurance scams, unfair parking rules and congestion charges and I get to most places just as quick as if I drove. My monthly expenses have dropped drammatically!
And of course, if I need too, I can always use a taxi. I haven’t used one in London for someting like six months.
The Americanisation of the FA Cup
I hope the idiot, who thought it would be a good idea to ask Budweiser to sponsor the FA Cup, has done the right thing and gone to repent for the rest of his life in a monastery in Nepal or on Mount Assos.
The FA Cup is a British institution and although, it has been sponsored for some time now, all of the sponsors, hsve either been British or come from countries, where football is the national game.
Budweiser is an American company and luckily I’ve never ever sampled any of its products. In fact as a coeliac, I can’t unless I want to be ill.
Just imagine what would happen if British Airways say, wanted to sponsor a major sporting event in the United States.
Yet again, the FA has shown that the fans don’t count.
One of the outcomes of this deal or perhaps the fact that the television rights have gone to ITV and ESPN, was that the BBC weren’t able to broadcast a radio commentary of the game this afternoon.
The Abu Dhabi Round of Formula Boring
I said in the Day 44 post, that I rushed home to watch the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. I shouldn’t have bothered, as it certainly lived down to my nickname of it of Formula Boring. That is after Sebastian Vettel crashed out early.
I should have gone to Waitrose, as I need some toilet bleach. Now that is really interesting! I wish I had. Unfortunately, nothing in this house needs paiting, so I can’t do any of that for excitement instead.
I can’t say I’m sorry Formula One is going to Sky, especially, as the real Grand Prix, like Monaco and Silverstone, will probably still be on the BBC. But races like Abu Dhabi, India and Malaysia could really only be improved by starting again with circuits that need to be driven, rather than steered.
92 Clubs – Day 44 – AFC Wimbledon
This was a visit that showed just how good public transport, and buses in particular, can be.
I thought to get to AFC Wimbledon would have meant a trip by train to Norbiton station, which is just a reasonable walk from the ground according to the club’s website. However the web site also says that it is easy to get to the ground by bus.
You can take the 131 from Wimbledon Station or Kingston Town Centre, which stops right outside the ground.
So I used the 131 bus from Wimbledon.
I started by taking a 21 bus from near my house direct to Monument station, where I got the District line to Wimbledon station. Unluckily, I just missed a direct train, so I had to change at Earl’s Court. But it was only just a walk across the platform.
At Wimbledon I had a short walk to the stop on Worple Road for the 131 bus, which I’d looked up on the excellent spider map at the station.
The Bus Stop at Wimbledon for the 131 Bus to AFC Wimbledon
The picture shows the stop complete with its text details for bus information. I used this and found that I’d have to wait six minutes for the 131. I think perhaps the information was a minute out. But I’ll forgive them that!
Kingsmeadow Stadium Where AFC Wimbledon Play
The Kingsmeadow stadium is shared with Kingstonian and rather tucked away, but less than a hundred metres from the bus stop called Kingsmeadow.
Twenty-five minutes later and I was back on the train at Wimbledon. I arrived home in time to watch the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
This trip goes to show how with good public transport and especially buses with proper information systems and maps, it is very easy to take a bus to any location in London. Other cities and towns in the UK, should follow the lead of Transport for London.
Some may say rightly, that watching football or any sport for that matter, is a minority interest. but imagine how say an 80-year-old would cope visiting their sibling in hospital at the other end of the country, by buses and trains. The trains aren’t the difficult bit, but outside London, buses are generally fairly dreadful and an information-free and map-free zone.
Although to use a football example here, I could dwell on the insanity of moving the original Wimbledon club to Milton Keynes, where the only way to get to the ground in a reasonable time, I had to use a taxi. No wonder the number of fans, who transferred their support can probably be counted on the fingers of one hand.
92 Clubs – Day 43 – Wigan
I’m getting near the end now and as the cough seems to have no sign of abating, I took a quick trip up to Wigan from Euston.
Outside the DW Stadium
The DW Stadium is another new stadium and some way from the station, but I got a discount from the courteous taxi driver and he got me back in time to take the 13:09 return train from the town. This meant I could see the England against Spain match, when I returned home.
Watching England Against Spain
I only watch football on ITV under sufferance, as their commentators aren’t the best and they tend to interrupt everything with pointless adverts.
So tonight, as I often do, I have the ITV pictures with the sound off and I’m listening to the Radio 5 Live commentary. I get a better description and no adverts.
But tonight, the radio commentators are on one side of the pitch and the television cameras are on the other. It could be a bit confusing for some, but I’m finding it enjoyable, especially as with a minute to go,England are winning.
I suspect, it’s also some fiendish plot to get us to watch the match, rather than listen to it, so we have to watch the stupid adverts!
92 Clubs – Day 39 – A Day Off
Perhaps I was just being lazy!
92 Clubs – Day 38 – A Day Off
This was another doctor’s day, essentially to have my INR levels checked. But there was a machine failure, so I’ll have to have them checked next Monday.
I should say that my INR levels and Warfarin intake has now been the same for nearly eighteen months.
The Anonymous Widower 