The Train Ticket Nightmare
Yesterday I needed to go to Bury St. Edmunds from London for an appointment at 11:00. I booked on the Internet and the National Express East Anglia web site, sold me an Off-Peak Single with a Senior Railcard leaving at 08:10 for £23.50. For some reason, when I picked up my ticket, I asked an inspector and he said I couldn’t use the ticket, as Senior Railcards aren’t valid until 09:30. So I purchased an upgrade for £18.40, as I wanted to avoid the fine he promised me.
I got to Bury on time after a good journey and particularly liked the new Class 379 train from London to Cambridge.
New Trains from Liverpool Street to Cambridge
The inspector though on the Cambridge to Bury train had told me that I had been overcharged £4.00 at Tottenham Hale.
So something is wrong. Either the web site gave me the wrong information and sold me a ticket I wasn’t entitled to or the National Express East Anglia rule book given to their inspectors doesn’t reflect the web site.
When I got home, I investigated buying the same ticket for today. It would have cost me £23.50.
I should say, that if they can get the pricing right, I will travel to Cambridge this way, as the trains may take longer than those from King’s Cross, but they are much more comfortable and have even have wi-fi. Although, I couldn’t use it yesterday, as I didn’t have my computer with me.
Will Electric Cars Ever Hack It?
I'[ve always had my doubts about electric cars and on BBC Breakfast, Rory Cellan-Jones was showing a new charging system, to help you do long journeys in an electric car.
As someone, who used to enjoy driving but doesn’t now, I’m rapidly coming to the point, where I think in the next few years many people will come to my decision and almost abandon cars completely.
Electric cars will not be the solution, unless they dsolve the range and cost problems, so they will only be for those who just can’t break their habit of driving everywhere. They will also probably only work if they are small and I doubt we’ll ever see an electric Range Rover.
On the other hand, where electric power and more efficient hybrid power will work is in larger vehicles, like buses and delivery trucks. Where I live some of the buses are hybrid and people like them because they are smoother and quieter than normally powered buses.
But we will change our lifestyles much more than you think.
As an example, these are things I do to avoid driving.
- I get my big grocery shopping done at Waitrose in Upper Street in the normal way and then they just bring it round an hour or so later. Even if I had a car, it would be less efficient and I’d to drive several miles to find a supermarket with a car park.
- I walk to the end of my road to the Overground and can get a train or tube to virtually anywhere in London, quicker than I could drive.
- For local trips, there are several efficient bus routes.
- Larger deliveries are easy, as delivery vehicles can park outside to unload.
So whether electric cars do hack it, I suspect that there are so many ideas to avoid driving, that they won’t be needed.
A Tree For Norway
Michael Morpugo has proposed this.
I will add nothing. But do listen to his words.
He’s absolutely right.
What Have Betty Boothroyd, David Attenborough, Lord Foster and Tim Berners-Lee In Common?
They are all members of the Order of Merit, which is the only British honour that is a personal gift of the Sovereign. It is limited to 24 members and with the deaths of Lucien Freud and Joan Sutherland, there are now only twenty two full members and one honorary one; Nelson Mandela.
From inception in 1902, the honour has always been open to women and originally was awarded as a means to acknowledge “exceptionally meritorious service in Our Navy and Our Army, or who may have rendered exceptionally meritorious service towards the advancement of Art, Literature and Science”.
Looking at the current list, there are no military figures, two women, an archbishop, three politicians, of whom one is a Canadian, a playright, several Nobel prize winners, a sculptor, a broadcaster; David Attenborough, several scientists and mathemeticians and a couple of philanthropists. Perming any six from twenty-two would make one hell of a dinner party.
So the Queen has a problem!
She has to fill the two vacancies and she will do this without political interference.
There is only one from the theatre;Tom Stoppard, so such as Alan Bennett, Judi Dench and Ian McKellen must be in the frame. Alan Bennett has already refused a knighthood, so he may not accept. On the other hand, it might have been Benjamin Britten, who initially refused, but accepted when he was told that the honour was the personal gift of the sovereign.
There is no doctor, so perhaps Lord Winston or someone of equal stature should be added. I have one doctor in mind, as he helped me greatly when C died, but I won’t name him here.
There are also no sportsmen or sportswomen on the list and if you look at past holders none came from sport. But then when the order was founded sport was an irrelevance to most people, except for gambling and entertainment. So should this ommission be rectified? In my view the only possible person might have been Chris Brasher, but he died a few years ago. Ian Botham will be another possible in a decade or so, as he is too young at present.
Cricket Wins
England may have won the First Test at Lord’s yesterday, but I think the bigger winner was Test Cricket, when 28,000 spectators turned up to see the last day. Congratulations too, to the authorities, who let under-16s in free!
NHS Ill-Prepared for the Obese
This is a headline on a story on the BBC’s web site. Surely, the headline should be something like “Obese Ill-Prepared for the NHS”.
The Unbelievable Story of Cec Thompson
I’d never heard of Cec Thompson, who was one of the first black players to play rugby league for Great Britain, until I found this story on the BBC’s web site. He has just sadly died at 85, after an incredibly full life, which to say the least started very badly.
He is the sort of person, who is an inspiration to everybody. His obituary in the Telegraph tells more.
Who’d Want To Run A Railway?
We sometimes criticise train companies because of poor performance, but then who could run a reliable service with people like this around?
I hope that he at least gets prosecuted for being drunk in charge of a scooter.
Top Gear Demolish Gravesend
Or at least part of the Kings Farm Estate was given the treatment on tonight’s program.
Search for Kings Farm Estate, Gravesend on Google and it would appear that the estate won’t be missed by the good people of Kent.
Simple Recycling
I have one of my new recycling boxes permanently on the front patio by my wheelie bin.
My Recycling Box and Wheelie Bin
At least it means with Coke cans that I can recycle them without walking up and down the stairs or going outside. I just open the window and drop them straight down. Is this good practice for my eyesight after the stroke?
At least, I haven’t missed yet!
But then I haven’t chanced it with glass bottles either!
The Anonymous Widower 