I Seemed To Have Improved My Left Knee
My left knee has always been weaker than my right.
- What really made it bad was living with C and our three children in a fourth floor walk-up flat with no lift.
- I usually carried the double-pushchair up the stairs a couple of times a day.
- It should also be born in mind, that my left humerus was broken by the school bully, when I was fifteen.
Our GP at the time, we were living in the flat, thought I should have an operation on the knee, but luckily I didn’t as another GP a few later gave me a set of exercises, that improved it to a certain extent.
Since my stroke and returning to London, I have relied on buses and trains, as I can’t drive and don’t even have a car.
My knee seemed to be getting worse and I reasoned it wasn’t being helped, by the high step in and out, you get on some trains and buses.
This picture shows the high step into a Northern Line train at Moorgate station.
I found that the step-down here, gives a bang on my knee every time I get out of the train.
This second picture shows Bank station, which is a new platform and level.
It’s surely very much a matter of GCSE mathematics and geometry, with a bit of money to get many more train and bus entries level.
So I have developed a maneuver to get out of the train or bus.
- Most doors have a vertical rail on either side. You can see one rail in the first picture.
- As I want to avoid hurting my left leg any more, I grab the rail on the left side of the door going out, with my left hand.
- I have my bag in my strong right hand. If I have two bags, one is usually My Faithful Servant, so I can hold them both in my right hand.
- I then swing around the vertical rail holding on with my left hand.
- So far, every time I’ve landed safely and lightly on my right foot.
My left knee seems to be improving.
Surprisingly, the extra pulls on my left arm don’t seem to harm it.
Between Walthamstow Central And Canning Town Stations On A 69 Bus
I have a feeling, that the 69 bus route, which currently runs between Walthamstow Central and Canning Town stations, could be usefully extended to become.
- A new route through the Silvertown tunnel.
- A formal connection between the Eastern ends of the Victoria and Jubilee Lines
- Part of Superloop
I took these pictures from the front of the top deck.
Note.
- I was sitting at the front of the bus on the right side of the top deck.
- Walthamstow Central station is served by the Victoria Line and the London Overground.
- The 69 bus runs every few minutes.
- Walthamstow Central station has a well-connected modern bus station.
- Leyton Midland Road station is on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.
- The Leyton Engineer appears to be a beautifully restored pub.
- The six-lane A12 East Cross Route is crossed on a bridge just before Leyton station.
- Leyton station is on the Central Line.
- Maryland station is on the Elizabeth Line.
- The Great Eastern Main Line and the Elizabeth Line are crossed on a bridge at Maryland station.
- The prominent church is St. John’s, Stratford.
- Plaistow station is on the Metropolitan Line.
- Canning Town station is on the Jubilee Line and is a hub for the Docklands Light Railway.
- Canning Town station is suffering a degree of refurbishment at the moment and is a bit of a nightmare on foot at the moment.
The 69 bus route connects eight railway stations and at least eight railway lines.
The roads are generally wide and there are more trees than in other parts of London.
Judge Rules Scottish Schools Must Provide Single-Sex Lavatories
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Parents win legal fight after head teacher dismissed concerns over only gender-neutral facilities
This reminds me of a lecture I went to at Emmanuel College in Cambridge given by the retiring Head of Projects at Unicef. The lecture told what Unicef had done during International Women’s Year.
One story was about why girls tended to leave school at an early age in India.
Unicef didn’t know why, although they thought it could be arranged marriages. Then someone produced a peer-reviewed paper from the University of Delhi, which blamed the fact that boys and girls shared the same toilets.
Unicef set up a program with Hari Krishna to segregate the toilets and it worked.
Between East India And Blackheath Stations Through The Silvertown Tunnel In the Rush Hour
Today, I went South between East India and Blackheath stations, through the Silvertown Tunnel, in a Southerly direction.
These were the pictures I took on the way.
Note.
- The SL4 buses are every few minutes.
- I sat at the back of the top deck on the right hand side.
- As the bus came out of the tunnel, I knelt on the seat looking out of the back of the bus.
- I arrived at Blackheath station about 17:30.
- The London Marathon preparations can be seen on Blackheath.
- The last three pictures show Blackheath station.
There was around twenty passengers on the top deck most of the way.
I changed at Peckham Rye station for Dalston Junction station and home.
Is The Silvertown Tunnel A Bridge To The Future Or A Step Backwards?
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Guardian.
This is the sub-heading.
As the £2.2bn tunnel prepares to open, opinions are divided: will it reduce congestion, or is it a relic of transport planning that worsens pollution?
The article is worth reading, as it is the only serious article on the Silvertown Tunnel that I have found.
I believe that, we haven’t got enough data yet, to be able to judge the tunnel.
Between North Greenwich And West Silvertown Stations In The Evening
Between North Greenwich and West Silvertown stations on a 129 bus, is becoming my route on which to assess traffic levels in the Silvertown Tunnel.
This evening the bus was over half full of passengers and I couldn’t get my usual seat up front.
Note.
- I went to North Greenwich on the Jubilee Line.
- As the picture shows, I actually got a seat.
- I was sitting upstairs on the right.
- The bus left North Greenwich at around 20:30
- There were quite a few cars in the car park at North Greenwich.
- The Silvertown Tunnel was its not very busy self.
- On arrival at West Silvertown station, the bus was showing we were at Highbury Corner.
- After this trip, I do wonder if passengers swap to buses as it gets darker.
I came back via Canning Town and Canada Water stations.
The UK’s Worst Airport For Flight Delays Revealed
The title of this post, is the same as that, as this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
The shortage of air traffic controllers is a European problem but some in the industry have blamed early retirement during the pandemic
These are the first two paragraphs.
Gatwick was the country’s worst airport for delays last year as it struggled with air traffic issues and capacity.
Departures were an average of more than 23 minutes late, according to analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data. It is the second year in a row it has topped the late league table.
It does look that the first paragraph is saying they need more air traffic controllers and that second runway.
Ironically, one of the adverts in my copy of the article was for Avanti West Coast.
Is The Silvertown Tunnel A Silver Elephant?
I have been through the Silvertown Tunnel several times now and every time the bus has never really slowed for lots of traffic.
I went through this morning on Easter Sunday and these pictures show all the other traffic I saw.
Note.
- I was sitting in the front passenger seat of a 129 bus, which is on the left of the bus.
- We were going from South to North through the Silvertown Tunnel.
- I could read the driver’s speedometer and it showed within a mile per hour of thirty all the way.
- We were passed by only one car in the tunnel.
- There were about a dozen passengers on the lower deck of the bus.
- I didn’t check how many were on the top deck of the bus.
Even on an Easter Sunday, I would have thought the service would have been busier.
Is The Silvertown Tunnel A Silver Elephant?
There are two answera to this question.
- Yes – A lot of money has been spent for just a few cars and bus passengers to have an easy ride through the tunnel.
- No – As traffic is flowing freely through the tunnel, it shows the tunnel is doing its job and freeing up traffic in East London.
But whatever view you take, a lot of money has been spent for a small number of vehicles and passengers to pass through the tunnel.
I also suspect very little extra revenue is being generated.
The Jubilee Line Was Busy
The complete route I took this morning was as follows.
- Home To Angel – 38 bus – Not very busy.
- Angel to London Bridge – Northern Line – Not very busy.
- London Bridge to North Greenwich – Jubilee Line – All seats taken.
- North Greenwich to West Silvertown – 129 bus – Not very busy.
- West Silvertown to Canning Town – Docklands Light Railway – Not very busy.
- Canning Town to Canada Water – Jubilee Line – All seats taken.
- Canada Water to Dalston Junction – Overground – Not very busy.
- Dalston Junction to Home – 30 bus – Not very busy.
Note.
- Only the sections on the Jubilee Line were really busy, with all seats taken.
- London Bridge, Stratford and Waterloo stations on the Jubilee Line are also busy National Rail stations.
- London Bridge, Canada Water, North Greenwich, Canning Town and Stratford all have large modern well-designed bus stations within easy walking distance of the Jubilee Line.
- Given, that there is now a charge to cross the river, have a lot of people decided to take the Jubilee Line rather than their car to go to the O2 at North Greenwich and the Olympic Park and Eastfield at Stratford?
I strongly feel, that more capacity is needed on the Jubilee Line, as no matter what time I use it, I never seem to get a seat.
Taking The Dover Road
This Google Map shows how the A2 ( the Dover Road) links up with the Silvertown and Blackwall Tunnels.
Note.
- The O2 in the North-West corner of the map, with North Greenwich station in red under it.
- The Blackwall Tunnel crosses the river to the North-West of the O2.
- The Silvertown Tunnel crosses the river to the East of the O2.
- Running diagonally across the map is the Blackwall Tunnel Southern Approach, which also serves the Silvertown Tunnel.
- The station to the West of the Southern Approach is Westcombe Park station.
- Click the map to show it to a larger scale.
This second Google Map shows the O2, North Greenwich station and the approaches to both tunnels.
Note.
- The half-moon-shaped building is North Greenwich station.
- The tunnel approaches are rather complicated, but seem to be working well.
- There is lots of car parking.
- The Blackwall Tunnel Southern Approach leaves the tunnles in a Southerly direction.
- Click the map to show it to a larger scale.
This third Google Map shows how the A2 (Dover Road) and A20 (Folkestone Road) link up to the Blackwall Tunnel Southern Approach.
Note.
- The station in the North-West corner of the map is Westcombe Park.
- The road running diagonally South-East from the corner is the Blackwall Tunnel Southern Approach.
- The Blackwall Tunnel Southern Approach then turns East to join with the A2 (Dover Road).
- The Blackwall Tunnel Southern Approach also links up with the A20 (Folkestone Road) , which is the other road running diagonally at the bottom of the map.
In some ways, I am rather surprised at how little traffic is passing through the tunnels given this double dual-carriageway/motorway connection to East Kent, the Channel Tunnel and the Continent. It also has a double connection at both the A2 and A20 to join the M25.
Perhaps, it does mean that the charges are frightening drivers away.
The Roads To The North
This Google Map shows the main approach road to the Blackwall Tunnel.
Note.
- The O2 and North Greenwich station in the South-East corner of the map.
- The Blackwall Tunnel crosses the river to the North-West of the O2.
- The A12 dual-carriageway runs North up the Lea Valley through Hackney.
- There is a dual-carriageway/motorway box formed by the M11 in the West, A12 in the East, M 25 in the North and A 406 in the South to speed traffic on its way, including to the two main routes to the North; the M1 and the A1.
I have lived for thirty years of my life in North London, and I feel, that although the roads to the North of London could be improved, I don’t suspect they are the reason drivers are not using the Silvertown and Blackwall Tunnels.
I would suspect that drivers don’t like or trust the charging system, or could it be that the public transport system in London and especially the East of London is too good?
But we do need to increase the capacity of the Jubilee Line either directly or would a high-capacity bus-route shadowing the line, be able to add the extra capacity needed?
The Story Of An O-Ring
I have a very unusual skin, as is partly shown by these pictures.
Note.
- There is a scar on the back of my left hand, where I cut it on the glass bathroom door in my bedroom.
- But with skillful gluing at the Royal London hospital and TLC and stern words from the practice nurse at my GP’s it healed perfectly.
- If I give blood samples or have an injection, I don’t need a plaster.
- My left foot is a deeper shade of red to the right. No-one has given me a reason for this.
- My previous now-retired GP, always took his own blood samples, when he needed them and had smiles all over his face. Perhaps, he was proving to himself, that it was happening?
- I wrote about my skin before in My Strange Skin, in 2020.
- One therapist said unusually for someone, who had a left-sided stroke, that my left leg is the stronger.
As my ancestry is part-Jewish and part-Huguenot could it just be that only the strongest genes survived from their poor living conditions my ancestors endured in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries?
My Cardiologist And His Wife, Have Suggested I Use An Emollient In My Bath
I am now adding Oilatum Emollient to my bath water, which I get delivered by Ocado.
It is not cheap, but my feet are now more made for walking.
I put three cap-fulls in a bath and lie in it for about 10-20 minutes.
An O-Ring Failure On Bad Friday
A rubber O-ring sitting in a groove on the plug, should keep the water in the bath, but as this picture shows the O-ring had seen better days.
The picture of the new O-ring shows how it should look on the plug.
On Bad Friday, the O-ring finally gave up and any water put in the bath, went straight down the drain.
A Fruitless Bad Friday
Internet searches proved fruitless in my search for a shop that was open on Bad Friday.
So I vowed to try again today.
Searching For cp Hart At Waterloo
cp Hart, from whom I bought the original bath, appeared to be open at Waterloo, so after breakfast on Moorgate, I made my way to look for the branch of cp Hart at Waterloo.
Note.
- Why does South London and its trains have to be covered in graffiti?
- Most of it, is not even good graffiti.
- In my view, the Bakerloo Line should not get new trains, until the graffiti has stopped.
- I wandered round Waterloo for about ninety minutes before I found cp Hart, with the help of two police constables.
- And when I finally found cp Hart, they didn’t do spares.
- I tripped over the uneven pavement in the last picture. But as I usually do, I retained my balance and didn’t fall. Is that all the B12 I take for coeliac disease?
My mother always used to say, that you shouldn’t go to South London without a posse.
Eventually, I had a coffee in Costa and took the 76 bus home.
Success At Last!
To get home on a 76 bus, I have to change in De Beauvoir Town and whilst I waited for the 141 bus to take me home, I checked out the local builders merchants.
The owner was his usual self and fitted my plug with a free new O-ring.
I was now able to have a bath.
And watch the snooker.
I can certainly recommend a television in your bathroom.
Note the vertical handrail, that allows me to step easily in and out of the bath.
Avacon And Rolls-Royce Are Testing The Contribution Of Battery Storage And PV Systems To Grid Stability
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Rolls-Royce.
These two bullet points act as sub-headings.
- Field tests are investigating the intelligent integration of renewable energies with home storage systems and larger mtu battery storage systems
- Objective: to contribute to the efficient energy supply of energy communities and grid support
This introductory paragraph adds more detail.
German energy supplier Avacon and Rolls-Royce together are driving forward the integration of battery storage into the power grid as part of a research project. Based on a field test, the aim is to show how energy communities, PV systems and mtu battery storage can be intelligently linked to contribute to an efficient energy supply and to stabilize the energy system. Avacon and Rolls-Royce are already collaborating on a second research project. The aim is to use battery storage to moderate generation peaks from PV systems and bring them into line with electricity consumption.
This all takes me back to the early 1970s, when my software was used by the Water Resources Board to plan future water supply in the South of England.
Given, that we don’t seem to suffer supply problems with water in the South, I feel that Dr. Dave Dimeloe and his team did a good job.
Some of the techniques, that I used fifty years ago, would allow an accurate model to be made of what Rolls-Royce call an energy community.
But my experience with water and later with the flow of money in peer-to-peer lending, lead to my thinking that energy communities will be stable.
But that is for Rolls-Royce to prove or disprove.
The Anonymous Widower 