No Budget; Employ Students
In the depths of The Times is a story about a walk in the City of London, with the planning officer; Peter Rees. This phrase caught my eye.
As we walk through the ornate arcades of Leadenhall Market he points to the rich roof decoration and says, “the Corporation had no budget for restoration, so I employed art students to do the job.”
Good lateral thinking. They did a very good job too!
The article also says that some of the best views of London are from the roof of One New Change, the new shopping centre in the City by St. Paul’s. I must check! There’s more about it here.
The Restaurant Would Have Loved This Revue
a couple of weeks ago, I was so impressed by what Giles Coren said about a restaurant, that I just had to visit The Quality Chop House and duly did, as I reported here.
I doubt, I’ll be going to Balthazar, as Giles has given the place, one of the worst reviews I’ve ever seen, with the same exquisite use of a hatchet, that would have done justice to the late Michael Winner. You can read it here in The Times. It is one of those reads, that are worth a visit to the dentist in a couple of months time.
Giles scores the restaurant 0 for food out of 10, but gives it 9 for the room and service. His last paragraph is a classic.
I had hoped that London was too sophisticated now to fall for this sort of thing, but the critics seem to be going wild for it. And I am in no way saying that you should not go. Just go prepared. For the best restaurant in London, and the worst food in Europe.
I shall see what Giles recommends in the next few weeks.
Barclaycard On The Buses
Barclaycard are pushing their alternative to Oyster for London buses and tubes.
Barclaycard On The Buses
It will be interesting to see in a few years, if credit and bank cards actually replace Oyster.
Rhinitis: A Tale Of Two Cities
It’s very strange bus over the last couple of days, my health has been very much a roller coaster. or should I say my rhinitis.
On Wednesday, it was particularly bad and I was getting through the usual small packet of paper hankies a day. I did have a swimming lesson and I suspect, I did give my nose a bit of a washout, but the running nose was very much the same as it normally is.
Thursday in Liverpool is was a bit better, but on Friday, despite it being a day, when God had decided, she would empty her bathwater, my tissue consumption was much reduced. We were also indoors for a lot of the day in a warm room. But was it dry?
Yesterday, as I came down from Liverpool on the train, it was fine, except that I could taste the softer Liverpool water running into my throat.
Today, though it has been awful and I’ve got through over a small packet of tissues on my walk around London this morning.
So which is the dominant factor controlling the rhinitis?
I think, I can throw in here, one other useful piece of information. I saw no improvement on my trips to Blackburn or Huddersfield.
As I do know that my health problems improved as a child, when we moved to Felixstowe and maintained the improvement at Liverpool University. So, perhaps being by the sea helped. After all, I sometimes notice, that when I go to the football at Ipswich, I do sometimes breathe better.
It could too have been the temperature and humidity in the hotel. I set the temperature to the nineteen, I aim for at home.
One thing though, that the pain in my teeth and around the old break in my left humerus, seems to increase with the rhinitis.
So if I can stop my nose running, I may get rid of some other symptoms.
As I’m going on a cruise in eight days time, perhaps this will help me solve the mystery.
At least though, I’m certain that what causes the rhinitis, caused it as a child and as it didn’t kill me then, it probably won’t now.
Eros Is Busy In The Sun
Today was sunny and the crowds were gathering on Eros.
Eros Is Busy In The Sun
Let’s hope the weather tries to stay this way.
Stratford Panorama From The Emirates Air-Line
The picture shows the Olympic Park from the Emirates Air-Line cable-car.
Stratford Panorama From The Emirates Air-Line
The mouth of the River Lee is in the foreground.
Canary Wharf From Canning Town Station
One of the best free views of Canary Wharf is from the high level DLR platforms at Canning Town station.
Canary Wharf From Canning Town Station
Canning Town is a good station to start an exploration of the mouth of the River Lee.
Silvertown Sugar Refinery
Dominating the space between the new railway line and the River Thames is the massive Tate and Lyle sugar refinery, although it is now owned by American Sugar Refining.
As the pictures show it also dominates the view from the south bank of the Thames.
Winding Through The Crossrail Works
Crossrail are building their rail line along the line of the old North London Line to North Woolwich. Their blue fences were everywhere.
Some of the pictures were taken from a pedestrian bridge over the site and others were taken on that excellent photographic platform, a London double-deck bus. In this case it was a 473, that goes from Canning Town station to North Woolwich, where the Woolwich Ferry berths.
Note how the Brick Lane Music Hall dominates the first part of the route.
Walking to Brick Lane Music Hall
From Pontoon Dock station opposite the London Pleasure Gardens, I walked down to St. Mark’s Church, Silvertown or the Brick Lane Music Hall, as it is now known.
It is a walk, I have driven many times in the past and I regularly used to fill up my cars at the garage shown. But not at those prices, of which as a non-driver, who is scientifically-green, I heartily approve.
The flats seems good value to me. When C and I got married, we’d have never been able to buy something on a deal like that. you could get a 75% mortgage if you were lucky.
The Anonymous Widower 