Lost In Translation
This story from the BBC illustrates the perils of translating.
Two years ago I saw a really mixed up sign in Swansea.
Mixed Up Signage in Swansea
I think road signs should be in one language only and understandable to everybody who drives past them. Obviously in this one, it should only be in metric units.
Measles On The Way Back
There are reports like this one, that show measles is on the way back, with a large outbreak in Swansea.
I was never vaccinated against it as a child and never caught it, despite the fact that my sister did.
I eventually caught it in about 1973, when my children all had it. To complicate matters, I also had chicken-pox at the same time.
It didn’t leave me with any lasting effects, but for two weeks, I never got off the sofa, as I felt so wretched.
It was probably, the worst illness I’ve had in my life, from a point of feeling ill.
I would not wish it on my worst enemy.
So get those children immunised. Those that don’t are stupid!
What Will Abramovitch Do Now?
After the farce at Swansea last night, it’ll be interesting to see what crazy thing happens at Chelski next!
I watched the match and I think the result was fair, as Swansea with a bit of luck could have won this leg of the tie too!
A Good Day For Wales
Yesterday, Swansea got into the Premier League at Wembley and the English cricketers turned a certain draw into an unlikely win at Cardiff.
I wish Swansea well at their new status. Their ground, the Liberty Stadium is certainly up to it, as I found last season. Perhaps, all it needs is a station of its own or better transport from the town centre.
The Liberty Stadium
The Liberty Stadium is only a few years old and in my opinion it is one of the better smaller stadia I’ve visited.
Approaching the Liberty Stadium
It is just perhaps a pity that they didn’t build a station to serve the stadium. Especially, as the railway between London and Cardiff to Swansea passes close to the ground.
Outside the Liberty Stadium
You can just see the viaduct carrying the railway behind the stadium.
Inside the stadium looks very similar to the other new stadia like St. Mary’s in Southampton, Leicester City, Doncaster and Coventry.
Inside the Liberty Stadium
But in some ways, the design is better. I did like the fact that disabled supporters were placed on a balcony that extended all round the stadium, with level access to the outside.
Surely this arrangement gives a better view and would be much better in the case of any emergency.
Or is this all just a process of continual developent in our design of new stadia?
Philosophy From An English Queen
If you keep your eyes open, you’ll always find some interesting gems in the most surprising places.
Philosophy From An English Queen
This was on the gate of a chapel in Swansea.
I can’t ever remember hearing the Queen Mother speak, let alone hear her say anything as good as this. I did check the Internet and she is given credit on several web sites, including this one.
Signposting in Swansea
None of the signs in the City Centre pointed me towards the Liberty Stadium.
Comprehensive Signposting in Swansea
But at least they are comprehensive.
I did like this sign though.
Mixed Up Signage in Swansea
Wouldn’t it be so much simpler if all distances and heights were in metric units, rather than both metric and Imperial? I’m assuming that the abbreviation for metres in Welsh is the same as in English, French, German and Italian. As it’s an international standard, I would assume it is.
If ever a sign is going to lead to a truck getting stuck under a bridge it is this one!
Pizza Express in Swansea
I made very little progress in finding a gluten-free restaurant in Swansea, so it had to be a tuna salad with a glass of wine at Pizza Express.
It was a great improvement on my dreadful trip to Coventry, where the waitress had learned her trade by watching Catherine Tate videos. But saying that, Pizza Express in Leeds had been very good too.
Swansea is also a Pizza Express with good views of the old Swansea Castle.
Swansea Castle
The waiter also told me how to find the Liberty Stadium, which wasn’t shown on any direction signs or maps.
High Speed Train to Swansea
I said that I was going to see Ipswich in Swansea yesterday. I had bought a Standard Class ticket out and a First Class back at a total cost of £45.20. I had actually booked six days in advance, so these good prices weren’t the result of very early booking.
The trip takes three hours and is probably one of the longest trips you can do from London easily in a day in a High Speed Train or IC125 both ways. I got six and three quarter hours in Swansea, which was enough time for a wander round the city, have some lunch and see the match.
As to the latter, I’ll not be talking about that!
According to the guy who served me coffee in the buffet, the train out had just been refurbished. It was certainly in very good condition and completely clean. I think it might have been the same train set on return, as it was in an equally pristine state.
So how did Standard and First Clases compare?
According to Ian Walmsley ‘s excellent article in Modern Railways a couple of months ago, he scored 82.1% for First Class and 76.2% for Standard for the IC125.
I’m not going to argue with those figures, although, I actually found the more upright Standard Class seat slightly more comfortable. But then my spine doesn’t curl under correctly and I’ve always found that too soft chairs are less uncomfortable than hard ones. When I used to drive, I found some cars particularly difficult.
My one complaint is that the tray in Standard Class is not big enough to lay the paper out, so I could do the Sudoku.
Small Seatback Tray on an IC125
However, I did get two seats to myself going out, so I could spread sideways a bit.
Perhaps I need a Working Class coach. This would be Standard Class but everybody would get a proper table, just like you originally got, when the trains were built.
I know the new layouts get more people on the trains, but have we really progressed?
As to progress, I did walk through several carriages to get to the buffet. The train was rather busy and there were several of those trolley cases, I hate so much, in the aisles. Despite this, I didn’t have any problems getting to the buffet and getting back carrying the coffee. Compare that with the problems I had on the Pendolino. But then I was running yesterday at 125 mph on a railway built for 60 mph in the Victorian era, in a forty year old train.
If I had the choice, I’d take a High Speed Train or failing that a Mark 3 Carriage anytime I could! When I travel to Ipswich, I always book one of the Norwich trains, as these are made up of Mark 3’s.
When booking on-line, you should be told the type of train you would normally be getting.
The Anonymous Widower 