My Place in The Sun
I was in The Sun yesterday, just under Pippa Middleton at the bottom of page 29. Under the headine, He Choos He Scores, it said the following.
Londoner James Miller, 64, will use trains and buses to visit 92 Football League grounds in alphabetical order in 29 days.
Not strictly true, as I’m allowing myself the 31 days of October, but they obviously didn’t have any more space.
C once appeared on page 3 in The Sun. A case involving a saucy farmer, where she was defending the two women, who attacked him, was published many years ago.
Another Train Delay
Last night when I went to Ipswich, the trains were delayed because of someone being hit by a train at Romford. One member of staff thought it was a suicide. From the traffic reports during thye day, I also got the impression, there had been another suicide in West London.
We didn’t get this number of suicides on the train lines, when it was easier to buy drugs in the chemist to take a fatal overdose. So you stop it one way and then people change their tactics.
C once did the divorce for a paramedic, who used to climb under the trains to get people out, after they had jumped in front of a tube train. Often they didn’t succeed in their aim and just lost both of their legs.
Let’s face it, some have worried that I might commit suicide after the last few years I’ve had.
But whilst I can still carry on, I will.
There might come a time, when I am in so much pain, that suicide might be a better option for some. But I suspect, I’ll still carry on, as after all, when the lights go out, there is nothing there at all!
The Crush at Westfield Stratford City
It was a waste of time taking the train to the new shopping centre.
I walked out of the Overground station up the stairs and after walking past the masses of smokers, lined up outside the centre, I entered the centre, avoiding one of the doors, which was constantly being opened by a four or five-year-old constantly pressing the disabled door-opening button. He was having great fun smashing the door into people standing outside.
I did at least know where I was going and attempted to walk through to Waitrose at the other end. I don’t think, I’ve been in a crush like that for some years and that was probably at Wembley for the play-off final against Barnsley in 2000. But the football crowd was better behaved and I should say better controlled and it didn’t contain lots of children, buggies and especially aggressive youths, who were determined to get through at any cost.
Eventually, I did get to Waitrose, but decided that I didn’t really want to go through that crush again with my shopping, so I decided to just have a look round John Lewis.
I was astounded to see, two children on scooters in the shop. Some people must be mad.
I then gave up and decided that the best bet would be to get to Stratford International and take the DLR from there. It was a very wet walk around the outside of the centre. as there was no shelter.
At the station, I met a policeman and told him how dangerous it had been in there. He whole-heartedly agreed.
I must admit I did get a train to the main station at Stratford from where I took the Central Line back to Liverpool Street. After a walk, I did get a bus, but then this was delayed due to an accident on the New North Road.
This must be regarded as the least successful shopping trip, I’ve ever done.
A Very Wet Hackney Central
I decided yesterday to go to Eastfield, as I needed some food from the Waitrose there. I also wanted to check the availability of some other goods in the shopping centre.
As I do, I took the 38 bus and changed to the North London Line at Hackney Central. This picture taken from the top deck of the bus shows the closeness of Hackney Downs and Central stations.
Looking Towards Hackney Central Station
The bridge in front is the line into Hackney Downs and you can just see Mare Street, where the entrance to Hackney Central is located in the distance about fifty metres to the left of the traffic lights.
In the sort of weather we were having yesterday, the station is inadequate, as this picture shows.
Hackney Central In The Wet
There really does need to be more shelter on the platform.
I think these two pictures illustrate how a properly built Hackney Junction would be of real benefit to the community.
Cable Theft Halts Stansted Express
That’s what the Evening Standard is reporting.
Every day there is more of these thefts and the BBC South East News every morning, always contains several stories that could be down to cable theft.
Is Blackpool the Most Pedestrian Unfriendly Resort in the UK?
I went to Blackpool with an open mind, but I had met a plumber from Wigan in Liverpool, who goes to that city with his bike, when he wants to get some sea air.
But I hadn’t been prepared for what I found.
Arriving at Blackpool North station, there was no map or instructions to help me get to the football ground or even the town centre. There was a map for sale at a pound or so,but it didn’t have either the station or the football ground on it.
I was told as a child, that if you’re lost, you should always ask a policeman. So I found two. But one was from Manchester and the other was from Preston. They hadn’t a clue on directions. So I suppose, if there was an incident, they’d probably turn up with difficulty and late.
In fact there are no useful maps in the dump, as to call it a town, insults all of those places, like Great Yarmouth, who care for their visitors so much better.
There is however this bus map on all the stops.
Blasckpool's Useless Bus Map
I suppose it might be useful to those who have the route they are taking to hand. But for me it was as useful as a chocolate teapot.
Close to the football ground it gets worse with roads that have no crossing places for pedestrians.
A typical Pedestrian-Friendly Crossing In Blackpool
The picture was taken on a busy roundabout. where are the protective lights? And here are some Ipswich fans trying to cross the road to McDonalds.
Ipswich Fans Dodge The Traffic in Blackpool
I know Blackpool has financial problems, but surely they want visitors to return.
Obviously they don’t want coeliacs, who have to walk everywhere!
Liverpool’s Third Cathedral
It may not be a religious building, but Lime Street station in Liverpool, has all the columns, roof and space you’d want for a cathedral.
It is a proper destination station like St. Pancras, where you could meet someone for business, pleasure or whatever. It is also very close to some of the major attractions of Liverpool. Unlike many stations, which seemed to have been built wherever they could get the land.
Liverpool’s Commercial District
Most people forget that Liverpool was and still is in many ways, a prosperous commercial city.
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- Oriel Chambers
I took these pictures as I walked round the city on Saturday morning, before I departed for Blackpool to see Ipswich.
Some of the buildings in the pictures like Liverpool Town Hall and Oriel Chambers are by any standard, some of the best commercial or civic buildings in the country.
A Bridge Strike at Kings Langley
On Friday, I went to Liverpool, by train from Euston. Some idiot, then proceeds to get his truck stuck under railway at Kings Langley, which meant that we were delayed by about 30 minutes. It wasn’t as dramatic as the report, but they did have to let the truck tyres down and then drag it out.
It didn’t actually matter to me, as I had six hours to do a couple of hours work, but the companions at my table, had an urgent appointment to do some publicity over a concert I think.
I do hope Network Rail are claiming off the idiot’s insurance policy, as they should have known the height of their truck. I know from seeing the statistics, that bridge strikes are one of the more common causes of delay on the railways.
The Anonymous Widower 