North Of Piccadilly Circus
I don’t really know, that you should call that area north of Piccadilly Circus, between Regent Street and Shaftesbury Avenue, but I went there yesterday and a run-down set of streets has been transformed by pedestrianisation and some new construction.
Even Regent Street itself, seems better, with the Diamond Jubilee banners and refurbishment. I suppose this pedestrianisation follows on from the scheme done for the Olympics around the Circus itself.
Clear Naming Of Roads
Nearly every road in Geneva seemed to have a clear sign like this.
Clear Naming Of Roads
Coming from London, which has a similar policy, it annoys me, when I go places, where street names are non-existent.
It certainly made Geneva easy to navigate.
A Pretty Well Organised Tourist City
On arriving in the centre of Geneva, I needed to find my way to the hotel, I’d booked at a very good rate.
The tourist office was a short walk towards the river and I got one of the best free maps, I’ve ever got from such a place. I’ve even be charged for an awful map in some places.
I actually walked to my hotel in the Old City, which wasn’t that far. One of the reasons for walking was that I knew hotels were supposed to give you a free travel ticket, for whilst you were in the city.
It was a bit cold, but a pleasant walk and I crossed one of the many bridges of the Rhone.
The Rhone At Geneva
Admittedly, I had to climb up to the hotel, but despite my problems, I managed it well. I took this picture from the top on the Saturday morning.
The Climb To The Hotel
This shows the advantage of travelling light, as I always do.
Note however the maps and signposts grouped together. Geneva is a well-mapped city and others could do worse, than follow Geneva’s example.
Incidentally the first thing I got from reception in the hotel along with the room key, was a Geneva Transport Card, valid from Friday until Sunday. You even get them if you are camping, rather than in a five star hotel as I was!
Here’s what the Visit Geneva web site says.
When you stay in a hotel, a youth hostel or at a campsite, you receive free of charge a Geneva Transport Card. Taking the tram, the bus and the train on Geneva territory will not cost you a penny. You even can cross the lake with the yellow taxi-boats for free.
This personal and non-transferable card is offered to you at arrival. During your stay in Geneva, you can use the entire Geneva transport network (UNIRESO: bus and tram (TPG), train (CFF) and taxi-boats (Mouettes Genevoises).
If you arrive at Geneva International Airport, you can get a 80-minute ticket free of charge for a ride to the place of your accommodation. The ticket machine is in the luggage retrieval hall.
The map I have, also points out the location of some of the large free museums in the city.
Are There Indirect Consequences Of Bereavement Or Divorce?
Yesterday, I met someone, who has divorced after a fairly long marriage. I’m not sure how long ago it was, but they did move house in the last year.
I first noticed their nails and they appeared to be short and brittle just like mine below. They also had similar bumps to those I have on my index finger.
My Left Hand
On questioning, they revealed that they lived in a south-facing flat, although it doesn’t have under-floor central heating, like my house.
So are they living in a hot, dry atmosphere, like I have for a lot of the time, since I moved into this house? There is only one way to find out and that is buy one of these.
Maplin Hygro-Thermometer
I got mine from Maplin. Click here for details.
Since the begining of January, I’ve kept the temperature most of the time in the range of 19-21 °C, with the humidity as high as possible. Admittedly, it’s a bit hotter this morning, but then the sun is on and both the heating and air-conditioning are off.
The consequences for my gut have been dramatic. Ever since my stroke in 2010, my gut has been lively, which an expert neurologist said was strange, as if stroke sufferers have a problem it’s usually constipation. For a long time, I thought I’d been glutened in hospital.
Now I was married for forty years and my lunch companion had probably been married for a long time, although they had got divorced. So the nails and the hands got me thinking.
Could it be, that when you are living with someone, you get into habits and a pattern of living? C and myself, were a couple, who did things together, but she was very definite in what she wanted. She always slept on the same side of the bed, kept the temperature of her car at a precise 22.5 °C and always liked to eat at particular times. She also was the first to complain, if the inside of a house or hotel room was too hot, and I would be told to do something about it.
I was happy to live at her temperature, but she always complained that my office or car was too hot.
After she died, I decided to warm the house up. I changed radiators and also switched from blankets to duvets in a quest for more warmth.
Unfortunately, I didn’t do any before and after measurements, but it was about this time that my rhinitis or as I thought at the time, hay fever, started.
This rhinitis got very much worse after the stroke in Hong Kong. My hospital room, had a big picture window and the sun streamed through. Could it have been very hot and dry?
When I moved to this house, it was very hot and I started to feel unwell and even thought the house was trying to kill me.
I have now got air-conditioning and control the temperature and humidity as tight as I can. But all of this does illustrate the chain of events from C’s tragic death, that ruined my health.
There may also be other factors, that come in on either bereavement or divorce, or even just moving house.
I hate gas cookers with a passion, as I don’t like naked flames anywhere, but others won’t cook on anything else. C and I, were both very happy with an AGA.
I don’t like draughts either and generally keep the windows shut and go for a walk if I want fresh air. After a bereavement or divorce, you may have a tedency to shut yourself away, so perhaps acquiring a dog that needs to be walked is maybe a good idea. I haven’t gone for the dog, but I do walk quite a bit.
How many women after a divorce, go from a comfortable air-conditioned car to an affordable hatchback, as the settlement is not in their favour?
There are obviously other factors, and if anybody has any ideas, I’d be pleased to hear them.
But I always remember a story of a couple, who moved a mile or so from their new sealed house, with fitted carpets in the town centre, to a country cottage with stone floors and ill-fitting windows. Their son’s asthma disappeared after the move.
So are there any scientific papers on the effects of temperature and humidity on health.
I found this paper from Harvard, entitled Hospital admissions for heart disease: the effects of temperature and humidity. Read the summary. It seems to indicate, that in their specific study, temperature was important, but humidity wasn’t.
My only advice would be to get yourself, one of Maplin’s meters, so that you know your preferred temperature and humidity.
The View From Hay’s Galleria
I’d gone south from the Angel to London Bridge station, with the aim of walking along the River Thames to see Tower Bridge.
To get to the bridge, I took one of the exits onto Tooley Street, crossed the road and walked through the Hay’s Galleria. I took these pictures.
This is one of the best ways to get onto the walk beside the Thames. There are also a couple of restaurants and cafes, in and by the Galleria, if you want to eat or drink.
To And From Turf Moor
I took these pictures of the walk to Burnley’s ground; Turf Moor and the walk back by a route avoiding the dreadful pedestrian-unfriendly roundabout by the station.
Burnley is a town that needs a few more light-controlled crossings, as both walks involved lots of crossing of major roads, often with iron railings to get in your way.
Many clubs would organise a bus service on match days, especially as the climb back to the station is quite severe.
It’s Not Just Cyclists Who Are In Danger
This article in the Standard tonight, says that the police and other government agencies are working together to deal with the problems of HGVs and the cyclists they hit. Here’s the introduction.
A crackdown on unsafe lorries and rogue drivers was launched in London today in a bid to halt the number of cyclists being killed and seriously injured.
Police began conducting “stop and search” patrols after the Government and Transport for London agreed that action was needed to halt the death toll.
But it’s not just cyclists, who are in danger from some of these trucks and their drivers.
As I walked back from the bus stop round the corner tonight, a skip lorry turned left in front of me and crossed my path very closely. The driver had taken the corner very much in a hurry, but at least he’d used his turn indicators, otherwise I might have not been able to ascertain his intentions.
I am always very careful at the junction, as since I have moved here, there have been a couple of serious accidents, one of which resulted in the death of a young girl.
Kings Cross Square
This must be a classic design for a barrier to keep people out of a building site.
Kings Cross Square
Kings Cross Square is going to be a welcome addition to London’s streets.
A Pedestrian Trap In Cambridge
Cambridge is not a city to live in or visit, if you have walking difficulties.
The pavements in the centre tend to be rather narrow and they are narrowed even more by the bicycles chained to any conceivable anchor point. But this broken rail by Parker’s Piece takes the biscuit.
A Pedestrian Trap In Cambridge
I suppose it was lucky, that there was enough contrast between the rail and the ground. If they are going to have single rails, they should at least paint them orange.
I have reported it!
Walking In The English Garden
In the morning, I took the U-Bahn and went for a walk in the English Garden and the streets and other parks that surround it.
The garden was originally designed by Sir Benjamin Thompson, one of the most unusual scientists and inventors of the late eighteenth century. He is also known as Count Rumford.
The Anonymous Widower 