The Scottish Team’s Uniform For The Commonwealth Games
It looks like they’ll be OK if the weather’s cold and wet.
Where’s Carole, the Scottish weathergirl on BBC Breakfast, when you need her forthright views?
This report is from the Scotsman. Here’s a paragraph.
Comments on Twitter compare the outfits to “a pair of curtains” or “something a 70s dance troupe would wear”. Some people did voice their support for the designs but the majority of the reaction poked fun at them.
I will not add further comment, except that I hope their warm-looking design doesn’t mean that the designer knows the Games will be held in bad weather.
Welcome To Heidelberg
Up till now, I’d had extremely good weather on my trip.
But I was welcomed in Heidelberg, by one of the heaviest rain storms, I’d seen in a long time. I walked dripping wet into the Tourist Office and we had a big laugh about it.
So I immediately took a taxi to the hotel and instead of exploring Heidelberg in the evening, as I’d intended, I stayed in the hotel and had supper. But sadly the television didn’t even have CNN, as it seemed the rain had got into their satellite feed.
In fact, since I left Poland, I had been unable to find any BBC channels or France 24 on the television.
It’s Wet So It Must Be Manchester
To get to Blackburn I needed to get between Carluccio’s at Manchester Piccadilly station and Manchester Victoria station to catch the 13:00 train to Clitheroe.
I knew I was in Manchester, as it was raining.
As I had bought my ticket from Manchester Stations to Blackburn for the princely sum of £6.95, I had to walk, as you can’t use these tickets on the tram to get between the two stations. Also, unlike Sheffield, my Freedom Pass where it is valid on the trams, it is not valid in Manchester.
The Unwelcoming Thing About Teesside
It can’t be said that Teesside is not a breezy place and the wind on my visit was strong, cold and straight off the North Sea. Joking with the locals about this, they at least felt that this winter, they hadn’t had much rain.
I think the architect of the Riverside Stadium took this into account, as it was pleasant inside for the match. Even if the result was disappointing.
Teesside is certainly a place, where you should wrap up well. But saying that, one of the things I remember about living in Felixstowe is the wind off the North Sea.
A Walk Along Oxford Street
From Portals To The Past, I decided to walk along Oxford Street to Marks and Spencer, to see if they had any short-sleeved shirts.
It is not the easiest of walks and after the exhibition, I wondered what effect Crossrail will have on this walk.
One of the guides at the exhibition had told me, she’d walked one of the new stations a few days ago and because of the 200m length of the Class 345 trains for Crossrail, the stations have very long platforms. So one problem, Crossrail will get when it opens, is that passengers will complain about the endless walks. But as you can walk inside the trains, as they are effectively one coach with lots of segments, you will align yourself with your exit, when you do a regular journey. I do this walking along the train regularly on the Overground, as I’d rather walk in a warm train, than a cold platform.
I do wonder that as Crossrail gets used more and passengers learn how to use it, they will find there best and quickest routes and especially in bad weather will walk underground, thus taking a percentage of walkers away from Oxford Street.
The double-ended stations may also end up as rat-runs for those, who know their London and have Oyster Cards or Freedom Passes to bypass large sections of crowded pavements.
Hopefully too, Crossrail will take passengers from the Central line, so that walkers will use that if going from say Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch.
I did get my short-sleeved shirts and after exiting the shop, the heavens opened with a vengeance.
Summer came on Sunday, as the pictures of the Thames Barrier showed and now it’s gone!
The Cable Car Was Busy
The Emirates Air Line has been criticised for low usage lately.
The Cable Car Was Busy
However, this picture shows that the sun brings out the punters.
Later, I was able to have my first outdoor cup of tea.
My First Outdoor Drink Of 2014
In fact, the only problem was the breeze made it difficult to control the bills.
Returning From Liverpool Street Station
I can walk from Liverpool Street Station at a push, but as the weather was bad with heavy rain and I had no coat or umbrella, I decided it would be better to brave public transport despite the strike, as usually you don’t get wet on the Tube or in a bus.
The best dry route home for me is to go to Barbican station on the Circle line and then get a 56 bus up to my house, but that station was closed because of the strike. So I thought, I’d take the other easy route, which is to go the other way and change to the strike-free Overground at Whitechapel.
As a train was at the station, I got it and it dropped me at Aldgate, as that was as far as it was going. But never mind, I could get a 67 bus from there to the other end of my road. But for some reason, there were no bus maps at the station and I didn’t fancy the heavy rain, whilst looking for one.
So I got back on the Circle line and went back to Liverpool Street.
At Liverpool Street, I did the sensible thing I should have done in the first place and that was take a train to Hackney Downs and get a 56 bus back the other way to my house.
Luckily the rain was kept off by the railway bridge and after waiting for two minutes I got a bus home.
I must get myself a new coat today!
Has The Rain Stopped For A Bit?
I took this picture from the Emirates Air-Line this morning.
Has The Rain Stopped For A Bit?
Let’s hope we’re getting a break from this awful rain!
Is Gay Marriage The Reason For Floods And Storms?
According to this story from the BBC, a UKIP councillor thinks it is.
A UKIP councillor has blamed the recent storms and heavy floods across Britain on the Government’s decision to legalise gay marriage.
David Silvester said the Prime Minister had acted “arrogantly against the Gospel”.
He is wrong. The best explanation was from my late son, when he was about ten. He said it was God allowing his bathwater to overflow again.
The Power Of The Weather
These pictures from the BBC, sum it all up.
The Anonymous Widower 