Friday 13 June 2008

Finally Friday

It's been a pretty long week this week... but it is Friday at last! Notwithstanding that it is Friday the Thirteenth. I'm not usually superstitious. I lived at number thirteen for seven years... but I have had some horrible Friday the Thirteenths... so I'm never sure what may happen. Today wasn't too bad though.

This morning (and indeed this evening) in the free papers I was reading about the petrol tankers strike. Shortages began in some London filling stations shortly after 6am (when the drivers went on strike). The Government renews calls for common sense and Gordon Brown "hasn't ruled out using the Army". Seriously Gordon? For a minor petrol situation. 1 in 10 filling stations... which affects less than 10% of the population. Does the Army not have better things to do... and even if it doesn't... who cares if petrol runs out. It's only a few days. It's hardly a crisis. I'm sure that public service vehicles etc. have made sure they are supplied, and as for everyone else... if you didn't think ahead earlier in the week, use public transport.

This morning at Green Park Station the Transport Police were out in force (which happens about 75% of the time at Green Park). I actually saw them pull a guy aside and start going through his bag. Stop and search? I suppose so.

On Piccadilly there was a girl handing out leaflets. Again not unusual. Bars do it, restaurants do it, gyms do it and even stores closing down do it. This girl's leaflets were entitled "Hear oh Israel" and the headline was something to do with the Messiah; we don't usually get evangelists on Piccadilly! Her shirt had Hebrew characters (or what looked like Hebrew to my untrained eye). I'm assuming she was a 'Jew for Jesus' or similar? I was in too much of a hurry to take a leaflet.

I spent my lunch-break in John Lewis (just a short trek up New Bond Street). I needed a new bag for work as the current one had begun to come to pieces. My preference is to use a laptop case (although I don't carry my laptop) as it is just the right size for carting bundles of paper around along with all the other items that have to come to work with me every day. It took me the whole of lunch to settle on a rather sturdy bag (made by the people who make Swiss Army Knives) which has the appropriate arrangement of pockets and straps... I'm not fussy, I just know what I want!

I got home to find that the Council had finally delivered the 'black lockable bin' and the cornstarch bags. The bin is disappointingly smaller than expected, and won't be able to live in the front of the house as planned as it would be too easy for somebody to pinch. The lockable is also not with a key but just a cunning use of the handle.

Looking forward now to a nice relaxing weekend.