London Traffic

Do not enter unless your exit is clear

You have the count of ten to finish crossing - 2... 1...!

You can't navigate Central London without reference to traffic - whether you are on foot, two wheels or four wheels.

Central London has its own unique breed of traffic; there is an uneasy symbiosis between the different 'breeds' of traffic, with each individual sub-set convinced that their needs and priorities are the most important. 

The pecking order is determined by size (the bigger you are the more people will give way), officialdom (TfL vehicles certainly think they have the right of way over others) and chutzpah (he who dares wins, manners are rather rare). 

A week in London

SATURDAY

Me and Casper

Casper selfie

Having a nap (on me)

Take control of the bed!

SUNDAY

Danny and Alicia

Danny whilst friends hide

Carey and Danny

Casper attempting to watch 'Fish TV'

MONDAY

Breezy day from inside the house

Snuggled up watching TV on the Sofa of Sloth

TUESDAY

One of the many building site I pass on my way to work

View from the Bridge (Westminster of course)

Roadworks (everywhere)

Cold weather sunrise

WEDNESDAY

Said the raven "Nevermore"

Another wet day

Flowers found in a cupboard at work!

Flames!

THURSDAY

Grey day in Greenwich Park

Another damp morning on the Bridge

Hot coffee all morning

Traffic, traffic everywhere

FRIDAY

Monthly shop day

Specially wrapped squirrel doorstop

Cool new shopping bag, make me smile

Bus Strike

London commuters face another day of chaos as bus drivers walk out on a 24 hour strike from 4am. This is the first of three strikes planned in February, following the one day action in January. It is expected that 630 of the 670 routes in the capital will be affected; with knock on effects to tube, DLR and overground as commuters seek alternate routes.

Routes run by the following companies are likely to be affected:-

Abellio (Abellio London and Abellio West London); Arriva (Arriva North and Arriva South); CT Plus (Hackney Community Transport); Go Ahead (Blue Triangle, Docklands, London General, London Central, Metrobus); London Sovereign; London United; Metroline (Metroline and Metroline West); Stagecoach (East London Bus & Coach Company, Selkent) and Tower Transit

The Brits who Built the Modern World

My Sunday morning viewing has been catching up on the splendid BBC Four show "The Brits who Built the Modern World".

Famous to everybody Richard Rogers and Norman Foster, famous to the better informed and those in construction; Nicholas Grimshaw, Terry Farrell and Michael Hopkins.

You'd be surprised how many of their buildings you've met... famous and less famous. I've picked a few in London; but there are many, many more across the UK and the world.

Norman Foster - amongst others the famous Gherkin (30 St Mary Axe, headquarters of Swiss Re) and  London's shell-like City Hall.

Richard Rogers - amongst others, The O2 Arena (formerly known as the Millennium Dome). Not just a huge space for exhibition and events, but also symbolic. The diameter is 360 degrees (for almost the days in the year); there are 12 uprights (one for each month) - and the yellow pylons reach skywards in celebration. 

The big hole in the Dome is for the only structure (apart from the gasometer) which was on the derelict peninsula.

Terry Farrell - in connection with the above the now listed ventilation shafts from the Blackwall Tunnel making the distinctive hole in the Dome. Perhaps more famously the MI6 building on the north bank of the Thames out towards Vauxhall (sorry, no photo).

Nicholas Grimshaw - in London the now defunct Eurostar terminal at Waterloo Station; built with an amazing glass system to meet the shape and design needs.

Michael Hopkins - most controversially Portcullis House. Providing administrative space for the Houses of Parliament (hence the portcullis the symbol used by Parliament). Controversial as a modern building sandwiched amongst historic buildings. More impressive is the fact that it is built of the extended Westminster underground station, serving the Jubilee Line (one of the deeper lines in the centre of town); the amazing columns and architecture of the extended station are supporting Portcullis House above.

Do visit the BBC link to find out more if you are interested or visit the exhibition currently running at the RIBA in Portland Place (nearest tubes Great Portland Street or Regent's Park).

Afternoon out

Charlton's home match against Burnley was cancelled this afternoon; which I discovered when instead of 'started' my phone alert at kick-off was 'ended'. The boys (well Husband and Best Man) were still at the pub so I took it on myself to break my cabin fever and join them.

I had the usual fights with things that should fold and not take up the wheelchair space; but also some beautiful views of sunset over South East London. The photos don't do it justice... the bus never stops in the right places!

We had a good time catching up in the slightly noisy pub (a few more fans that stayed on after the game was cancelled) and then a very long trek to our bus stop.

Sunset from the Bus (1)

Competition in the wheelchair space; a buggy shopping trolley

Sunset from the Bus (2)

Sunset from the Bus (3)

Sunset from the Bus (4)

Sunset over Charlton Stationn

Sunset over the Woolwich Road

Sunset through the pub doors

My goodness my Guinness. 

It's allowed, it has health properties (unless that is an Urban Legend)

On the way home, Husband had to marshall the wheelie-walker. 

Two pantechnicon buggies were taking up the wheelchair space. 

Art on the DLR

The Tube started it with art and poetry... and now it has spread to the DLR. At Greenwich Cutty Sark I noticed a poster advertising the art first (I'd arrived on the opposite platform).

We're about to go to the RMG 'Visions of the Universe' exhibition (as soon as I book tickets)... and we went to the Cutty Sark on our honeymoon so this one seemed very appropriate.

Read more here:-

http://www.dlrart.co.uk/project-detail.aspx?id=109