London Festival of Architecture

On my way home I last night I noticed something strange out the back of the bus station at North Greenwich. Something strange that looked like a large banana skin.
Once I got on the bus I noticed some further things out of the ordinary out on the Peninsula.So today I took myself back down to the Peninsula for a closer look. It turns out that the event is part of the London Festival of Architecture which runs for one month from 20th June.

Each of the 'sticks' has a postcard on the top of it

'Open City in the Park'

Map of London (including the Thames) showing visitors favourite picnic spots.

You are here!

A giant lounge set!

My walk down the Peninsula took me to the Dome where I noticed signs advertising the Thames Clipper service. On a whim I decided to take a trip over the water to Canary Wharf to see more events from the Festival.

Taking the boat to Canary Wharf

When I got of at Canary Wharf I heard the sound of bells. The first 'installation' I came across was a set of bell-ringers with a mobile set of bells. I was instantly transported back to my youth when I spent many a happy Wednesday evening at bell-ringing practice.

I was soon distracted from watching the bell ringers by the sound of music. I walked across to the middle of Westferry Circus to see some gymnasts and some shell-like sculptures (which I later found spewed out traffic noises!).

Gymnasts

Shell sculpture.

I consulted my guide that I'd picked up earlier at North Greenwich to see what other events were taking place around about the area.At Cabot Square I found an exhibition of sundials. These have always fascinated me. I have one in my garden (which doesn't work particularly well, but not surprising as it cost £5 from the supermarket!).

Water-feature sundial.

Elegant sundail.

Going on from Cabot Square I consulted my guide to see what else there was to see and discovered the Superblue's Skycscopes in Jubilee Gardens. The installations link to webcams on the top of some of the surrounding skyscrapers.

Skycsopes

Another Skyscope

There were lots of other interesting exhibits in Jubilee Gardens, including a set of 'carnival' type installations and a giant sand-sculpture.

Carnival exhibits.

Sand sculpture, note the spirit level!

By now it was getting late in the day. So it was time to head back home. My original plan had been to hop the Jubilee Line (until I remembered that there were engineering works) so my second plan was the DLR - which turned out also to be suffering from engineering works. Back to the boat again.

'Fresh Flower'

Back at North Greenwich I saw the 'big banana' (which turned out to be a flower) which started the whole excursion!
Plenty more to see over the coming weeks before the Festival is finished.To check out other events go to the Festival's website.

The Occasional Tourist - Part Three, Kings Cross/St Pancras

First thing this morning I found myself in the vicinity of Kings Cross after a meeting. The area of Kings Cross isn't very high on London's list of tourist attractions. Although recent regeneration has changed the face of the area quite a lot is still a bit run down and shabby, and the whole area still has a reputation as a red light district.

At the centre of this area are the 'twin' stations know by Londoners as Kings-Cross-St-Pancras. These are actually two stations which sit next to each other. St Pancras has recently been transformed as at the end of last year it took over the role as London Terminus for Eurostar services (previously a role held by Waterloo Station) and the correct title of the station is now St Pancras International.

The initial most impressive thing about St Pancras station is the amazing Victorian Gothic architecture on the front of the station.

At one time the Midland Grand Hotel this building then became St Pancras Chambers and served as office space. After falling into disuse at one time it was slated for demolition, and was saved by being awarded Grade I listed status. Thanks largely (I would imagine) to the new international rail terminus the frontage is now being returned to its former hotel status.

Inside the station is probably just as impressive as the outside of the station. At the time it was built it was the largest enclosed space and the largest single span. An interesting side note (for me) is that the man who designed it William Henry Barlow was born in my very own Charlton!

Platform level looking through the security area to the Eurostar trains.

This statue is entitled 'The Meeting Place' and stands under the station clock. You don't really get a feel for the size of it here, but it is apparently 30ft high (and cost £1m!).

This shows the lower level of the station (so that's where all the people went!). Where there are all the facilities that you would normally associate with a station.

These are some of the original features of the Victorian Station, showing the bottom of one of the supporting arches and the ticket office.

Some more fantastic Victorian Gothic architecture, taking you back out of the front of the station.

The amazing vaulted ceiling of the station, just visible on the left the station clock.

Next to St Pancras the front of Kings Cross is nowhere near as impressive. The original station has been obscured by a 'temporary' extension (which is due to be demolished at some point during the regeneration of the area). Looking from the front there is no indication that another beautiful Victorian station is behind!

Kings Cross is famous these days for Platform Nine and Three Quarters, which fans of Harry Potter will know is from whence the Hogwarts Express departs. Kings Cross Station does indeed have eleven platforms, however, sadly, Platforms 9 and 10 (and indeed 11) aren't in the beautiful main station area but a rather less impressive side extension. There is a rather incongruous monument to the mythical platform as you walk between the sections of the station.

The trolley hasn't been abandoned by a frustrated traveller but is, on closer inspection, part of the 'art' being positioned half-in and half-out of the wall on the way to the 'hidden' platform!

Jubilee Line meltdown

Today was just not a good day. Full stop. I left the house this morning to see my bus passing the end of the street. I knew it was my bus because sadly I know which company runs which route and (tragically) which model vehicle runs each route (usually). The day didn't get any better whilst I was at work, and I ended up frantically trying to finish things for a meeting tomorrow until well gone 7pm.

Boss-two and I left the office around 7:45 and made our way to Green Park from where we both get the Jubilee Line. We arrived on the Eastbound platform to find no information on the indicator boards and an extremely overcrowded platform. We waited a while for nothing to happen and decided that we would try and alternate route. We'd got as far as the Piccadilly Line platform when the PA sprang into life to inform us of 'minor' delays on the Jubilee Line. "Minor delays" I commented to Boss-two "there were no trains at all!".

The message soon amended itself to 'suspended between Finchley Road and Waterloo due to a track failure" superb.About an hour later we were finally heading out of Central London on the DLR. This convoluted route involved Piccadilly Line to Holborn, change to Central, Central Line to Bank, small route march and DLR onwards. I eventually arrived at Cutty Sark Greenwich from where I got a 129 to the Peninsula and finally a 486 home. Arriving home just around half past nine, heading on for two hours after I left the office.

Just another day at work

I awoke this morning feeling amazingly tired... so much so that I could hardly get out of bed. This is strange only because it wasn't that late when I went to bed last night! The more sleep I get the more I seem to need! The good news is that the fledgling 'poorly eye' pain that I had (usually the precursor to a bout of Optic Neuritis) has gone away and there doesn't seem to be any problems with my vision (touch wood).

I was quite early leaving the house so I decided that rather than battling and melting with the tube I'd get a bus into town (and hopefully catch some more shut-eye). Unfortunately I hadn't bargained for the buses running slow and the bus I got was really overcrowded and no seat to be had (not even for me and The Stick). I changed onto a 453 at New Cross Gate (that takes me to Piccadilly instead of leaving me at Whitehall) and happily got a seat; only to have me spine bent out of shape by an extremely large person, who instead of taking one of the dozens of empty pairs of seats (and thereby forcing someone to perch next to them) decided to sit next to me and squash me into the window. All in all a pretty rubbish journey.

I enjoyed my morning at work as the Youngest Lad has now joined us full time and it was up to me to outline his duties and responsibilities and teach him all he needs to know about office life (which is quite a lot as he is only eighteen and this is his first job!). I have high hopes for him as he seems pretty bright, is eager to learn and asked lots of questions which shows he is interested.

The afternoon was not so good as the email system broke down (again) and the IT guy was in meetings (again) so nobody knew what was wrong with it (again) and it never got fixed (again). This meant nothing I was waiting for turned up and nothing I wanted to send places could leave.

How on earth did we ever get anything done before email? I know the time existed, I remember when I first got email at work; there was one account on one computer which had to be dialled up twice a day to check for mail. At that time there were only a couple of PCs and you had to book time on them! The function of spreadsheets was carried out longhand on enormous graphed pieces of A3 paper and any documents were written long hand and sent for typing. If you really needed to speak to someone you phoned them and if you really wanted to communicate with your colleagues you sent a memo. Everyone had a pigeon hole from where they collected post and memos (and there was a lot more post before there was email).

When we first got a PC on every desk and email (to which there was much resistance from older staff I remember) the email only sent and received once an hour on the hour. Projects I worked on experimented with using Extranets (kind of limited secure access versions of the internet). These should still exist in my opinion and cut our reliance on email. Email is overloaded. Our server receives somthing like 7,000 emails a day of which about 85% are spam!

Hopefully the email will have been fixed overnight and all will be back to normal tomorrow!

The Occasional Tourist - Part Two, Buckingham Palace and Green Park

During my lunchbreak today I decided to take a trip to Green Park. This is the nearest bit of greenery to my office (although it is probably a close call with the garden in Berkley Square). Green Park doesn't have the wildfowl of St James's Park, the sports facilities of Regent's Park or even any manicured flowerbeds. It is pretty much trees and sunbathers. The whole effect is pretty impressive though, and leaves you feeling you might be in the countryside!

There are quite a lot of paths through Green Park, many of which converge at a giant lamppost which always makes me expect to see the wicked Queen from the Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Unfortunately nobody was walking past when I took the shot below so you don't quite get the scale of it, but it must be over twelve foot high!

Reaching the other side of Green Park (walking from Piccadilly) you reach the splendour of Buckingham Palace and the Mall. As you can see from the photo below the flag is flying over the Palace which means that the Queen is in residence.

This photograph shows Canada Gate which is at the entrance to Green Park; at the entrance of the Mall is South Africa Gate and over the other side is Australia Gate. Clearly a whole Commonwealth theme!

In front of Buckingham Palace (serving almost as a roundabout) is a monument to Queen Victoria. Fairly similar in style (if not size and scope) to the Albert Memorial over in Kensington.

Heading away from Buckingham Palace is the Mall (which if you follow along you will finally reach Admiralty Arch and Trafalgar Square) here you will find St James's Park to your right and an assortment of Royal Palaces (including St James's Palace and Clarence House) to your left.

Walking back up through Green Park I noticed this lovely circle of trees. You can just see in the distance some of the sunbathers, renting their deckchairs!

Monday, balmy Monday

Really not the sort of day to be in an office, today. Balmy isn't really the word... hot and humid, bordering on unpleasant. Not at all the thing as today is the first day of Wimbledon. Surely it should be raining by now?!

I had a marathon meeting this morning that went on until lunchtime, which meant that I didn't get a fraction of the things that I wanted to do today done.

Added to this the irritation of some event at the O2 (as usual) causing minor chaos in North Greenwich, I was glad to get home so early.

Early enough that there was still time for a movie followed by a nearly early night.

Tonight's movie was "Made of Honour" with the lovely Patrick Dempsey (aka McDreamy from Gray's Anatomy). A bit of a fluff movie, really. Total celluloid chick-lit. Rich was very patient watching it with me, and suffering a rather stereotyped view of the Scottish. Five out of ten... OK if you've nothing better to do!

Movie night

Managed to watch an impressive amount of TV/movies last night. Started out with 'Cloverfield.'.. which we had heard mixed reviews of.

First complaint, Blair Witch-type camera work. I thought it was rubbish in the Blair Witch and I still think it is rubbish. One of the reviews said it was a good movie if you could get over the camera work. I got over the camera work. It still wasn't a good movie. The effects, it must be admitted, were brilliant. Especially when the head of the Statue of Liberty landed in the street. The plot, though, was weak. The provenance of the 'monster' was never established, and you kind of new the end at the beginning (as it were) due to the text on the screen at the start of the film. Nothing wrong with that (I suppose) but just so unresolved. Apparently one of the reasons for the vagueness of the movie (what was the monster, where did it come from, how did it escape, who were all the people, etc. etc.) is that it has a huge 'viral' campaign online. It makes me want to yell. If I'm watching a movie (or for that matter a TV show) that's what I'm doing. I don't want to spend ages trolling around the internet for stuff which frankly should be on the screen! No suprise this one as the producer for Cloverfield is J.J. Abrams, yes, he of Lost fame. Another example of irritating and annoying so-called viral campaigns.

After this dissapointing movie we moved onto watching 'Definitely, Maybe'. There were some funny moments in this moive but it was rather a film 'chick-lit' in as much as the end was pretty much obvious from the beginning. The acting was good enough... I was rather alarmed by the appearance of Kevin Kline as a sixty-something. I actually couldn't believe that it was Kevin Kline. I had such a crush on him when I was about eleven (although I suppose that was twenty-odd years ago).

I give 'Cloverfield' 1 out of 10 and that is only because it was such a thankfully short film and I give 'Definitely, Maybe' 7 out of 10.

We also managed to watch Doctor Who. Thankfully almost the end of the season. I really don't know why we watch it as it annoys us on a weekly basis. Acutally I do know why we watch it, there is pitifully little TV to watch! Last night was a really superb example of how not to put a TV show together. The attempted theme was a complex one of quantum physics with parallel universe type ideas. Complicated... too complicated really for a Saturday night TV show. Many shows have attempted to deal with these themes. What happens if we don't make the decisions we made, what happens if one event happens differently... Quantum Leap and Sliders (two excellent US made shows) both deal very well with these ideas. This show didn't really have the time to. We give it some benefit of the doubt has it is the end of the season and a two part story... but even so. Here's my problem. I don't like the Doctor's assistants. I didn't like Rose... I didn't like Martha and I don't like Donna. Any time that we have to have two of them at the same time is way too much. Another weakness of last night's show was that the Doctor wasn't really in it. Hello people. The name of the show? The only really likeable character? Big mistake, huge. Oh, and who wants to have a bet on the big bad in the next episode. I'd tell you what I thought, but I've found spoilers on the internet and I'm right... and I'd hate to spoil it for anyone!

A night out

After Friday had finally done with me I was off to the City to meet some friends. I was pleased to find that neither the Victoria line nor the Metropolitan line presented me with any obstacles and it only took me about fifteen minutes to get from Mayfair to Moorgate. Finding the bar was a little harder, luckily the internet had told me that it was "in the bottom of an office block" so I just looked for office blocks near the station.

Eventually (and with some relief) I found the bar. I clearly hadn't quite managed to shake Friday as when introduced to someone I hadn't met before I shook hands! Oh dear, how formal! The bar was pleasant if crowded, and our seats outside gave us a delightful view of City Point (only if that sort of thing interests you I suppose).

The strangest thing was when we heard a helicopter and thought nothing of it (assuming it was the 'Eye in the Sky' traffic-copter or similar). Thought nothing of it until we noticed parachutists!

After this excitement we went to Wagamama for dinner. I'd never eaten much Japanese before (OK, none at all apart from sushi) but I'm quite determined to now eat Japanese food on a regular basis! Luckily one of my friends works for the restaurant chain so he's a total expert on what's best to eat. Noodles and some funny little bean things and salad and little parcels with pastry and meat. Oh so good!

After this we went to a rather loud bar nearby where cocktails were had (although unusually sensibly not by me!). I then realised the time and decided if I wanted to make the last Jubilee Line train I'd better motor. At this point events began to conspire against me. Moorgate station was shut, so no Northern line to London Bridge to pick up my tube.

Not to worry. I decided to get a cab to London Bridge. So did the rest of that bit of London. By the time I got to London Bridge it was too late. The tube was shut and the last train was gone. Two choices now remain. Night bus or cab. I've never got a night bus, and it wouldn't have been practical from there as I'd have had to change buses in New Cross (at 1am on my own, I don't think so). So, cab it was. The often stated "don't go south of the river" in reference to black cabs is sadly true. I decided I'd probably have better luck getting a cab away from the main station, so I walked along a bit. I managed to stop several cabs with varying reasons why they couldn't go to Charlton. I kept asking "don't suppose you go south of the river" which got an unequivocable 'no' apart from the one driver who pointed out we were already south of the river, so I elaborated to 'further south' which still go a no! I was getting a bit desperate by this point when finally my hopeless "don't suppose you'll go to Charlton" elicited a 'hop in love'. Hurrah!

The journey from London Bridge to Charlton at that time of night takes absolutely no time at all! I think I was home about fifteen minutes later! I don't usually tip cab drivers, but I gave that driver a tip... so glad was I to finally be home!

The Occasional Tourist - Part One, St James's

I decided at spend my lunchtime today taking a wander around my local environs. My ultimate aim was St James's Square.

In the morning paper I'd read about a sculpture which was going on display in the square. The sculpture by Jeff Koon titled 'Balloon Flower (Magenta)' is purported to be worth £12m. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see what £12m looks like!

Very shiny and rather peculiar was my final conclusion. I was more amused by the security staff and staff from Christies guarding it. I suppose you have to look after £12m.

St James's Square is a pleasant green oasis in the heart of a rather upmarket business/shopping district. I was particularly taken of the statue of William III on a horse dressed as a Roman general. A long time ago I was told that the position of the horse's feet in a statue indicate the manner of the death of the rider. Four feet on the ground indicate a natural death, one foot in the air indicates that the rider died of wounds sustained in battle and two feet off the ground indicate that the rider died in battle. I tested this with the statue of William III, and indeed (although not in battle) he died of injuries sustained falling from his horse (after it stumbled on a mole hill!).

Facing Piccadilly is the church of St James's. Designed by Christopher Wren the church was badly damaged by bombs in World War II although many of the original features survived. As London churches go it is a rather plain brick edifice, but it is well know for staging concerts and the markets held out front.

Walking back from St James's Square to my office took me along Jermyn Street, well famed for its shirts (much as Savill row is famed for its tailors!).

There are the back ends (as it were) of two delightful shopping Arcades (which connect you to Piccadilly). Both are full of delightful boutique type shops, and indeed Piccadilly Arcade has it's own website.

At the end of Piccadilly Arcade stands a statue of George 'Beau' Brummell, famous Regency dandy.

My travels ended at St James's Street (which pretty much marks the west border of St James's (the east being Haymarket, and bordered north and south by Piccadilly and Pall Mall respectively).

On the corner of Piccadilly and St James's Street is this building with some interesting statues at roof level (you miss so much if you don't look up!). After some research I discovered that this is Justice by a sculptor Herbert Binney.

Next time I think I'll take a wander up Piccadilly towards Piccadilly Circus and see what there is to see!

Good news on the pond front...

Just after the last post, Rich rang me to tell me that he'd been out in the back garden. He'd seen Jaws swimming around the pond, and he called out, in jest, "You can tell your friends to come out now"... and moments later, as if Jaws had given the signal, many small fish appeared. Possibly not as many as there once were - but not the mass slaughter that I'd feared.

I've just been out in the garden tonight to see the contents of the Frog Pond, the Toad Tray and the Toad Pond. The Frog Pond seems to be at capacity... about a half dozen (visible) including King Frog himself. There's a couple of lurkers in the Toad Tray (once you find it under all the undergrowth!) they seem content in amongst all the leaves and other garden debris. This should have told me something about the Toad Pond before now. Fondly dug by me using a plant pot tray and some pebbles with a rock in the middle for purchase, I've enthusiastically been cleaning leaves out of it and topping up the water. Should have know better. Having had a busy few days I've not had time to do the normal housekeeping... and for the first time since it was created tonight there was a toad in the Toad Pond! Hurrah! It doesn't feel like all that (backbreaking) labour was in vain after all!

Another pond emergency

I woke up this morning (groggily, not enough sleep) and pulled back the curtains to see if the grey sky was actually realised as drizzle. My attention was distracted from the weather by the sight of the damn heron standing in the middle of our pond. It's the first time this year we've seen him... panic stations! The netting which had been taken off after the great frog spawn disaster was hurriedly replaced (in the drizzle). No sign of any fish. I hope that they are just in hiding and sulking because there is no sunshine and that they will be back later. Problem is that it gets light around 4:30am or something... so the heron could have been having an all-you-can-eat buffet for an hour and a half. Poor little fishes!

Another Hump Day

When I was at University my housemate always called Wednesday 'Hump Day' as once you'd passed Wednesday it was all downhill until the weekend. This still holds true, figuratively even if not literally. Today has been another manic day in terms of work. Three long days in a row, but the estimate has finally been finished and gone out to the client. Under usual circumstances I'd be throwing myself a little party - but there are still bits and pieces to finalise, so we've not really put the thing to bed yet.

The Jubilee Line is clearly saving itself up for some big failure at the end of the week, as I've had remarkably few problems with it so far this week. Of course it was gone 8pm this evening by the time that I got on, so that decreases the chances for chaos and confusion.

More research into the fridge-freezer situation reveals that the model which we have long been admiring (and saving for) has universally bad reviews (well, more than half a dozen bad on the internet compared with no good). So it is back to the drawing board. Looks like we're going to have to get some finance deal as the money in my savings account is earmarked to pay off the finance deal on my laptop (paying off monthly for three years would cost nearly double the actual cost!). It never ends!

Horses, freezers and other random things

My day had a very peculiar start today.First of all, as I was walking along Piccadilly I noticed in one of the shopfronts (usually occupied by rough-sleepers) there was the end of a vacuum cleaner. The bit that actually cleans the carpet. Such a strange (and random) article to be left behind.

As I progressed along the road I heard the sound of horses neighing. Nothing unusual here as the Household Cavalry often exercise in the area. What was unusual was when I came to the corner of Dover Street where there is a statute of a naked man riding a horse he had been joined by a real live counterpart. Fortunately the counterpart wasn't naked, but dressed in what appeared to be a replica World War I (or similar) uniform. The horse didn't particularly seem to be enjoying the experience (hence the neighing and head tossing) but the tourists were quite happy snapping away taking photos.

The bad news of the day was the untimely (and unexpected) demise of our freezer, which defrosted its contents and leaked water all over the kitchen floor. There was breif hope that it might have been an open door or similar that caused the defrost, but come the evening even the ice-cream in the bottom had melted. RIP freezer... only about three or four years old. Nothing is built to last anymore. Growning up I remember my Gran had an old fridge which clearly hailed from the 1950's. One of those lever handles you had to pull down to open and a door that would crush you fingers were you foolish enough to leave them in the way. Thirty years versus three years. How things have changed.

The nice thing that happened today was that the stationery order arrived with a free gift. A small post-it note holder with "I 'heart' New York". Perfect for me big Yankees/Giants fan. The odd thing is that it has a spring inside to help dispense the post-its, and somehow a function of this is that the holder 'sticks' to the desk. Almost magnetically adheres. My assembled colleagues and I spent several happy mintues trying to fathom the mechanism that caused this phenomenon. You know what they say, little things and little minds.

Just another manic Monday...

...and I really do wish it were Sunday!

It's the usual mad dash to finish the estimate by the deadline (which are always rashly agreed to and give about a week less than is really required to carry out the work!)

A new chap started in our office today. Saffy-bloke One (as we've already got Saffy-bloke) otherwise known as Boss-three as he is a Senior Surveyor. This gives us a pretty much full house now, with no spare desks for visiting dignitaries (Partners, whatever). Boss-two wants to do another floor plan to see if we can fit in two more desks, otherwise when the lease is up in a few years time we may have to move (please no, anything but another move).

The Free-Papers (Metro, Lite, News) were full of more stories about the tanker drivers strike (it really isn't actually a petrol strike). Hopefully they will manage to come to some agreement before the end of the week, we really don't need another media circus about petrol shortages etc. etc.

Father's Day again

This year for Father's Day my brother and I went out for lunch with my parents. I'm not sure I can remember the last time that it was just the four of us 'en famile'.

We went to a restaurant of my choosing near where my parents live. Only chosen, I must point out, because my parents have been there a good few times before and have given good reports.

Clearly a lot of other people had the same idea of lunch with their fathers as the restaurant was very busy. Too busy it turned out. We sat down for lunch a one o'clock and didn't leave until gone three. Bearing in mind that we only had two courses and one of those was dessert this was pretty long. I think that the first mistake we made was not 'having a drink at the bar' which probably threw us out of the perceived schedule. Then we didn't have starters either. The food was excellent, everybody enjoyed all that they ate. The service was pretty poor, I feel that the waiter should check up on you, even if the kitchen is too busy to process your order or whatever. Needless to say, they didn't get a tip!

Lazy Saturday

Despite my original intention of not leaving the house today we ended up popping down the shops. The pond was in bad need of another treatment for blanket weed which has re-appeared with a vengeance in the far corner.

Whilst we were out and walking through the car park we saw a baby starling hopping about looking for food. Living and foraging in a car park has made him completely unafraid of humans. We were worried he'd been hurt and we got within about six inches of him before he obligingly demonstrated he wasn't hurt by hopping off to look for something to eat.

I've discovered the reason behind the occasional amphibian visitors to our kitchen. Some of the patio decking has begun to disintegrate. Rather than replace the tiles which are broken (which then wouldn't match the other tiles as they wouldn't be weathered) I decided to move around the tiles and have the broken ones placed out of the path from the door across the patio. As I took up the decking I found nearly half a dozen toads sitting underneath. Clearly the get in at the gap by the back door, and on occasion turn right instead of left and end up on the kitchen carpet! This also explains why they are quite often found on the drain cover, as that is the other possible egress point.

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.

Telectroscope

Tonight Rich and I visited the Telectroscope. This amazing exhibit allows you to stand on the South Bank in London (close to Tower Bridge) and wave at people standing in New York (near I think, the Brooklyn Bridge). Although open since the end of May the exhibit closes Sunday so we thought we'd better go and see it before it was too late.

We arrived from London Bridge, so from the rear of the Telectroscope (which is located just by City Hall). We were pleased to see that there didn't appear to be a queue. So we got our £1 entry fee ready and waited at the booth. It seemed to be taking quite a while for the people in front of us to pay, and I assumed that they were having a conversation with the ticket seller. Not so. The delay was due to the unique nature of the ticket booth. It was a mechanical booth with a pair of hands coming out from behind a curtain. At the deposit of your pound the hands 'wrote' your ticket and it shot down a hatch for collection, a new ticket appearing under the pen ready to be despatched. Cute. You walk around the side of the exhibit to the tunnel mouth where you look down at the screen.

The actual device is more impressive than standing waving at people in New York (which unless you have arranged to 'meet' a friend gets old pretty fast).

We walked back through a shopping arcade which appeared to be modelled on the late 19th Century railway stations (past, bizarrely and exhibition about the wonder of the potato!) and hopped back on the tube to North Greenwich.








Once there we 'popped' into the O2 for a drink. The square outside the O2 (which is still divided by hoardings, and therefore is still hard to imagine the claim that it is bigger than Leicester Square) has sprouted pavement fountains, which proved far too much temptation for a group of small children! To go into the O2 you have to pass through airport type security, and I felt quite cheated that I wasn't actually going anywhere other than the Slug and Lettuce!


Oh, and finally I discovered what the construction works that I've been seeing every morning are all about. I've watched as piling rigs came and went, several cranes and a fairly major steel superstructure has been erected. It is, apparently, some sort of educational establishment.

Just another Wednesday

Wednesday is work from home day. This means that I don't have to drag myself through the ordeal of commuting (which is quite an ordeal in this summer weather) - all that needs to happen is a short stumble from my bed to my desk.

Generally working from home is a very positive experience. I find I get more done as there are no distractions from phone calls or colleagues, or unplanned meetings, or crises on other projects. On the downside you lack some of the resources you take for granted in the office (files, advice from colleagues, etc.). What with the ability to dial into email and the server though, and handsfree phones... well the only real difference is it is much (much) quieter working at home!

The wildlife is really enjoying summer in the garden. Rich found the first 'baby' frog the other morning (no bigger than a penny) and tonight I came across several 'adolescent' frogs (about 3cm long). The cat was entranced by the small jumping things... and then by the fox. They did the usual thing of sitting in the dusk and staring at each other whilst the fox tries to work out if Molly is a small fox and Molly tries to work out if the fox is a big cat!

More Petrol Panic

There was a very small article on the inside of tonight's London Lite about a four day petrol strike. This is apparently going to hit 1 in 10 petrol stations as it is tanker drivers who work for Shell that are going on strike. It will commence Friday morning and carry on through until the following Tuesday.

The first thing that amused me was "Number 10 urges motorists not to panic buy, but to continue to buy as normal". Now if that was what you really wanted, here is how I would bring that scenario about. I wouldn't tell anyone about the strike. I especially wouldn't tell them several days in advance. Then everyone would carry on as normal. People will 'panic' buy. Nobody wants to run out of gas. I went out to top up my tank, even though I rarely shop at Shell but generally use Sainsbury's or BP. Just in case, as I'm going down to Kent at the weekend... and last time there were shortages those retailers still selling petrol put their prices up!

The next thing that amused me was the Lite's assessment of areas that would be affected. They listed the South of England, the North West, the Midlands and Scotland. So that's pretty much everywhere then? It appears that only in Newcastle and Wales will you escape this strike.

When I eventually buy a new car (which is several years away) I'm seriously considering a hybrid or LPG or even electric. Something that doesn't really on petrol or diesel, anyway.

Grumpy old woman

Do you ever have those days when everything is just really annoying? That is my evening tonight. First of all the Jubilee Line miraculously managed to develop 'minor' delays between my leaving the office (where I checked how it was running) and arriving at the underground station. Minor delays turned out to be seven minute intervals between trains and thus severe overcrowding. I allowed myself a small smirk at North Greenwich when I saw the queues for the 161/472 bus stops (being controlled by staff in luminous jackets and tensa-barriers).

I got home to find the pile of rubbish in the street was still in the street. Obviously when I phoned the Council on Friday to complain and they told me that they were 'aware of the problem' the sub-text was 'and we don't care and aren't going to do anything about it'. I tried ringing up again but all I got was on hold music. Perhaps the call centre had knocked off early.

I'm not even using main line rail services and they are annoying me. I've been waiting to pick up my nearly-mother-in-law for about 40 minutes now - but the trains have been moving at the pace of a snail (which is an odd phrase, as I've watched snails and they don't actually go that slowly). Then the train decided it was going to go fast to London Bridge and not stop any further so she had to change trains in Dartford. Currently expected in the next fifteen minutes? Then again, who knows with our railways.

The final (and ongoing) irritation is my noisy neighbours. Once the weather turns warm and the evenings get light they, or one of the other many sets that surround us (I think there are about seven or eight backing onto our garden from various angles) will continue to annoy me for the rest of the summer. I was taught by my parents to respect my neighbours. This meant no anti-social behaviour... as a child no loud games in the evenings or other times when people might want their windows open and not to listen to other people's racket. I am always particularly irritated, therefore, when other people impose their music on me. Last summer it was the drummer (although I hold out hope he has given up the drums or moved as it has been a while since I heard him) and the constant Sunday night parties from the bottom of the garden. The parties seem to have moved to Monday. The last hour of so I have been regaled by an accordion and a violin (I think) playing folk-type music from the bottom of the garden. The worst thing is, if they weren't disturbing my evening peace it is just the sort of music I would quite like... which annoys me even more!

F1 fun in Canada

So, yesterday evening F1 went to Montreal. The much hyped race where 'anything can happen'. And anything did happen... or perhaps that should be everything. It actually looked (at the beginning) like it was going to be a pretty dull race. Despite talk of bad weather the official forecast was for no rain during the race. The lights went out and the race started without incident. It all was going pretty much text book, with Hamilton having built up a lead of nearly seven seconds. Then Adrian Sutil crashed his Force India. It looked like the race would continue with under a yellow flag, but then the car caught fire, several fire marshals were in attendance for the recovery, and the safety car was deployed. So there went Hamilton's huge lead.

As soon as the pit lane was open pretty much the entire leading pack decided to dive peel off (as one almost) to take advantage of the 'free' stop for tyres and fuel. And then the most bizarre incident of the race occurred. Although the lane was open the exit wasn't and Kubica and Raikkonen were stopped at the red lights, whereupon Hamilton drove into the back of Raikkonen. Apparently he didn't realise the lights were red! Unsurprisingly this ended both his and Kimi's races, and left the field (literally) wide open.

The race was won by Kubica (after another excellent drive) with Heidfeld in second and Coulthard getting his first podium since the 'superman' podium in Monaco a couple of years back.

Kubica now leads the drivers championship, and Hamilton must be wishing he'd seen that red light.

Movie Night

We watched to movies last night; and I'd quite recommend them both. Firs up was "Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium". This is a 'family' sort of movie in the vein of Willy Wonka (the original version). It had a pretty basic story, but this was made up for by the pathos, the humour and the amazing toy shop in which it was set. I think that Natalie Portman and Dustin Hoffman (amazing actors both) helped a lot, but I really enjoyed this film. Eight out of ten.

Next up was St Trinian's. This only got added to the list because I'd seen so many interviews with various cast members. It was passably amusing (well, as amusing as the original film) but it updated pretty well to the twenty-first century... and Rupert Everett in drag has to be seen to be believed. Much to my surprise (as I've never liked him much on TV shows) Russell Brand put in a pretty good performance too. It was fun enough to watch, six and half out of ten.

Rain stopped play

We had all sorts of plans to go out and about today. We were going to go and see the 'telescope' to New York on the South Bank and maybe visit the London Aquarium, or the Temple Church... all sorts, really. However, the gloomy weather forecast for today (rain, rain and more rain) meant that we decided to postpone our visits. Nobody likes wandering around being soggy and damp. The threatened rain hasn't turned up, though (not here, anyway). So, another weekend of tidying up and doing not a lot at all. C'est la vie.

A sorry little tale

Last night I found a dead fish floating in the fish pond. With the hundred or so fish of vary shapes and sizes that inhabit the pond one might think that it wouldn't be that surprising for one to turn up dead every now and then. Maybe not. The distressing thing about this piscine corpse was that it was headless.

Suddenly this made sense of the soggy cat encountered in the morning. Even though it wasn't raining at the time (and she doesn't go out in the rain if she can help it) our cat was soaking wet this morning, and apparently again later in the day. The suspicion is that the current high water level in the pond (occasioned by all the rain) has enable a small feline fishing expedition, with rather tragic results for one small fish.

Where did all the buses go?

This morning I waited forty-five minutes for a bus to turn up. The live-timer kept advertising buses but none ever actually came. It wasn't just heading towards North Greenwich and Blackheath either, I only saw one going the other way.

The bus stop was completely mobbed by the time a 486 finally turned up, it must have overtaken another one just before getting to us as I was convinced the bus would be too full to stop; but it was nearly empty. Still didn't get a seat though. Serves me right for sitting down and waiting I suppose instead of standing eagerly by the bus stop.

Taking a trip with SatNav

I was so itching to use my new SatNav (or NatSav as my friend Jane suggested) that I decided to let it take me to the supermarket and back; notwithstanding the fact that I can find my own way to the supermarket and back.

After having managed to fix the cradle to the car and plug the thing in we were ready to go. Well, not quite. First we had to find the supermarket to tell the SatNav that is where we wanted to go. Except that it wasn't listed on the 'grocery places near me'. Fortunately the attached petrol station was listed; so I set my destination and off we went.

I managed to keep the talking back to the machine at a minimum and had a truly delightful experience, apart from the predictable obsession (shared by every on-line route finder I've ever tried) with starting a journey via Charlton Church Lane. The first time that it beeps at you to let you know there are speed cameras are about is a bit alarming; but other than that it was a smooth ride. I was particularly impressed by instructions such as 'keep right and then turn left' and telling me which exit to take from a roundabout.

The real test of course will be when we are going to a destination where I don't already know the way!

Etiquette on public transport

Something that annoys me on a pretty much daily basis is the general lack of manners displayed by many of my fellow commuters on the underground and on the buses. Good manners cost nothing as my grandma used to say.

Here's my thoughts on good manners and consideration for fellow travellers:

1. Do not jump the queue. Wherever it is, it is there for a reason e.g. when approaching the escalators the fast queue is people who are walking up. Don't think you can use the fast queue and then cut into the people who have waited to ride!
2. When approaching the ticket barriers have your ticket/Oyster ready. Don't hold up the queue while you search for it.
3. Alcohol is now prohibited on London's public transport. Some other things should join it. Hot food, smelly food, sloppy cups of coffee - don't do it.
4. Watch where your wet umbrella is dripping.
5. Your bag hasn't paid for a seat, it shouldn't be sitting on one.
6. When sitting in forward facing seats don't sit in the aisle seat and leave the window seat empty and inaccessible.
7. Do not put your feet on the seats.
8. Do not hold a top volume conversation on your mobile phone - if you must use it modulate your voice appropriately.
9. Turn down the volume on your music player, nobody likes headphone noise, even more important don't use external speakers... ever.
10. Most importantly - always offer your seat to someone who needs it more. You may have had an exhausting day but the heavily pregnant lady, the arthritic pensioner and the disabled person with the crutches will appreciate it more. A friendly smile and the question "Would you like a seat" will make their day. Trust me; the Stick and I know from personal experience.

Lost without Lost?

So we finally reach the end of another season of Lost. As usual the season finale (split into three episodes) posed as many questions as it answered; and as usual gave little indication of the direction which the next series (Season 5) will be taking.

So what did we find out in this episode, and what are we now wondering? Well, we finally discovered the identity of the body in the coffin which we first became aware of way back at the beginning of the season. Just bear in mind, there is very little that happens on Lost that is not without some significance. The body in the coffin is Jeremy Bentham. But who is Bentham... have we all missed something? Bentham it turns out is a pseudonym, but as luck would have it (for me) I know exactly who the real Bentham is (or rather was) and with that knowledge you might already have guessed who is in the coffin. Jeremy Bentham was a philosopher at the turn of the 18th/19th Century... much as John Locke was a philosopher some hundred years before - coincidence? Of course not, and indeed we find out that the philosopher's namesake in the coffin is one and the same as the other philosopher's namesake.

What interests is whether there is any significance to Bentham in respect of one of his most famous ideas, the panopticon. The panopitcon was a theorised prison (never built) which allows an observer to observe all the prisoners without the prisoners being able to tell whether they are being watched. Does this mean that the island is some giant experiment, or more immediately is this some sort of reference to Dharma and their stations?

One of the fantastic moments was when Ben finally carried out Jacob's request (delivered by the urbane Christian Sheppherd) to move the island. It wasn't figurative or metaphorical we finally discovered but quite literal, as Ben turned the wheel and the island vanished before our eyes. Finally we find out how Ben turned up in the desert wearing cold weather gear.

We finally saw the 'Oceanic Six' leaving the island... who didn't enjoy Sawyer's leap from the helicopter (in a fantastic echo of the Davidoff Cool Water advertising campaign!) and who didn't shed a happy little tear when Desmond and Penny were finally reunited.

However, we have lots of new questions waiting to be answered (in addition to the litany of still unanswered questions). How did Locke get off the island? How are they all going to get back? What is with the un-dead Christian Sheppherd? Is Claire dead? Will Sun betray the 'O6' to Charles Widmore? Will Ben track down Penny? What will happen to Charlotte, Daniel and Miles?

Roll on January 2009 and Season Five!

Prohibition on the Underground

Today sees the beginning of the ban of consumption of alcohol on the London public transport. Well, most of it. Overground trains are excluded from the ban as they aren't under the control of Transport for London. On buses, tubes and the DLR it is now illegal to drink alcohol or even to carry an open container of alcohol.

This was marked last night by 'parties' on the Underground. Predictably there were some arrests, station closures and trains taken out of service due to damage.

I don't see the big deal because I don't see why you'd want to be drinking on the bus or tube or wherever in the first place. The only transport I've ever had drinks on is planes and sometimes really long train journeys. I don't see the attraction of swigging a can of beer on the underground. A bottle of water in really hot weather perhaps, but beer? Really? It's just unpleasant for anyone sitting nearby who has to suffer the stink of it (and trust me, it really does smell).

I'm sure there will be the usual bleating about civil liberties and human rights. Whatever. If you want a beer go to a pub, or go to your refrigerator... not the transport network.