Gwiwer

Here's a twist on the theme. There are works in the Twickenham area this weekend meaning trains are replaced by buses between Barnes and Teddington. This means there are no trains serving my local station at Strawberry Hill. Having to be in Waterloo for a specific time in the morning I enquired what time the replacement buses might leave and where from. It appears that buses cannot serve Strawberry Hill station. There is no bus route passing it, the only available roads are quite narrow and are lined by large and low-hanging trees. Buses are therefore diverting away from it. The replacement bus stop is a substantial walk away on the road between Twickenham and Fulwell. The buses pass Fulwell station - which has trains - but will not stop. Instead they go around the houses to finally reach Teddington having not served an intermediate station at all, not served the station next in line with a train service operating and taken so long to get from A to B that the next train (which could have been caught from Fulwell) has departed Twickenham just before the bus is due in. Next train 30 minutes. We shall make other arrangements.

Confirmed by multiple sources. Farewell and RIP Chancellor Cabbage. Diversionary route knowledge: it's happening. Southern are now running buses between Three Bridges, Brighton, Eastbourne and Littlehampton as required because knowledge of the Arun Valley option is no longer a given. TL and GX drivers don't know it at all and 700s are not route-cleared either. Southern work DOO to Three Bridges then the OBS becomes the Guard down the Arun Valley meaning a Brighton fast which is DOO throughout can no longer divert. That and to change anything on the driver's roster right now may trigger another wave of industrial inaction. Still criminal in my view that more cannot be done with the Dorking route. On SWT there is a daily Waterloo - Chertsey - Woking trip timetabled and the entire Sunday service goes to Woking rather than Weybridge. I get that those duties are likely to be 455/456 stock not signed by the main line men but why on a Sunday with stock spare are 450s not used and some turns booked as main line refreshers. They're going to need all the flexibility they can get come August when half of Waterloo is closed.

Morning all Woken at 4.15 by the impact of a cat transferring himself from somewhere else to my groinal region. Uttered words ruder than bottom. Woken again at 6.15 by our bin men who are as quiet in their task as its nature allows but who are anything but quiet in the vocal department. Every Friday we are privileged to hear these fine gentlemen outside our bedroom windows (as that is where the bins are) using words very much ruder than bottom. Today's language of choice included references to a bird similar to and sometimes mistaken for a cormorant. This has been a troublesome week. Pain fron gout causes fatigue but prevents sleep. I have spent several days drugged to the limit, sleeping intermittently by day and night and waiting for time - and those dreaded urea crystals - to pass. This morning has finally brought a significant improvement after the first good sleep in a week. Amazing generosity and unity being shown following events up the road at Grenfell Tower. They have had to ask that donations stop coming in. Several sports stadia, church and community halls are overflowing. The GoFundMe pot has I think reached £1m now. While those without homes will not want for food, clothing and in due course replacement furniture the loss and the trauma stays for ever. As it will for all those whose job it has been to tackle the fire and manage its aftermath. We are still expecting a total fatality count well into three figures. The upper floors cannot be searched as they are too severely damaged. We have our Australian property placed with an agent for letting though it currently remains vacant. Having once been a property manager in London years ago and having also rented out my home in Cornwall I still have some grasp on legislation. When I asked the agent what sort of certification they required for gas and electrical safety in Australia I received a blank look. "When was it built?" "1972" "That's OK. It would have been certified then ........ ". I did however have to sign a statement confirming that it had a working smoke alarm less than ten years old. It has three, to cover four bedrooms and three main exit routes, and they are all less than one year old. Happy POETS Day. Won't be doing that here as the Good Lady has a working dinner followed by a 7.45pm meeting. After an 8-5 day. C'est la vie sometimes.

Having flown Business more than once in Singapore and Emirates 777ER and A380 aircraft I can report that EK represents the canine gonads and far surpasses even the high SQ standards. It's always comforting to be greeted at the cabin door by name. You're a valued individual not just an anonymous piece of livestock. The most recent flight was staffed, among others, by a young Slovak who remembered me from two years previously. Once seated and provided with the menu he came to take the order and asked "8 Alpha. Mr. Xxxxxxx. Will that be the medium rare steak with the Bordeaux again for you Sir?" You just don't get that on SqueezyJet. Reports from other travellers suggest QF (Quaint Ar$e, as they are sometimes called) just isn't in the same league at all. Other long-haul carriers with generally very good reports include Qatar and Royal Brunei. Just don't ask for the wine list!

The full criteria against which airports are judged for this ranking would be of interest I agree Singapore Changi is superb. It is spacious, spotless and benefits from the local work ethic of respectful and timely service to all. I agree that Auckland is up there with the best though it is very much smaller and less busy than many of those ranked. There are worse airports than London Gatwick though it does suffer from serious overcrowding and the distance (and lack of transport) between terminals. The shuttle train is barely sufficient when both sets are running; often only one is in service. The walk from the outer gates of the North Terminal - those where you have to cross the enormius footbridge - make that an expedition in itself. Staff are not always the most helpful nor friendly I have encountered and fall well short of the standards set at Heathrow. I quite like Dubai International though one has to accept the Arab way of doing things here means there is no haste and you are also required to pass through security as you exit your arriving aircraft and enter the terminal. It's what they do. It has also got very big and busy but inter-terminal transits are reasonably smooth end efficient. Or you can have Alice Springs. The cabin crew open the terminal building when the aircraft arrives after the ground staff (all one of him) wheels the steps into place having previously acted as air traffic controller. Facilities? There's a toilet. And a closed coffee bar.

Morning all. I don't have words for overnight events. Not terribly close to us and like many I wasn't aware until Dawn had cracked that anything was amiss. Second time in a month Facebook has invited me to check in as safe on their emergency feature. And the second time in a month when I am happy to stand shoulder to shoulder with London folk in support of those who may be in need. Thoughts with all.

Quite so. If the Earth were flat cats would have pushed everything off the edge by now.

As used by Carlos Santana among others.

The good lady was required to make a business trip a couple of years back. Melbourne - Montreal. Not too many options within a sensible timeframe and the one she selected was with Qatar having some six hours in Doha. A lightly-loaded Dreamliner offered her sole use of the four central seats for the first 13 hour leg. The second flight was full but the 10 hours required to cross the Atlantic baffled us. Until she watched the familar south-east coast of England (!!) passing some 40000 feet beneath her window. Then the unmistakable outline of Scotland and finally Iceland was sited before a westerly course was set ....... There must be a good reason for that banana of a route since it would involve a lot more fuel than flying in a straight line.

Morning all Ongoing slight reduction in pain matched by increase in mobility. I was considered fit enough to be jumped on at 4am by a hungry cat demanding breakfast!!! The pasties have arrived from Hayle. Six of Philp's finest accompanied by as many of their newly offered pork pies. I am supposed to avoid alcohol during gout attacks but nothing washes a pasty down better than one of St. Austell's ales. Those arrived last week. Best wishes to all from a warm sunny day upon the Hill of Strawberries.

They are not ignoring anything and are well aware of these potential markets. This is the trial service. Not just to test the demand but to assess the costs and the interface with NR. Swanage Railway has stated (somewhere I cannot locate quickly on the phone) that to offer early morning commuter services will involve them in significantly increased costs. Another whole shift has to be staffed for train crew, station and signalling staff and access charges paid to NR. The same may apply for evening returns notwithstanding the existing evening service to Norden. While some staff are volunteers that should not be mistaken for free labour. Not everyone is willing to hop out of bed at 5am to prep a train, drive a shift and go home with no more than thanks. If the trial succeeds - and we all hope it does - then commuter services may follow in 2018 or 2019.

Cock pheasant?

A very slight improvement in mobility by tonight. I still have a rugby-ball shaped object where my foot should be but pain has dropped below the lip-biting or screaming-in-agony level. Virgin Australia flies a couple of Embraers in a fairly standardised 787 fleet. They have a specific diagram which includes a couple of Melbourne - Hobart trips. That is where I encountered them. Superb and very comfortable aircraft beating the pants off the Boeings. Their smaller dimensions dictate 2+2 seating against 3+3 but with generous seat sizing and pitch.

Same here, as per yesterday. Starboard foot resembles a rugby football though treks to the facility have been a little less painful today. 11pm last night I developed shivering with hot sweats. Apparently there is a fever linked to this embuggerance. So it's another day of bed, water and Panadol instead of the gout prescription pills. Four different deliveries due tomorrow. Pasties from Hayle, an office chair from a warehouse somewhere, the weekly supermarket delivery and an order of clothing for herself. I wasn't going far anyway!

Five past seventeen o'clock. Finally made it from bed to chair. Starboard foot twice its customary size and throbbing like a Sulzer power unit. It fixes itself over a few days. One of those things medical science still hasn't conquered. The medication offers minimal pain relief when it's this bad and induces blurred vision and lack of co-ordination. Won't be walking anywhere yet awhile except for a slow painful hobble to the facilities when required. Hopefully with enough warning!!!

For the example given a class 66 loss of brake pipe pressure should bring both parts of the train quickly to a stand. The driver might also notice an apparent surge in power at the moment of parting as the loco would - momentarily until the brakes went on - be exerting the same power but pulling a reduced load. The same would be true of any train where continuous brakes are active. For unfitted trains or in the case that an unfitted "tail" breaks away from a fitted "head" then the guard should screw down the brake in the van hoping to bring the runaway to a stop. The loco crew might be aware of the sudden lightening of load or might not be aware until they looked back as a check or were brought to a stand at a signal for "Stop and Examine Train". When unfitted trains ran there were still traditional sigbalboxes everywhere so anything passing incomplete (without a red lamp) would quickly be stopped either by a swift throw-back of a section signal in front of the train or by bell code to the box ahead to stop and examine. The runaway portion would be signalled by one of two bell codes; train running away in right / wrong direction; according to which way it was moving.

Morning all. Little sleep. Severe gout. That is all. Please enjoy Sunday for me.

Evening all. I missed the morning. The need for sleep finally caught up with me. Managed a slow stroll to the garden shop and returned with a quartet of pots, some sort of bagged dirt and two each lavendar and tomato plants. The doorstep garden has begun. The rest of the day has been a near-total loss thanks to an attack of gout in the starboard foot. I'm back in bed early with extreme pain and the fidgets. Sleep may be a luxury. Good night all.

But is it the same RM706? As any afficianado of London buses will tell you thanks to the Aldenham identity-swap overhaul process the only way to tell is to check the body number plate.

With the need to form partnerships apparent I shall venture the Crosstown Diagonal and take us to Harrow & Wealdstone

A previous employer shied away from the term "smart casual" and described the permitted attire on Fridays as "business casual". According to our internal memorandum on acceptable presentation this meant: Shirts (which may be neat, clean T-shirts without logo or slogan or offensive image Jumpers, cardigans and other similar knitwear without slogan Trousers, skirts (for female staff) or tailored shorts. Clean, tidy full-length jeans may be worn Closed shoes, clean and tidy trainers or fully enclosed sandals and a maximum heel height of 2.5cms Explicitly prohibited were: Any clothing which renders undergarments to be visible through, above, beneath or inside it. Any sportswear or any shirts, shorts or other items bearing logos or slogans of any kind or images which might be considered offensive Any combination of clothing which exposes legs above knee height, arms above mid-upper height, any part of the torso below the neck including female cleavage Open-toe or sling-back style footwear; thongs (flipflops) Cotton or other non-tailored shorts. Swimwear. Cut off, torn or "designer ripped/frayed" jeans Any stained clothing or anything coloured or dyed otherwise than as sold. The possibility of a kilt-wearing male with or without male cleavagep was apparently not catered for. "Smart Casual" in a wedding or other social context may indeed include clean pressed T-shirt and jeans for the chaps but implies the wearing of a suitable jacket over the top. For the ladies it most commonly seems to involve a better shirt (somewhere between casual and best) with nice pants or a longer skirt. And sometimes with a jacket.

Andy. Thanks for the reminder re. Woking. A delegation from Camborne is coming so I'd better make the effort

Elections generally are not so characterful as they once were. The raising of both the deposit and the proportion of votes cast to retain it has seen off almost all of the more colourful individuals and minority parties. If one took the trouble to read the Official Monster Raving Loony Party manfesto much of it made good down to earth common sense. They even managed to get (at least) one local councillor elected at some point. The charisma and personal wealth of David "Lord" Sutch basically under-wrote the whole operation and since his passing they have struggled. Full marks for pressing on however. They had my vote more than once. Vote being an anagram of veto I shall have to don suitable footwear and venture forth shortly in order to veto the local member whose political idealogy I do not concur with. A task made slightly harder by the onset of gout last night. The starboard foot is rather larger than standard and mobility is painful. It typically takes a week or so to ease again whether or not I bother with the medication. In other news the student neighbours are departing today and won't be back until late August. They're a good bunch though I won't miss knowing when one in particular is studying baby-making Best wishes one and all. Doesn't matter who you vote for because the government always wins.

The siege in Sydney took how long to end? And lives were ultimately lost there too. A major incident with multiple crime scenes late on Saturday night in London was dealt with so quickly and thoroughly that 30 hours later the area was open (with the exception of the market) and from 5am Monday the morning rush into the City took place as normal.

All very well Tony but from Strawberry Hill our nearest Tesco means going all the way to Ivybridge . OK it's not the Ivybridge atop a famous railway gradient in Devon but a recently-named locality just north of Twickenham. Tesco has occupied some previously-used land an inconvenient distance from anywhere without a car. The only buses passing by do not serve Twickenham but wander around the by-ways of Whitton. It's far easier to get Tesco to deliver. As indeed we do with Sainsburys and Waitrose. They do have Tribute listed but not always in stock but not HSD. It's also cheaper direct from the brewery. Hic! 'scuse me.