Like most Londoners, I have never taken the Waterloo & City line. I must add it to my list.
Wow that’s surprising, because I’m one of those who’ve taken the Drain literally hundreds of times. (But I grew up awfully close to the main line from Waterloo out to Amazingstoke).
The only tube line with no intermediate stops.
Nothing wrong with the L&C, far from it, but is anybody mentioning the Rotherhithe tunnel? Engrs. M.Brunel et fils. It was converted to Underground use ages ago.
I took that with my wife in the Summer for the first time in 25 years.
The Waterloo and City line used to be peak queuing, at the top of British performance art.
I took it for a fortnight once when on a course in the City, and staying with my brother in Wimbledon. The commuters would line up on the platform at intervals, with gaps exactly where the doors would be when the train pulled in. The passengers would disembark, and the queue would enter in column in complete silence. It was like intuitive choreography, and pure Britishness. It was 25 years ago, so might not be like that now, but was my favourite at the time.
I've only done the W&C once. I was about 8. We were staying with my grandparents in Pinner, and my grandfather kindly condescended to take his geeky grandson for a day on the tubes. We did every line, including the W&C. We went right round the circle line. We changed at slightly obscure places outside the Circle Line like Stockwell and Mile End. We had Marmite sandwiches on the Embankment in our only bit of fresh air of the day. We returned to Pinner via the Piccadilly line, changing at Rayner's Lane and HotH. He was a great man. Anyway, the W&C was a highlight even then, and I recognise your description of the choreography.
Reminiscing now. Have just worked out the route we took: KCSP-KCSP (Central)
Amazing scenes from Syria on C4 news. Looks like Assad regime collapsing.
I asked a Syrian colleague about it (no Assad fan - some of his cousins were gassed by Bashir), he didn't sound very keen on this rebel group either.
It will likely stay around Damascus with Russian and Hezbollah support, if it doesn't it will be a complete disaster with Jihadi militant rebels taking over
Like most Londoners, I have never taken the Waterloo & City line. I must add it to my list.
Wow that’s surprising, because I’m one of those who’ve taken the Drain literally hundreds of times. (But I grew up awfully close to the main line from Waterloo out to Amazingstoke).
The only tube line with no intermediate stops.
Nothing wrong with the L&C, far from it, but is anybody mentioning the Rotherhithe tunnel? Engrs. M.Brunel et fils. It was converted to Underground use ages ago.
I took that with my wife in the Summer for the first time in 25 years.
The Waterloo and City line used to be peak queuing, at the top of British performance art.
I took it for a fortnight once when on a course in the City, and staying with my brother in Wimbledon. The commuters would line up on the platform at intervals, with gaps exactly where the doors would be when the train pulled in. The passengers would disembark, and the queue would enter in column in complete silence. It was like intuitive choreography, and pure Britishness. It was 25 years ago, so might not be like that now, but was my favourite at the time.
I've only done the W&C once. I was about 8. We were staying with my grandparents in Pinner, and my grandfather kindly condescended to take his geeky grandson for a day on the tubes. We did every line, including the W&C. We went right round the circle line. We changed at slightly obscure places outside the Circle Line like Stockwell and Mile End. We had Marmite sandwiches on the Embankment in our only bit of fresh air of the day. We returned to Pinner via the Piccadilly line, changing at Rayner's Lane and HotH. He was a great man. Anyway, the W&C was a highlight even then, and I recognise your description of the choreography.
Your grandad sounds wonderful. When I was a kid my dad and I did the whole of the Tyne and Wear Metro for my birthday treat.
Brilliant. And more satisfying than many networks because of the big loop. Quite satisfying scenically, too.
Breaking: The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced new rules on Friday requiring the testing of the nation’s milk supply for the bird flu virus known as H5N1, nearly a year after the virus began circulating through dairy cattle.
Under the new testing strategy, the department will begin testing bulk samples of unpasteurized milk from dairy processing facilities across the country.
Like most Londoners, I have never taken the Waterloo & City line. I must add it to my list.
Wow that’s surprising, because I’m one of those who’ve taken the Drain literally hundreds of times. (But I grew up awfully close to the main line from Waterloo out to Amazingstoke).
The only tube line with no intermediate stops.
Nothing wrong with the L&C, far from it, but is anybody mentioning the Rotherhithe tunnel? Engrs. M.Brunel et fils. It was converted to Underground use ages ago.
I took that with my wife in the Summer for the first time in 25 years.
The Waterloo and City line used to be peak queuing, at the top of British performance art.
I took it for a fortnight once when on a course in the City, and staying with my brother in Wimbledon. The commuters would line up on the platform at intervals, with gaps exactly where the doors would be when the train pulled in. The passengers would disembark, and the queue would enter in column in complete silence. It was like intuitive choreography, and pure Britishness. It was 25 years ago, so might not be like that now, but was my favourite at the time.
I've only done the W&C once. I was about 8. We were staying with my grandparents in Pinner, and my grandfather kindly condescended to take his geeky grandson for a day on the tubes. We did every line, including the W&C. We went right round the circle line. We changed at slightly obscure places outside the Circle Line like Stockwell and Mile End. We had Marmite sandwiches on the Embankment in our only bit of fresh air of the day. We returned to Pinner via the Piccadilly line, changing at Rayner's Lane and HotH. He was a great man. Anyway, the W&C was a highlight even then, and I recognise your description of the choreography.
One of my favourite games when young was "The London Game".
I've got that! Also, from the same stable, the Great Game of Britain. The version I have (from about 1984) had a reversible board with one side set in the steam era and the other in the modern day. The modern one played better, in my opinion. "You are tired of the crowds. Go to John O'Groats and stay there for two turns. Station: Thurso."
Sounds good! Let's hope Mrs Foxy likes it 😇
Does anyone have a more up to date experience of The Drain? I hope it hasn't changed, though probably now phones rather than rolled newspapers.
Like most Londoners, I have never taken the Waterloo & City line. I must add it to my list.
Wow that’s surprising, because I’m one of those who’ve taken the Drain literally hundreds of times. (But I grew up awfully close to the main line from Waterloo out to Amazingstoke).
The only tube line with no intermediate stops.
Nothing wrong with the L&C, far from it, but is anybody mentioning the Rotherhithe tunnel? Engrs. M.Brunel et fils. It was converted to Underground use ages ago.
I took that with my wife in the Summer for the first time in 25 years.
The Waterloo and City line used to be peak queuing, at the top of British performance art.
I took it for a fortnight once when on a course in the City, and staying with my brother in Wimbledon. The commuters would line up on the platform at intervals, with gaps exactly where the doors would be when the train pulled in. The passengers would disembark, and the queue would enter in column in complete silence. It was like intuitive choreography, and pure Britishness. It was 25 years ago, so might not be like that now, but was my favourite at the time.
I've only done the W&C once. I was about 8. We were staying with my grandparents in Pinner, and my grandfather kindly condescended to take his geeky grandson for a day on the tubes. We did every line, including the W&C. We went right round the circle line. We changed at slightly obscure places outside the Circle Line like Stockwell and Mile End. We had Marmite sandwiches on the Embankment in our only bit of fresh air of the day. We returned to Pinner via the Piccadilly line, changing at Rayner's Lane and HotH. He was a great man. Anyway, the W&C was a highlight even then, and I recognise your description of the choreography.
Your grandad sounds wonderful. When I was a kid my dad and I did the whole of the Tyne and Wear Metro for my birthday treat.
Brilliant. And more satisfying than many networks because of the big loop. Quite satisfying scenically, too.
Incidentally, this sort of thing hasn't died out. I know of at least two teenage male contemporaries of my daughters who have done the equivalent day on the Manchester Metrolink for birthday treats.
Like most Londoners, I have never taken the Waterloo & City line. I must add it to my list.
Wow that’s surprising, because I’m one of those who’ve taken the Drain literally hundreds of times. (But I grew up awfully close to the main line from Waterloo out to Amazingstoke).
The only tube line with no intermediate stops.
Nothing wrong with the L&C, far from it, but is anybody mentioning the Rotherhithe tunnel? Engrs. M.Brunel et fils. It was converted to Underground use ages ago.
I took that with my wife in the Summer for the first time in 25 years.
The Waterloo and City line used to be peak queuing, at the top of British performance art.
I took it for a fortnight once when on a course in the City, and staying with my brother in Wimbledon. The commuters would line up on the platform at intervals, with gaps exactly where the doors would be when the train pulled in. The passengers would disembark, and the queue would enter in column in complete silence. It was like intuitive choreography, and pure Britishness. It was 25 years ago, so might not be like that now, but was my favourite at the time.
I've only done the W&C once. I was about 8. We were staying with my grandparents in Pinner, and my grandfather kindly condescended to take his geeky grandson for a day on the tubes. We did every line, including the W&C. We went right round the circle line. We changed at slightly obscure places outside the Circle Line like Stockwell and Mile End. We had Marmite sandwiches on the Embankment in our only bit of fresh air of the day. We returned to Pinner via the Piccadilly line, changing at Rayner's Lane and HotH. He was a great man. Anyway, the W&C was a highlight even then, and I recognise your description of the choreography.
Your grandad sounds wonderful. When I was a kid my dad and I did the whole of the Tyne and Wear Metro for my birthday treat.
Brilliant. And more satisfying than many networks because of the big loop. Quite satisfying scenically, too.
The Ouseburn viaduct in Byker always my favourite bit, especially if sat in the front seats. Genuinely thrilling.
My favourite Underground line, as I am in the usual position of being a minority of one, is the Drain aka the Waterloo & City Line. I had the good fortune when working to be travelling “against the flow” so plenty of room and seats while those going the other way were packed like a tin of John West.
My favourite Underground line, as I am in the usual position of being a minority of one, is the Drain aka the Waterloo & City Line. I had the good fortune when working to be travelling “against the flow” so plenty of room and seats while those going the other way were packed like a tin of John West.
I have never received anything like that before the
I can only presume the storm cut power as you were writing that. Hope you're okay.
Not too bad yet but it is brewing
I see the usual morons on X have been reacting to the emergency warning. Apparently it’s “woke” to tell people there’s a dangerous storm coming and they should be aware and prepared.
Seriously? The distortion of the term “woke” is astonishing - it now seems to mean nothing and everything at the same time.
I have never received anything like that before the
I can only presume the storm cut power as you were writing that. Hope you're okay.
Not too bad yet but it is brewing
I see the usual morons on X have been reacting to the emergency warning. Apparently it’s “woke” to tell people there’s a dangerous storm coming and they should be aware and prepared.
Seriously? The distortion of the term “woke” is astonishing - it now seems to mean nothing and everything at the same time.
There is nothing woke about warnings of danger in 90 mph winds
I would say that if I hadn't read the cabinet notice, I would have thought Armageddon was happening with the loud siren and vibrating my phone made together with the actual alert
My favourite Underground line, as I am in the usual position of being a minority of one, is the Drain aka the Waterloo & City Line. I had the good fortune when working to be travelling “against the flow” so plenty of room and seats while those going the other way were packed like a tin of John West.
I refer the Honorable poster for Newham South to my statement at 4.08 pm.
I have never received anything like that before the
I can only presume the storm cut power as you were writing that. Hope you're okay.
Not too bad yet but it is brewing
I see the usual morons on X have been reacting to the emergency warning. Apparently it’s “woke” to tell people there’s a dangerous storm coming and they should be aware and prepared.
Seriously? The distortion of the term “woke” is astonishing - it now seems to mean nothing and everything at the same time.
I think we should repurpose the word woke to an extreme and ridiculous meaning - past tense and past participle of “wake”.
Like most Londoners, I have never taken the Waterloo & City line. I must add it to my list.
Wow that’s surprising, because I’m one of those who’ve taken the Drain literally hundreds of times. (But I grew up awfully close to the main line from Waterloo out to Amazingstoke).
The only tube line with no intermediate stops.
Nothing wrong with the L&C, far from it, but is anybody mentioning the Rotherhithe tunnel? Engrs. M.Brunel et fils. It was converted to Underground use ages ago.
Wrong tunnel!
The Rotherhithe is a road tunnel. The tunnel you're thinking of is the Thames Tunnel, between Wapping and Rotherhithe, built as a foot tunnel by the Brunels upon opening in 1843, but converted to railway use in 1869. For years it was part of the East London Railway and then the East London Line, now it's part of the Windrush Line.
A shame the Windrush Line was not called the Brunel Line. The name Windrush could have been used elsewhere. Still, Brunel has his own university in West London.
Like most Londoners, I have never taken the Waterloo & City line. I must add it to my list.
Wow that’s surprising, because I’m one of those who’ve taken the Drain literally hundreds of times. (But I grew up awfully close to the main line from Waterloo out to Amazingstoke).
The only tube line with no intermediate stops.
Nothing wrong with the L&C, far from it, but is anybody mentioning the Rotherhithe tunnel? Engrs. M.Brunel et fils. It was converted to Underground use ages ago.
I took that with my wife in the Summer for the first time in 25 years.
The Waterloo and City line used to be peak queuing, at the top of British performance art.
I took it for a fortnight once when on a course in the City, and staying with my brother in Wimbledon. The commuters would line up on the platform at intervals, with gaps exactly where the doors would be when the train pulled in. The passengers would disembark, and the queue would enter in column in complete silence. It was like intuitive choreography, and pure Britishness. It was 25 years ago, so might not be like that now, but was my favourite at the time.
I've only done the W&C once. I was about 8. We were staying with my grandparents in Pinner, and my grandfather kindly condescended to take his geeky grandson for a day on the tubes. We did every line, including the W&C. We went right round the circle line. We changed at slightly obscure places outside the Circle Line like Stockwell and Mile End. We had Marmite sandwiches on the Embankment in our only bit of fresh air of the day. We returned to Pinner via the Piccadilly line, changing at Rayner's Lane and HotH. He was a great man. Anyway, the W&C was a highlight even then, and I recognise your description of the choreography.
One of my favourite games when young was "The London Game".
I've got that! Also, from the same stable, the Great Game of Britain. The version I have (from about 1984) had a reversible board with one side set in the steam era and the other in the modern day. The modern one played better, in my opinion. "You are tired of the crowds. Go to John O'Groats and stay there for two turns. Station: Thurso."
I visited Thurso, Wick, and Kyle of Lochalsh in July 2022
My favourite Underground line, as I am in the usual position of being a minority of one, is the Drain aka the Waterloo & City Line. I had the good fortune when working to be travelling “against the flow” so plenty of room and seats while those going the other way were packed like a tin of John West.
I refer the Honorable poster for Newham South to my statement at 4.08 pm.
It seems the Drain has plenty of admirers after all. The new exit at Walbrook next to the Mithraneum is excellent and it’s a very short walk to Cannon Street for those of us needing the District Line.
My favourite Underground line, as I am in the usual position of being a minority of one, is the Drain aka the Waterloo & City Line. I had the good fortune when working to be travelling “against the flow” so plenty of room and seats while those going the other way were packed like a tin of John West.
I refer the Honorable poster for Newham South to my statement at 4.08 pm.
It seems the Drain has plenty of admirers after all. The new exit at Walbrook next to the Mithraneum is excellent and it’s a very short walk to Cannon Street for those of us needing the District Line.
I ate at Brigadier's, just by there, on my last London trip.
The Met Office does regular polling to find out how many people are aware of weather warnings, what they think of the forecasts, etc. I guess someone has argued that not enough people are hearing about the weather warnings.
Like most Londoners, I have never taken the Waterloo & City line. I must add it to my list.
Wow that’s surprising, because I’m one of those who’ve taken the Drain literally hundreds of times. (But I grew up awfully close to the main line from Waterloo out to Amazingstoke).
The only tube line with no intermediate stops.
Nothing wrong with the L&C, far from it, but is anybody mentioning the Rotherhithe tunnel? Engrs. M.Brunel et fils. It was converted to Underground use ages ago.
I took that with my wife in the Summer for the first time in 25 years.
The Waterloo and City line used to be peak queuing, at the top of British performance art.
I took it for a fortnight once when on a course in the City, and staying with my brother in Wimbledon. The commuters would line up on the platform at intervals, with gaps exactly where the doors would be when the train pulled in. The passengers would disembark, and the queue would enter in column in complete silence. It was like intuitive choreography, and pure Britishness. It was 25 years ago, so might not be like that now, but was my favourite at the time.
I've only done the W&C once. I was about 8. We were staying with my grandparents in Pinner, and my grandfather kindly condescended to take his geeky grandson for a day on the tubes. We did every line, including the W&C. We went right round the circle line. We changed at slightly obscure places outside the Circle Line like Stockwell and Mile End. We had Marmite sandwiches on the Embankment in our only bit of fresh air of the day. We returned to Pinner via the Piccadilly line, changing at Rayner's Lane and HotH. He was a great man. Anyway, the W&C was a highlight even then, and I recognise your description of the choreography.
One of my favourite games when young was "The London Game".
I have never received anything like that before the
I can only presume the storm cut power as you were writing that. Hope you're okay.
Not too bad yet but it is brewing
I see the usual morons on X have been reacting to the emergency warning. Apparently it’s “woke” to tell people there’s a dangerous storm coming and they should be aware and prepared.
Seriously? The distortion of the term “woke” is astonishing - it now seems to mean nothing and everything at the same time.
It was itv weather that was using red, amber and yellow "alerts" as if ww2 was just about to break out 🥴..Would we really pay attention to all this nonsense years ago? 🤨
I have never received anything like that before the
I can only presume the storm cut power as you were writing that. Hope you're okay.
Not too bad yet but it is brewing
I see the usual morons on X have been reacting to the emergency warning. Apparently it’s “woke” to tell people there’s a dangerous storm coming and they should be aware and prepared.
Seriously? The distortion of the term “woke” is astonishing - it now seems to mean nothing and everything at the same time.
It is silly. Why can't they simply watch/listen to the weather reports?
I have never received anything like that before the
I can only presume the storm cut power as you were writing that. Hope you're okay.
Not too bad yet but it is brewing
I see the usual morons on X have been reacting to the emergency warning. Apparently it’s “woke” to tell people there’s a dangerous storm coming and they should be aware and prepared.
Seriously? The distortion of the term “woke” is astonishing - it now seems to mean nothing and everything at the same time.
It is silly. Why can't they simply watch/listen to the weather reports?
It is rarely used but a red warning with winds upto 90mph and a real risk to life it is justified
Like most Londoners, I have never taken the Waterloo & City line. I must add it to my list.
Wow that’s surprising, because I’m one of those who’ve taken the Drain literally hundreds of times. (But I grew up awfully close to the main line from Waterloo out to Amazingstoke).
The only tube line with no intermediate stops.
Nothing wrong with the L&C, far from it, but is anybody mentioning the Rotherhithe tunnel? Engrs. M.Brunel et fils. It was converted to Underground use ages ago.
I took that with my wife in the Summer for the first time in 25 years.
The Waterloo and City line used to be peak queuing, at the top of British performance art.
I took it for a fortnight once when on a course in the City, and staying with my brother in Wimbledon. The commuters would line up on the platform at intervals, with gaps exactly where the doors would be when the train pulled in. The passengers would disembark, and the queue would enter in column in complete silence. It was like intuitive choreography, and pure Britishness. It was 25 years ago, so might not be like that now, but was my favourite at the time.
I've only done the W&C once. I was about 8. We were staying with my grandparents in Pinner, and my grandfather kindly condescended to take his geeky grandson for a day on the tubes. We did every line, including the W&C. We went right round the circle line. We changed at slightly obscure places outside the Circle Line like Stockwell and Mile End. We had Marmite sandwiches on the Embankment in our only bit of fresh air of the day. We returned to Pinner via the Piccadilly line, changing at Rayner's Lane and HotH. He was a great man. Anyway, the W&C was a highlight even then, and I recognise your description of the choreography.
One of my favourite games when young was "The London Game".
I've got that! Also, from the same stable, the Great Game of Britain. The version I have (from about 1984) had a reversible board with one side set in the steam era and the other in the modern day. The modern one played better, in my opinion. "You are tired of the crowds. Go to John O'Groats and stay there for two turns. Station: Thurso."
I visited Thurso, Wick, and Kyle of Lochalsh in July 2022
I walked between them all in the summer of 2003. In a different order, though...
I have never received anything like that before the
I can only presume the storm cut power as you were writing that. Hope you're okay.
Not too bad yet but it is brewing
I see the usual morons on X have been reacting to the emergency warning. Apparently it’s “woke” to tell people there’s a dangerous storm coming and they should be aware and prepared.
Seriously? The distortion of the term “woke” is astonishing - it now seems to mean nothing and everything at the same time.
It is silly. Why can't they simply watch/listen to the weather reports?
I guess the decline of broadcast radio and TV means there's not a simple route for speaking to 90+% of the population any more.
The sinkhole that appeared in a cul-de-sac this week was not a traditional sinkhole; nor was it, as I expected, collapsed mine workings. Instead, an old culvert that carries a stream collapsed.
I love the tyranny of the context even more today. It continues to be everything.
I'm sure that Jim Allister, the leader of Traditional Ulster Voice, was as pure as the driven snow and had no political objectives whatsoever in his head when he made that entirely disinterested comment .
Also off topic, I’m in Senegal this week. Sitting on deck on the ferry about to depart Dakar for Ziguinchor.
Sénégal is ridiculously French. The road signs are identical to those in France: same font, same everything. Restaurant wine lists containing only French wine. There are 3 Decathlons in Dakar, countless Casino and Auchans, and no McDonald’s.
I have never received anything like that before the
I can only presume the storm cut power as you were writing that. Hope you're okay.
Not too bad yet but it is brewing
I see the usual morons on X have been reacting to the emergency warning. Apparently it’s “woke” to tell people there’s a dangerous storm coming and they should be aware and prepared.
Seriously? The distortion of the term “woke” is astonishing - it now seems to mean nothing and everything at the same time.
It is silly. Why can't they simply watch/listen to the weather reports?
It is rarely used but a red warning with winds upto 90mph and a real risk to life it is justified
You have to be careful with that sort of thing and only use it very rarely, so that it will be effective when it is most necessary. I think it's borderline in this case.
The orange warning for Storm Darragh has just come into effect, from 8pm, for Munster, but we've been hearing the howling winds for several hours now. This makes the hazard from high winds a kinda obvious and foreseeable one to some extent, whereas the mobile phone emergency warning message might be more appropriate for the scenario of a storm surge, where people won't be aware that their homes are at imminent risk of flooding, or a major chemical accident, where you need people to stay inside and close their windows.
Also off topic, I’m in Senegal this week. Sitting on deck on the ferry about to depart Dakar for Ziguinchor.
Sénégal is ridiculously French. The road signs are identical to those in France: same font, same everything. Restaurant wine lists containing only French wine. There are 3 Decathlons in Dakar, countless Casino and Auchans, and no McDonald’s.
My photo of the day is this, just off Ngor plage:
Well, the no McDonald's part is rather un-french - there is one MacDonalds for every 40000 people in France - the world's 4th highest density.
Also off topic, I’m in Senegal this week. Sitting on deck on the ferry about to depart Dakar for Ziguinchor.
Sénégal is ridiculously French. The road signs are identical to those in France: same font, same everything. Restaurant wine lists containing only French wine. There are 3 Decathlons in Dakar, countless Casino and Auchans, and no McDonald’s.
My photo of the day is this, just off Ngor plage:
Sounds good. It's a place that I would love to get to.
Also off topic, I’m in Senegal this week. Sitting on deck on the ferry about to depart Dakar for Ziguinchor.
Sénégal is ridiculously French. The road signs are identical to those in France: same font, same everything. Restaurant wine lists containing only French wine. There are 3 Decathlons in Dakar, countless Casino and Auchans, and no McDonald’s.
My photo of the day is this, just off Ngor plage:
Sounds good. It's a place that I would love to get to.
Just ordering 2 glasses of pastis on the ferry deck bar.
The sinkhole that appeared in a cul-de-sac this week was not a traditional sinkhole; nor was it, as I expected, collapsed mine workings. Instead, an old culvert that carries a stream collapsed.
Also off topic, I’m in Senegal this week. Sitting on deck on the ferry about to depart Dakar for Ziguinchor.
Sénégal is ridiculously French. The road signs are identical to those in France: same font, same everything. Restaurant wine lists containing only French wine. There are 3 Decathlons in Dakar, countless Casino and Auchans, and no McDonald’s.
Amazing scenes from Syria on C4 news. Looks like Assad regime collapsing.
I asked a Syrian colleague about it (no Assad fan - some of his cousins were gassed by Bashir), he didn't sound very keen on this rebel group either.
I’m always fascinated to see how seemingly very powerful dictatorships can collapse within days.
They’re supported by ruthless, selfish people, who can decide within minutes, that their own chances of survival are greater without the dictator than with him.
I have never received anything like that before the
I can only presume the storm cut power as you were writing that. Hope you're okay.
Not too bad yet but it is brewing
I see the usual morons on X have been reacting to the emergency warning. Apparently it’s “woke” to tell people there’s a dangerous storm coming and they should be aware and prepared.
Seriously? The distortion of the term “woke” is astonishing - it now seems to mean nothing and everything at the same time.
It was itv weather that was using red, amber and yellow "alerts" as if ww2 was just about to break out 🥴..Would we really pay attention to all this nonsense years ago? 🤨
If they had, I wouldn't have been stuck in London for the 2017 storm.
I love the tyranny of the context even more today. It continues to be everything.
I'm sure that Jim Allister, the leader of Traditional Ulster Voice, was as pure as the driven snow and had no political objectives whatsoever in his head when he made that entirely disinterested comment .
Worth noting that Allister's anti-Windsor Framework private member's bill (which was talked out earlier today) had backing from the DUP and the Tory front bench - so much for the Framework having been one of the highlights of the last parliament for both parties!
They do have a point when they say that the Windsor Framework doesn't fully remove the Irish Sea border - and as the NI market maintains dynamic alignment with the EU, this will become ever more apparent as time goes on. The GPSR regs, for example, come into force next week and mean that many more small GB businesses will no longer bother selling to NI customers.
But Allister's bill is nonsense: "mutual enforcement" can't work if one of the proposed partners is unwilling - it's a contradiction in terms to say that it can be imposed unilaterally.
Wind getting up in North Ayrshire, and we’re only in the yellow warning area. Thoughts with those of you in Wales and South West England, particularly @Big_G_NorthWales’ son. Hope you don’t get a shout this weekend, particularly for stupid windsurfers who think big waves are fun. You may be busy with onshore flooding, though.
Back on topic -sorry! The Waterloo & City is the best line, as it was part of the LSWR / SR, which my Uncle George worked for for 57 years. Apart from that, it was part of the holiday journey from home in Eastleigh to holidays with family in Felixstowe.
I have never received anything like that before the
I can only presume the storm cut power as you were writing that. Hope you're okay.
Not too bad yet but it is brewing
I see the usual morons on X have been reacting to the emergency warning. Apparently it’s “woke” to tell people there’s a dangerous storm coming and they should be aware and prepared.
Seriously? The distortion of the term “woke” is astonishing - it now seems to mean nothing and everything at the same time.
It is silly. Why can't they simply watch/listen to the weather reports?
It is rarely used but a red warning with winds upto 90mph and a real risk to life it is justified
You have to be careful with that sort of thing and only use it very rarely, so that it will be effective when it is most necessary. I think it's borderline in this case.
The orange warning for Storm Darragh has just come into effect, from 8pm, for Munster, but we've been hearing the howling winds for several hours now. This makes the hazard from high winds a kinda obvious and foreseeable one to some extent, whereas the mobile phone emergency warning message might be more appropriate for the scenario of a storm surge, where people won't be aware that their homes are at imminent risk of flooding, or a major chemical accident, where you need people to stay inside and close their windows.
Yes, it is a fine line to walk.
In this case I think it is more to make sure nobody makes plans to go anywhere tomorrow morning, and in that context I think it is justifiable, particularly in west Wales.
The lunchtime Met Office model run predicts 105mph gusts in the Irish Sea.
Putin is recruiting agents in the UK — and security services are worried ... There is speculation from some experts that drones flying over US military bases, as well as a flurry of bomb threats across the UK could have also been the work of low-level criminals and individuals working for the GRU. https://inews.co.uk/news/putin-recruiting-uk-based-agents-security-services-worried-3416982 (£££)
We had a massive IT outtage at work today. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Russian hackers. We know what they did to the NHS. When are we going to retaliate?
Wind getting up in North Ayrshire, and we’re only in the yellow warning area. Thoughts with those of you in Wales and South West England, particularly @Big_G_NorthWales’ son. Hope you don’t get a shout this weekend, particularly for stupid windsurfers who think big waves are fun. You may be busy with onshore flooding, though.
Noticeably picking up here in Glasgow too. Lucky for me I stocked up on food this week to get lots of Christmas stuff out the way - so can avoid going to the shops for a day or two and avoid the worst of it.
I have never received anything like that before the
I can only presume the storm cut power as you were writing that. Hope you're okay.
Not too bad yet but it is brewing
I see the usual morons on X have been reacting to the emergency warning. Apparently it’s “woke” to tell people there’s a dangerous storm coming and they should be aware and prepared.
Seriously? The distortion of the term “woke” is astonishing - it now seems to mean nothing and everything at the same time.
It was itv weather that was using red, amber and yellow "alerts" as if ww2 was just about to break out 🥴..Would we really pay attention to all this nonsense years ago? 🤨
When I was in Ukraine last year, the phone alerts were accompanied by local air raid sirens. Should we bring those back in the UK for weather alerts?
More seriously, best of luck to all PBers facing bad weather tonight.
The sinkhole that appeared in a cul-de-sac this week was not a traditional sinkhole; nor was it, as I expected, collapsed mine workings. Instead, an old culvert that carries a stream collapsed.
Amazing scenes from Syria on C4 news. Looks like Assad regime collapsing.
I asked a Syrian colleague about it (no Assad fan - some of his cousins were gassed by Bashir), he didn't sound very keen on this rebel group either.
I’m always fascinated to see how seemingly very powerful dictatorships can collapse within days.
They’re supported by ruthless, selfish people, who can decide within minutes, that their own chances of survival are greater without the dictator than with him.
Or the dictator decides their chances of survival are much greater without hanging around with the people.
Putin is recruiting agents in the UK — and security services are worried ... There is speculation from some experts that drones flying over US military bases, as well as a flurry of bomb threats across the UK could have also been the work of low-level criminals and individuals working for the GRU. https://inews.co.uk/news/putin-recruiting-uk-based-agents-security-services-worried-3416982 (£££)
We had a massive IT outtage at work today. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Russian hackers. We know what they did to the NHS. When are we going to retaliate?
I would be surprised if it was Russian hackers. IT systems fail all the time, for a wide variety of reasons. Most organisations of any considerable scale will have dozens of different IT systems that are reliant on each other, and so if one goes down it will tend to break functionality on the other systems too. This makes the whole edifice that much more vulnerable to failure, unless it's been put together carefully in a fault-tolerant way (Spoiler: it hasn't).
Of course, I'm sure there are Russian hackers trying to bring down British IT systems, but for any random IT failure the odds are against it being Russian hackers.
Putin is recruiting agents in the UK — and security services are worried ... There is speculation from some experts that drones flying over US military bases, as well as a flurry of bomb threats across the UK could have also been the work of low-level criminals and individuals working for the GRU. https://inews.co.uk/news/putin-recruiting-uk-based-agents-security-services-worried-3416982 (£££)
We had a massive IT outtage at work today. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Russian hackers. We know what they did to the NHS. When are we going to retaliate?
Maybe we are. I wouldn't expect it to be obvious. Just GCHQ doing a little mischief.
Amazing scenes from Syria on C4 news. Looks like Assad regime collapsing.
I asked a Syrian colleague about it (no Assad fan - some of his cousins were gassed by Bashir), he didn't sound very keen on this rebel group either.
I’m always fascinated to see how seemingly very powerful dictatorships can collapse within days.
They’re supported by ruthless, selfish people, who can decide within minutes, that their own chances of survival are greater without the dictator than with him.
"The Glittering Prizes is a British television drama by Frederic Raphael about the changing lives of a group of Cambridge students, starting in 1952 and following them through to middle age in the 1970s. It was first broadcast on BBC2 in January 1976".
I seem to remember (maybe episode 4?) that there was a quite striking bit of dialogue with Tom Conti.
The sinkhole that appeared in a cul-de-sac this week was not a traditional sinkhole; nor was it, as I expected, collapsed mine workings. Instead, an old culvert that carries a stream collapsed.
Looking at the old maps and Google maps, it's quite spectacular how much that area has changed over the decades.
Ofx course, excess rain does stress such 'solutions' and encourage collapse of such things. But it is a damned stupid setup in the first place. There is a similar NCB 'solution' that I know of in Lothian - and what happens when the underground stream gets blocked? I do wonder what is supposed to happen at the upper end of the culvert, at least.
Amazing scenes from Syria on C4 news. Looks like Assad regime collapsing.
I asked a Syrian colleague about it (no Assad fan - some of his cousins were gassed by Bashir), he didn't sound very keen on this rebel group either.
I’m always fascinated to see how seemingly very powerful dictatorships can collapse within days.
They’re supported by ruthless, selfish people, who can decide within minutes, that their own chances of survival are greater without the dictator than with him.
Democracies are like reeds - they blow with the wind.
Dictatorships are like trees - they appear very solid, but at a certain point they just fall.
Amazing scenes from Syria on C4 news. Looks like Assad regime collapsing.
I asked a Syrian colleague about it (no Assad fan - some of his cousins were gassed by Bashir), he didn't sound very keen on this rebel group either.
I’m always fascinated to see how seemingly very powerful dictatorships can collapse within days.
They’re supported by ruthless, selfish people, who can decide within minutes, that their own chances of survival are greater without the dictator than with him.
Democracies are like reeds - they blow with the wind.
Dictatorships are like trees - they appear very solid, but at a certain point they just fall.
Putin is recruiting agents in the UK — and security services are worried ... There is speculation from some experts that drones flying over US military bases, as well as a flurry of bomb threats across the UK could have also been the work of low-level criminals and individuals working for the GRU. https://inews.co.uk/news/putin-recruiting-uk-based-agents-security-services-worried-3416982 (£££)
We had a massive IT outtage at work today. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Russian hackers. We know what they did to the NHS. When are we going to retaliate?
We could try and take down Russian public services, but how would they notice?
"The Glittering Prizes is a British television drama by Frederic Raphael about the changing lives of a group of Cambridge students, starting in 1952 and following them through to middle age in the 1970s. It was first broadcast on BBC2 in January 1976".
I seem to remember (maybe episode 4?) that there was a quite striking bit of dialogue with Tom Conti.
Clive James's review of it was excoriating. His review pointed out that Raphael had clambered so far up his own arse he was looking out of his own neck. Only he used different words than that, and more of them, but that was the gist.
Is the only alternative to Assad an Islamic fundamentalist government?
Yes effectively, which is why we must hope Assad retains control around Damascus with Russian and Iranian support and the Kurds keep control of their regions too
Is the only alternative to Assad an Islamic fundamentalist government?
IANAE, but IMV the most likely alternative will be chaos. There are too many groups, and they, including HTS, are often a loose amalgam of different groups. I really doubt they will all agree to be a single government - although to be fair to its leader al-Jawlani, he apparently has been moving towards a position of the country being a loose federation, with different groups controlling different areas. At least from what I've read recently. Allegedly he even offered Assad this, and was rejected (as was Turkey's offers to Assad).
But even if he does truly want that (and who would trust him?), I'm unsure that such a situation is very stable in the medium term. There are too many groups, and too many leaders wanting territorial power.
They won't want to be associated with him, rightly so.
Maybe not officially but he will get his followers to start to infiltrate their branches and if Reform accept his offer to speak at an event they may even tolerate links
"The Glittering Prizes is a British television drama by Frederic Raphael about the changing lives of a group of Cambridge students, starting in 1952 and following them through to middle age in the 1970s. It was first broadcast on BBC2 in January 1976".
I seem to remember (maybe episode 4?) that there was a quite striking bit of dialogue with Tom Conti.
Is the only alternative to Assad an Islamic fundamentalist government?
Yes effectively, which is why we must hope Assad retains control around Damascus with Russian and Iranian support and the Kurds keep control of their regions too
Is the only alternative to Assad an Islamic fundamentalist government?
Yes effectively, which is why we must hope Assad retains control around Damascus with Russian and Iranian support and the Kurds keep control of their regions too
I'd figure of those that debuted in 2024 some of the ballads will be remembered: Beautiful Things, Lose Control, Scared to Start and the more stoic, less performative and therefore preferred by me, Too Sweet and the killer line:
"You treat your mouth as if it's heaven's gate, The rest of you like you're the TSA"
Brat will live and various female artists will be bundled in: Hot to Go will live - lots of Chappell Roan will, as well as Espresso which is zeitgeist despite being light as foam, some of the Eilish ballads. I suspect what's remembered of Charli XCX this year won't necessarily all be the top 10 stuff, whilst the Ellis Bextorishness that Dua Lipa landed on ahead of her revival I think may eventually become her best regarded era.
Texas Hold 'Em, Shaboozey and some sub top 10 fare from more straight up country artists will form a theme.
Backbone fully recreates for this year the feel of a Born Slippy. It's not going anywhere.
Special mention from me to Angel of my Dreams - will likely be forgotten, but in an era where Abba are now eternally popular, this got close to very messily recreating, if not necessarily the musicality, at least the insane overblownness in a way that not many imitators manage. Very much enjoyed that one.
But, again, the bands are missing - guitar bands, boy bands, whatever type of bands. The sole band to put a one new track into the top 10 this year are Linkin Park. I think this has legs, the loss of bands at the summit is going to become a thing and the loss of variety, the grit in the oyster, from that is apparent. This is where a lot of musical interest still lies.
But, again, the bands are missing - guitar bands, boy bands, whatever type of bands. The sole band to put a one new track into the top 10 this year are Linkin Park. I think this has legs, the loss of bands at the summit is going to become a thing and the loss of variety, the grit in the oyster, from that is apparent.
Putin is recruiting agents in the UK — and security services are worried ... There is speculation from some experts that drones flying over US military bases, as well as a flurry of bomb threats across the UK could have also been the work of low-level criminals and individuals working for the GRU. https://inews.co.uk/news/putin-recruiting-uk-based-agents-security-services-worried-3416982 (£££)
We had a massive IT outtage at work today. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Russian hackers. We know what they did to the NHS. When are we going to retaliate?
Maybe we are. I wouldn't expect it to be obvious. Just GCHQ doing a little mischief.
I would hope GCHQ mischief involved siphoning off Russian billions - while leaving a trail of breadcrumbs to another oligarch.
Is the only alternative to Assad an Islamic fundamentalist government?
Yes effectively, which is why we must hope Assad retains control around Damascus with Russian and Iranian support and the Kurds keep control of their regions too
The Russians are gone...
'Russia to send mercenaries to Syria to reinforce its troops, Ukrainian intelligence claims'
But, again, the bands are missing - guitar bands, boy bands, whatever type of bands. The sole band to put a one new track into the top 10 this year are Linkin Park. I think this has legs, the loss of bands at the summit is going to become a thing and the loss of variety, the grit in the oyster, from that is apparent.
Playing live next year
Duran Duran The Human League Madness Level 42 ABC
Who, apart from 'Los del Rio', made their best music above the age of 40. Even back to the classical era.
These bleeders all release new music as well, Radio 2 I can mainly cope with, but the dreaded phrase here is the new one from Martin Kemp (insert any one of 50 old artists as appropriate) makes me think, kill me now. And, stuff me if it isn't always a grating attempt at upliftingly recreating Mike and the Mechanics 'The Living Years'. Eyeuch!
Comments
Under the new testing strategy, the department will begin testing bulk samples of unpasteurized milk from dairy processing facilities across the country.
NY Times
Well, until RFK gets behind the desk.
Does anyone have a more up to date experience of The Drain? I hope it hasn't changed, though probably now phones rather than rolled newspapers.
Looks like the Russians are bugging out:
https://bsky.app/profile/tendar.bsky.social/post/3lcnt3k6nc224
My favourite Underground line, as I am in the usual position of being a minority of one, is the Drain aka the Waterloo & City Line. I had the good fortune when working to be travelling “against the flow” so plenty of room and seats while those going the other way were packed like a tin of John West.
Seriously? The distortion of the term “woke” is astonishing - it now seems to mean nothing and everything at the same time.
But saying jokes are racist is apparently not the w word, so says the arbiter Kemi Badenoch
I would say that if I hadn't read the cabinet notice, I would have thought Armageddon was happening with the loud siren and vibrating my phone made together with the actual alert
I know it’s insane. But how about it?
https://x.com/PA/status/1865115996266348794
Head of civil service would not say such a thing.
The sinkhole that appeared in a cul-de-sac this week was not a traditional sinkhole; nor was it, as I expected, collapsed mine workings. Instead, an old culvert that carries a stream collapsed.
https://www.geplus.co.uk/news/south-wales-sinkhole-raises-concerns-about-climate-change-impacts-on-infrastructure-05-12-2024/
I'm sure that Jim Allister, the leader of Traditional Ulster Voice, was as pure as the driven snow and had no political objectives whatsoever in his head when he made that entirely disinterested comment
Sénégal is ridiculously French. The road signs are identical to those in France: same font, same everything. Restaurant wine lists containing only French wine. There are 3 Decathlons in Dakar, countless Casino and Auchans, and no McDonald’s.
My photo of the day is this, just off Ngor plage:
The orange warning for Storm Darragh has just come into effect, from 8pm, for Munster, but we've been hearing the howling winds for several hours now. This makes the hazard from high winds a kinda obvious and foreseeable one to some extent, whereas the mobile phone emergency warning message might be more appropriate for the scenario of a storm surge, where people won't be aware that their homes are at imminent risk of flooding, or a major chemical accident, where you need people to stay inside and close their windows.
"The Secretive Eel Pie Island Is Open To Visitors This December"
https://londonist.com/london/things-to-do/eel-pie-island-open-studios-weekend
There was a valley with a stream. Then some bright spark decided to put mine waste in it and culvert the stream.
Then some really bright spark decided to build some houses on top.
Doubtful this has anything to do with climate change.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/bbcfour
Tuna steaks, pheasant breasts, fancy No.1 sausage rolls in the shape of a snowflake, and smoked duck breast slices for sandwiches
All for £8.32
I'm on a Bart diet tonight
I want to be fortified for the wild weather tomorrow
They’re supported by ruthless, selfish people, who can decide within minutes, that their own chances of survival are greater without the dictator than with him.
He has also officially invited Reform UK to speak at a ‘super-event’ which is planned for when he’s released from prison, reports
@ThorpeWatch'
https://x.com/Inevitablewest/status/1864996368667771037
They do have a point when they say that the Windsor Framework doesn't fully remove the Irish Sea border - and as the NI market maintains dynamic alignment with the EU, this will become ever more apparent as time goes on. The GPSR regs, for example, come into force next week and mean that many more small GB businesses will no longer bother selling to NI customers.
But Allister's bill is nonsense: "mutual enforcement" can't work if one of the proposed partners is unwilling - it's a contradiction in terms to say that it can be imposed unilaterally.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UK_top-ten_singles_in_1996
How many of today’s 18-year-olds (as I was in that year), will be able to recall a couple of dozen songs from this year in 2062?
In this case I think it is more to make sure nobody makes plans to go anywhere tomorrow morning, and in that context I think it is justifiable, particularly in west Wales.
The lunchtime Met Office model run predicts 105mph gusts in the Irish Sea.
More seriously, best of luck to all PBers facing bad weather tonight.
Did I miss it?
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16.5&lat=51.77060&lon=-3.35446&layers=6&right=10road56
Looking at the old maps and Google maps, it's quite spectacular how much that area has changed over the decades.
Of course, I'm sure there are Russian hackers trying to bring down British IT systems, but for any random IT failure the odds are against it being Russian hackers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glittering_Prizes
"The Glittering Prizes is a British television drama by Frederic Raphael about the changing lives of a group of Cambridge students, starting in 1952 and following them through to middle age in the 1970s. It was first broadcast on BBC2 in January 1976".
I seem to remember (maybe episode 4?) that there was a quite striking bit of dialogue with Tom Conti.
Dictatorships are like trees - they appear very solid, but at a certain point they just fall.
But even if he does truly want that (and who would trust him?), I'm unsure that such a situation is very stable in the medium term. There are too many groups, and too many leaders wanting territorial power.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucw0twciNGk&t=3s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UK_top-ten_singles_in_2024?wprov=sfla1
I'd figure of those that debuted in 2024 some of the ballads will be remembered: Beautiful Things, Lose Control, Scared to Start and the more stoic, less performative and therefore preferred by me, Too Sweet and the killer line:
"You treat your mouth as if it's heaven's gate,
The rest of you like you're the TSA"
Brat will live and various female artists will be bundled in: Hot to Go will live - lots of Chappell Roan will, as well as Espresso which is zeitgeist despite being light as foam, some of the Eilish ballads. I suspect what's remembered of Charli XCX this year won't necessarily all be the top 10 stuff, whilst the Ellis Bextorishness that Dua Lipa landed on ahead of her revival I think may eventually become her best regarded era.
Texas Hold 'Em, Shaboozey and some sub top 10 fare from more straight up country artists will form a theme.
Backbone fully recreates for this year the feel of a Born Slippy. It's not going anywhere.
Special mention from me to Angel of my Dreams - will likely be forgotten, but in an era where Abba are now eternally popular, this got close to very messily recreating, if not necessarily the musicality, at least the insane overblownness in a way that not many imitators manage. Very much enjoyed that one.
But, again, the bands are missing - guitar bands, boy bands, whatever type of bands. The sole band to put a one new track into the top 10 this year are Linkin Park. I think this has legs, the loss of bands at the summit is going to become a thing and the loss of variety, the grit in the oyster, from that is apparent. This is where a lot of musical interest still lies.
Duran Duran
The Human League
Madness
Level 42
ABC
Windows ahoy.
She said that if a Tory leader had made that joke they would have been called racist
It’s a point about double standards not calling Starmer racist
https://kyivindependent.com/russia-syria-mercenaries/
These bleeders all release new music as well, Radio 2 I can mainly cope with, but the dreaded phrase here is the new one from Martin Kemp (insert any one of 50 old artists as appropriate) makes me think, kill me now. And, stuff me if it isn't always a grating attempt at upliftingly recreating Mike and the Mechanics 'The Living Years'. Eyeuch!