New telly... my review on Amazon

St Pancras station

St Pancras station, originally uploaded by frank.k.bowles@btinternet.com.

I love the new St. Pancras station. It just seems to me to be what a railway station ought to be like somehow...

A Cheap Day Out... in Warwick

I started blogging on the train last week when I went down to Warwick. I was using the N800 and a plug-in flexible keyboard on the small airline-type seat back on a Virgin Train. I didn't finish but thought I should post it up here anyway... so here goes...

(26 August 2008) I thought it might be distracting to try to blog while travelling... After all I have spent rather a lot of hours trundling around the country in the service of the Big Company. Most journeys seem superficially similar; it's not as if I spend a lot of time travelling to new and exciting destinations, more regular trips to the same domestic destinations served by one of a handful of airports or railway stations. Surely there is only so much that can be said about the domestic departure area at Stansted or the subtle changes after Thameslink became First Capital Connect (precious few!)? Then again does one want to give away all the little secrets that allow the wizened and cynical regular business traveller get one over on one's fellow passengers many of whom are having to spend large sums of their own money to go somewhere?

Today I´m going somewhere slightly different and under slightly different circumstances. Not that it´s much more exciting... It has the different element that I´m going for some training at my own expense. So this was about doing the journey on the cheap... Actually doing what Big Company would have you do; treat the money as my own (´cos it is!). I have to spend tomorrow at Warwick University, be there at 9, leave at 4.30, not feel too tired to take part and get home too. Obviously do this as comfortably as possible, feed and rest, without breaking the bank. Is it possible?

Glasgow Central to Birmingham New Street 16:10


As I write this I am sitting in an aisle seat near the end of standard class coach C as the train halts at Preston. Nobody seems to notice bashing their huge suitcases,buggies and children against my shoulder as they pile from the train. It´s a good price though; Glasgow to Coventry single for a miserly nineteen quid. There was a first class option available for £39... at this point two and a half hours in it feels excessively mean not to have splashed out the extra twenty. Im getting peckish now and I fear that ¨tea¨´may use half of that (refreshments are of course complimentary to the first class punters) differential. Of course I could wait until my 20 minute change at Birmingham New Street, only an hour and a half away but I will be pretty hungry by then and it will be after 8pm,the witching hour it seems for catering in main transport destinations. And 20 minutes with a bag and at an unfamiliar station might leave me with nothing except perhaps a missed connection.

So £7.15 it was for a dull Chicken Tarragon sandwich, a bag of cheese and onion crisps (to make the chicken taste more exciting? That failed) with a little bottle of Hardys Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon. I was at a wine tasting session yesterday. She told us to swill the wine around the mouth to capture flavour and notice the impact of the wine on the tip of the tongue... Mistake. New world wine perhaps but with all the charm of old-world British Rail. The wine was warm... Not room temperature or cellar-cool but warm... It made thetongue tingle but not in a positive fresh way more the impact of indistinguished alcohol before it dulls the senses a little.
I´ve had the misery of two young women sitting next to me in this cramped space. The first,I guess a student, having blocked the aisle for everyone else snogging her boyfriend before departure from Glasgow sat ipod-clad like a statue to Carlisle where she rose, without a nod or by your leave to indicate her departure. She was replaced by a far less charming American, clearly in publishing who split her time scowling over a manuscript , her BlackBerry and half-calls on her mobile, not realising that they just dont work on Virgin Voyagers... As we approached Wolverhampton she spoke (to me) for the first time. ¨I´m getting off¨. Tempted I was to say something about politeness but frankly life´s too short.

(6 September) In the end was it possible to do it cheaply; certainly possible to do it cheaper and in similar comfort to the company paying. So I got to Coventry on time with half an hour's break at New Street where I confess to going up and having more dull food from Burger King this time. They say they are going to develop New Street... certainly at 8pm it seemed dismal, leading as it does into a shopping centre, closed with the single exception of Subway. The waiting area where I scoffed my dismal chicken burger had signs warning of ticket checks no doubt to deter the vagrants who see it as a warm place to stop. I navigated Coventry to my B&B with the help of Google Maps, not too much hassle and got there about 9.30. The room was small and without ensuite (though the bathroom was next door), there was wifi on offer and it was comfortable and the people very friendly. Despite being tired (and a bit confused about how the room key opened the outside door) I wandered into medaeval Spon Street and to what looked like a welcoming rabbit warren of an ancient pub with a reasonable range of real ales and a Casque Marque plate outside.
It was a bit disappointing though, accosted by a drunk at the bar and condition of the beer I chose (which I confess to forgetting) left a bit to be desired.

In the morning Traveline had given me two buses to catch to get to the university. Half an hour into a trek across pleasantly anonymous residential areas made me feel that trying to economise on £1.30 on the first of the buses was perhaps one meanness too far. Nevertheless Traveline's directions and information were excellent and I managed to catch a number 12 to the door of the building I was visiting.

Coventry station to Birmingham airport is a bargain traveller's dream... few airport trips, even a run one as short as this 10 minuter come in at a mere £1.80. Birmingham terminal 2 (once the BA terminal but now inhabited mainly by Ryanair and FlyBe) has remarkably easy security and a big Wetherspoons with adequate beer. £45 for the way home brought the whole trip in for little more than £100... not bad for an old meanie really...

A picture of a bicycle

Just a nice picture taken on my Pocket PC phone as an experiment in mobile blogging. Not hard in theory; take the picture on the phone, Bluetooth it to the Internet tablet and upload this through the regular interface. Nevertheless worth trying it from end-to-end. And it's a bit of a struggle of course. Not least of all that my increasing long sight means doing things on little screens is harder...

A view from the old railway path coming from Lennoxtown towards Strathblane on a nice day of the last holiday weekend.

No chance to be naked?

It's time to come back to the blog and write. I'm not sure why. Like so many moribund blogs there hasn't been any incentive. There's no obvious audience and what is it that I have to say that anybody would want to read? When I start writing like this I admire those newspaper columnists who every week (or day) churn out something. It may be commentary on some world event, analysis of political intrigue in Westminster or Washington; or just as likely a discourse on home life or relationships or what they last watched on cable tv. Millions of words are written and most of them must be read by somebody, somewhere, otherwise why bother. We can all write in vanity, perhaps like this. We can accumulate written material that is only read by ourselves and we can admire what we say and think if only there was somebody out there interested; if only I had an audience.

Yet without an audience do I want to reveal anything? Probably not. Across the world of blogs there are many who spill the beans on their personal lives without thought, happy to reveal themselves to the world and tell that world about the relationships and people who they are close to. This woman called Emily Gould who was apparently famous in America for her revelations on the Gawker blog about Manhattan life and then having apparently pissed everyone she ever knew off by revealing their personal secrets to the world then writes a new column for the New York Times about her post-blog world.

So what does that create for people? If you start, or are in a relationship, with someone you know blogs publicly all that happens in your life how does that impact the way that you behave? Every day many, nay most, of us pull on a suit of armour and walk into the workplace; adopting characteristics and behaviours that emphasise the persona we want to be in the office. We may emphasise the positive to impress how we line up behind the company strategy, while privately not caring less. We may assert ourselves more so that we are seen as able to do, when actually we'd rather be shrinking violets and hide behind the PC monitor with a cup of coffee. And these things distort us and take us away from our authentic selves. We treat it as part of the process we need to go through each day; while I wish it were not so and may write in future about how the lack of authenticity in the workplace distorts and disables us all. However there was always the end of the day.

At home was the place where one could be oneself, surrounded by those we care about and who love us for our foibles, where we are comfortable and relaxed. Where we feel that we can hang up the suit of armour and reveal our true selves; to have the freedom to flex ourselves and bend in the ways that we don't dare to bend in the office or on the teleconference, figuratively to become naked. So how is that compounded by the blogger in the corner, perhaps complaining that you are quiet and grumpy after a long day's being smiley and positive? Perhaps comparing you to his or her previous partner, whether in the kitchen or the bedroom? Well it would send me scuttling upstairs and getting into another bulletproof vest, persistently on my toes, thinking how to avoid any indiscretion which might tomorrow be published to all of Manhattan or the world. Or even only looked at on one PC in a corner of Milngavie but knowing it is always out there, always available. How would we ever relax?

So I guess I don't want to write about the minutae of my private life, fascinating and exciting as it may or may not be, not have it written about by others. Because then I will be forever on my guard, battling, and never relaxed enough to be naked.

Caitlin's Leavers' Farewell

Oops it's been a while!

Hmm. Just forgotten how long it has been since I last wrote here. Not a lot of point when you don't have readers I suppose. I know lots of people have blogs and a few get other people to read them. Its just not clear to me how sustainable this is. I've been trying to use splash blog again. Have a look at my splash blog to look at silent blogging with a camera phone. Here's a picture of the Peruvian beer that you get free on Virgin First Class these days.

A Test Post from email

Well this isn't very interesting but if it arrives on the blog then it means that email to blog is set up OK

Dad!!! A poem by Caitlin

His eyes are hazelnut happiness pouring into a chocolate sea of laughter

Half his hair is grey and black like waves on a stormy day, swish, swoosh!
But the other half is a rolling bowling ball.

His hands are like leather but still able to show love.

His skin glistens in the sunlight. It's slightly rough but slightly smooth.

His ears are very funny; they're like elephant ears except one sticks out and one doesn't.

He is like a funny, cheeky monkey.
He bounces around like Tigger.
He is a big monster wanting me to go to bed.
He is a wallet full of money
He helps me on the computer
He is as smart as Albert Einstein
He usually has a smile as big as the Empire State Building

But he can be seen to be mean
Bad and mad
A moody, meany man
A go away I'm on the phone.
I'm too tired, leave me alone.
I'm a sock waiting to be paired up into a ball of enjoyment.

Here's George...

The original George was David's pet hamster given to him on his 14th birthday. Unfortunately George the first died only a week later in his sleep, and George 2 (who is actually a she) replaced him a few days later. Here is a short video of her as the rest of the house prepares to go to sleep...

London Wednesday -- last day

So Wednesday was our last day in London and we were to go our separate ways; Me and D and C back home to sunny Milngavie and Anne on to wet and windy Alicante (I think I got something the wrong way round there). First off we went looking at a couple of the smaller attractions we could get access to on our London passes. Pollock's Toy Museum (behind Goodge Street underground station) is a small private collection of toys from the last couple of centuries (other than a play mouse from Ancient Egypt, which was quite impressive!). These teddy bears were typical of what was on offer.


And from there we cut across to the Cartoon Museum in Bloomsbury full of recent satirical cartoons, childrens comics and a range of cartoon history. A friendly and well stocked place which made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion. Obviously taking photographs wasn't on there but I did like this seat that Caitlin is sitting on...

And then finally before seeing Anne on to the train to Luton we spent lunchtime soaking up the atmosphere in Covent Garden...

And then once Anne was safely on her way to Spain, the three of us escaped to the London

Dungeon

for a couple of hours of re-enactment of Jack the Ripper, Sweeney Todd, the Black Death and the Fire of London...

From the Dungeon (via coffee and muffins at Starbucks) we hit the long Tube ride back to the hotel, then managing suitcases through the rush hour traffic on to a bus (which then went the wrong way), another bus, a train towards Luton which was mobbed out and didn't stop at the airport and then

when we finally got back to Glasgow Airport I ended up paying twice for the parking, but hey

a good time was had by all!

Westminster Tuesday

Tuesday. Caitlin had written to our Member of Parliament, Jo Swinson, to see whether we could get a tour around the Houses of Parliament. We were invited to join a group leaving at 0924 (a precision one does not normally associate with our body politic) and after getting past the stuffy man at the Sovereign's Entrance (what is it about officials in public places that makes eye contact so hard for them?) and David getting told off for wearing a hat in a Royal Palace, we were given an entertaining tour by a guide called Patrick who had "once worked for an MP". For me the highlight was actually getting to stand in the chambers of the Houses of Lords and Commons, although I was bemused by the large number of security guards employed in the Commons apparently all there to prevent members of the public from sitting down on the hallowed green benches. No doubt an insult to the Queen, the Speaker or democracy herself, ho hum...

After seeing around the palace we had a visit to the Jewel Tower, one small remaining corner of the original Palace and then over to County Hall for coffee. We returned to the Houses of Parliament and met up with Jo who treated us to tea on the terrace of the Commons, interrupted only in part by the RMT union protesting on the Thames.

Then back across Westminster Bridge we went to the London Aquarium...

ahead of a 3pm pre-booked ticket for the London Eye.

... on which Caitlin went wild with the camera...
After the London Eye and a coffee and cake in the cafe we walked across Westminster Bridge, up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square where D and C climbed on the lions...

Then up The Mall to Buck House...

... and then across Green Park to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner and a visit to their Vault where David was delighted to try out guitars from Kurt Cobain and this one of Jimi Hendrix's...

Holiday London -- Monday in the City

I'm writing this for the second time since Picasa didn't post the entry for me properly. Ho hum never mind, perhaps that will encourage me to write less this time and save it more often. We started Monday at the Tower of London (see the bemused looking beefeater above). It was a gorgeous day for pottering around the Tower; our first visit was of course to the Crown Jewels, which were much better laid out this time than when I had last seen them as a child. However seeing a proper exhibition rather than being squeezed into a safe somehow detracted from the experience. No doubt security has become better and a little more subtle in the last 30 years... So plenty jewel encrusted maces and crowns for the delectation of those who are into such things.

Although there was an exhibition of medaeval torture instruments and a rather silly tabloid mock up reporting the Gunpowder Plot through Sun-style screaming headlines and News 24 reporting on the Catholic terrorist threat, in general the Tower seemed to be playing down the more fearful aspects of its history -- yet fear of the Traitor's Gate, encarceration and gory death are surely what it was known for as part of the State's apparatus of power?

From the Tower to Tower Bridge which I hadn't realised was as recent as it is, opening as it did in the early 20th Century. I had always fancied walking across the high-level walkways and indeed the photo above is taken from the West Walkway, part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition. As well as access to the walkways (which contain a history of the bridge) there is also access to the engine room, a good oily distraction for an engineer feeling a bit over-exposed to history.

From Tower Bridge we walked past HMS Belfast, Southwark Cathedral, the rebuilt Globe Theatre and Southwark Cathedral pausing only for a bagel for lunch. Our next visit was to the Tate Modern where the main exhibit was Carsten Höller's helter-skelter slides which descended the height of the Turbine Hall... good fun undoubtedly, but art? Sorry I'm a bit philistine when it comes to such things.

The Tate Modern also offers excellent views over the next part of our visit (see the photo above); across the Millennium (bouncy) Bridge to St. Paul's Cathedral. And so we went, Caitlin and I getting as far as the Stone Gallery above the Whispering Gallery. Unfortunately we had to forego the 300 further steps to the Golden Gallery above the Dome, staff shortages apparently. however footsore as we were this was probably no bad thing. From St. Pauls a quick walk across Paternoster Square and a bus back to the hotel.

Monday evening was our theatre night out and so dinner consisted of a rather chaotic meal at a large Wetherspoons near Holborn station. A nice pint of Everards Stout though did mitigate things a little. "We Will Rock You!" as many will know weaves a corny Ben Elton storyline around Queen's blockbuster songs providing a visually spectacular sing-a-long. The show over Anne and I retired to the Swan pub adjacent to the hotel. A pleasant pint of Adnam's Broadside for me, but a rather too sweet white wine for Anne, due mainly to the otherwise charming barmaid's difficulty with English. Not a good evening for pub service I'm afraid.

Busman's Holiday -- Sunday

So Sunday starts with a continuation of the bus tour. This time it is out from Aldwych and through the City towards the East, taking in Fleet Street, St. Pauls Cathedral, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Southwark, the Globe, Tate Modern and a meander back to Embankment where we get off the bus tour and try to join the Catamaran round cruise but in fact find ourselves on the boat to Greenwich. The boat was stowed out and getting a seat was less than easy (see the photo). That said the two rivermen who crewed the boat each gave entertaining commentary about the river from Westminster to Greenwich which they did as an unpaid extra.

We arrived at Greenwich Pier just after one; quick photo of the Cutty Sark and all that. However problem was that we were meant to be at the Natural History Museum to meet our friends for the afternoon at 2.30. Which was a pity as there were clearly a few interesting places and markets to explore. And then we get into all the complexities of trying to get tickets. Since Ken made the transport cheap things are theoretically much better for travelling with children. Indeed notionally under 11s go free on buses and Tubes off-peak. However the reality of getting the right tickets and getting them through barriers is a nightmare. There is a DLR station near the Cutty Sark which only has ticket machines. However it would not sell children's tickets. It had menu options for children's tickets. But no actual offerings. And what we really wanted was a 3-day Travelcard for Anne (not available either) and £1 daily kid's Travelcards for D and C. Oh, I wanted to top up my Oystercard too (no chance). So, nothing for it, had to go and find another station...

So the next station down the line and a ten minute walk is Greenwich. It's a bit better. It can do a Travelcard for Anne (only a peak one though) and for the kids (though here they are inexplicably £2 rather than £1 each). And no, I can't top up my Oystercard. This is a National Rail and DLR station you see and not an Underground station. So much for integrated ticketing.

And so to the Natural History Museum where wer wandered the Earth Galleries which would have been more interesting had we not decided also to visit the IMAX at Waterloo that evening and for me to try to book tickets during the museum visit. Having given up on trying to get to book tickets online on my PDA-phone (why do I have to register to get emails from them, I only want to buy a ticket? I managed to register, but then it wouldn't let me log in) I moved on to the phone... daytime phone number, spell "Milngavie"... have you got a pencil and paper to write down the reference (that would be no)... sorry you can't collect the ticket without the reference... Detracted from looking at the volcanic rock and experiencing the earthquake experience. The Natural History Museum clearly had a lot of exhibits worth exploring, but I don't know if it is just me but I find walking around looking at huge numbers of exhibits now gives me a sore back and I just don't remember much when I get out.

We walked from Kensington up and through Hyde Park and partook of some pizza at Pizza on the Park in Knightsbridge... not the cheapest pizza joint you will visit, but unusual and tasty varieties.

From there to Green Park and down to Waterloo and to the IMAX. We arrived early for the cinema and enjoyed sitting out at the bar at the NFT watching the buskers and the world go by.

We were at the IMAX to see "Open Season" in 3D. Two films in two nights! The film is OK, a gentle animated comedy but it was spectacular to see a feature film on the IMAX screen and with full 3D effects. Would much rather have seen the 3D version of "Superman Returns" though :-(

And then on the bus back to the hotel...

Pictures from our recent London break

London Holiday October 2006

Here is a link to the album of photos that go with the posts around our London break.

Busman's Holiday -- Saturday

So we have just been to London as a family for a short break, then Anne has gone on to Alicante to join her friends from work. I had a few concerns about having a holiday in "the Smoke"; after all I seem to spend time there every week and it was not going to be much of a mystery destination. Yet I seemed to find enough to take pictures of, and discovered enough to be going on with.

This picture was taken on Monday afternoon from the Stone Gallery (that's the ledge outside just above the Whispering Gallery) of St. Paul's Cathedral.

So haw do you take the family to London, see a few sites and try not to (a) bankrupt yourself (b) get totally lost (c) live in a fleapit hotel (d) wear your feet out completely?

Well this is what we did...

We started by booking cheap flights with Easyjet; a couple of months in advance and the four of us got return flights for about £200 all in from Glasgow to Luton Airport. And then to a hotel or apartment? We really didn't want to share with the children but we were looking for four nights accommodation -- with hotel rooms usually in excess of £100 a night that would be crippling. Travelodge did have the Ilford Travelodge for a mere £26 per room per night; but Ilford isn't exactly central. We did look at self-catering accommodation and while there was a reasonable amount in pleasant inner suburbs they typically were wanting a minimum of a week's rental.

Then I decided to learn about Priceline and with the help of a regulars' website managed to get rooms in the 3-star Bloomsbury Park Hotel for £43 per twin room per night (ex-tax room only).
So far so good. Then we needed to get into some sights. Fortuitously Tesco sent us some regular Clubcard vouchers worth about a tenner but which could be converted into days out vouchers worth £40. Another step forward. Then I discovered the London Pass. This seems like an excellent way to get into loads of places for a lot less than paying the full price. So that covered off the Tower, St. Pauls and a load of other attractions most of which you have never heard of.

So we arrived at Luton; the ticket machine offered me a £25 ticket to London for the four of us including a Travelcard which took us into London. Once ensconsed in the hotel -- a little run down undergoing renovation, but clean, friendly and central -- we set off on our first quest; to find the London Pass tickets from Regent Street (I never knew there was a bit of Regent Street below Piccadilly Circus which perplexed me somewhat...) and then we went to take the Original London Bus Tour...


This was really good. Here's a photo of Anne and I and of Michael, the guide, both taken by Caitlin. We used our Tesco vouchers and with a discount because Caitlin smiled nicely at the man, we had 24 hours access to their bus tours and Catamaran Cruisers' tours up to Tower Hill and Greenwich. This was a great way to orient ourselves with Tourist London and late Saturday afternoon we completed around half the two hour circuit; from Piccadilly Circus to Trafalgar Square (not directly!) via most of the West End sights, Buck House and Westminster.

So first night in London lets get off to the West End and a movie. So we went to see Talledega Nights at the Empire Leicester Square. The film was OK, a bit of a silly Will Farrell movie, but the cinema was expensive, tiny (it was Cinema 3), the seats were so low it was hard for the children to see over the people in front, there was no legroom or space for your drink (what year is this) and the carpet stuck to your feet as you walked through. Plus seats were allocated so that people were forever pushing past you to get in. Don't think I'll bother with the West End cinema "experience" again.

Then back to Bloomsbury squeezing David and Caitlin on the Tube for the first time and out to one of my long-time favourite London restaurants, My Old Dutch in High Holborn for dinner, where they do the most amazing Dutch pancakes...

David's 14th birthday is today

David is 14 today. Yesterday we had his family birthday party. Click on the photo below to see my album of 10 photos. Today he was given a present of George the hamster of whom no doubt more to follow...

David's family birthday party

Sep 23, 2006 - 10 Photos

A link to an album

September 2006

Sep 12, 2006 - 9 Photos

Caitlin is cool (sometimes)

She said she didn't like that first picture so here is an alternative, taken in Italy in the summer...

And this is me...

And this is a picture of me which I am trying to upload for my profile. See if it works.