Edinburgh is a tremendously impressive City. Its road are flecked with granite chips which make the surfaces resolute and durable, its road system in the centre is laid out in a grid , with the Royal Mile linking the castle to Holyroyd House. Alleyways and paths wind between shops and bars, and the natives scurry about like ants on a rose bush.
It is rather sad, therefore, to witness the devastation which is surrounding the construction of the new tram system.
Many cities have embraced the idea of introducing trams as a fast and convenient mode of transport. Croydon was a building site for years as they struggled to join the high society of Wimbledon Village with the rather less appealing New Addington council estate, via the city centre, Purley and Merton. In their case, however, there was no heritage to protect. Manchester managed to integrate their system with little or no change to the architecture and tradition of the City, and it has been a huge success.
Edinburgh, however, is suffering. The aforementioned roads are being dug up because all the main services run down the centre of the road, and this is where the tram lines are to go. Consequently the services are being moved to the kerb side, roads are being blocked off or made one-way, and worst of all ,a number of old traditional buildings, pubs, houses and so on, are being demolished.
They are only building one line at present. It will run from Leith in the North to the airport, via Princes Street and Haymarket where it will follow the railway lines. There are already worries though that the funding will run out and the tram line will terminal at Gogarburn, about a mile short......
Still when its built they will be able to illuminate the trams at Christmas like they do in Blackpool, and I can't wait until the rugger chaps at Murrayfield see how many people they can have hanging off the side.
Wednesday 30 July 2008
Monday 28 July 2008
Sweatie socks
Its been a while since my last post, a situation which has been created by the need to do some real work at last. On Monday, just past, I was in London, got a phone call in the morning, and promptly ended up in Edinburgh where I am likely to be for the remainder of the year........that said the client has yet to sign the contract, so it might all change again shortly.
The travel up here has been a bit stressful though, missed my flight last week due to roadworks overruns on the M4, then today I was stuck on the tarmac for 2 hours as Edinburgh was fog bound and we were restricted from taking off.
Still I am here now, and this week its the warm up to the Edinburgh Festival. Its the jazz and blues week until Sunday when the main festival and the comedy fringe kicks in. Hotels are upping their prices, but we are well catered for so hopefully it will be a bit of a giggle.
The only trouble with proper work is that four day weekends become a thing of the past, oh well, just have to get used to it I guess.....
The travel up here has been a bit stressful though, missed my flight last week due to roadworks overruns on the M4, then today I was stuck on the tarmac for 2 hours as Edinburgh was fog bound and we were restricted from taking off.
Still I am here now, and this week its the warm up to the Edinburgh Festival. Its the jazz and blues week until Sunday when the main festival and the comedy fringe kicks in. Hotels are upping their prices, but we are well catered for so hopefully it will be a bit of a giggle.
The only trouble with proper work is that four day weekends become a thing of the past, oh well, just have to get used to it I guess.....
Thursday 17 July 2008
Hello ello ello
Our cruise was part of SHMBO significant birthday celebrations, and was preceded by a bit of a bash at the house up North. Lee J Harris, international vocalist, banged out a couple of live sets in the garden, and that prompted a 22;:30 visit from the local constabulary. Two WPCs turned up to say they had had a few complaints about the noise. Now what saddo complains about a bit of noise at that time of night on a Saturday eh! and what does it say about the area when they send two WPCs round. The outdoor activity terminated at about midnight, and a great time was had by all.
Contrast our plod experience in Oxton, with what then happened in Chiswick two nights later. In Oxton there must have been instant attendance for a noise pollution problem which is actually a council matter. In Chis SHMBO and I are strolling back from a libation on the High Road at about 23:00, when we notice a shop door open. Hmmm we think, bit strange, so I venture in shout a bit and find nobody there. So what do Ido, its an interior designers and full of good stuff, loot it or call the Bills?
Of course, like a good citizen, I call the local cop shop. 'We will get a car to you soonest' they say. 30 minutes later I ring back to say I can't wait any longer and they indicate it is not a priority and they have no cars available anyway. Luckily when we popped in today the owner indicated noithing went missing and thanked us for our trouble.
Interesting aspect of the way the two constabularies work. I wonder if somebody else had rung and reported me as an intruder on the premises how quicly the twos and blues would have been there.
Evening all!
Contrast our plod experience in Oxton, with what then happened in Chiswick two nights later. In Oxton there must have been instant attendance for a noise pollution problem which is actually a council matter. In Chis SHMBO and I are strolling back from a libation on the High Road at about 23:00, when we notice a shop door open. Hmmm we think, bit strange, so I venture in shout a bit and find nobody there. So what do Ido, its an interior designers and full of good stuff, loot it or call the Bills?
Of course, like a good citizen, I call the local cop shop. 'We will get a car to you soonest' they say. 30 minutes later I ring back to say I can't wait any longer and they indicate it is not a priority and they have no cars available anyway. Luckily when we popped in today the owner indicated noithing went missing and thanked us for our trouble.
Interesting aspect of the way the two constabularies work. I wonder if somebody else had rung and reported me as an intruder on the premises how quicly the twos and blues would have been there.
Evening all!
Island Escape
We have just returned from a cruise around the Eastern Mediterranean and the Tyrrhenian Sea, taking in Majorca, Menorca, Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia, quite a little island hop in fact. Given we have already been to Cyprus this year, and plan to visit Jersey in September, this must be the year of the island.
Our plan was to visit Corsica and Sardinia with a view to seeing if they were worth a longer one centre trip, and we both thought they were. Sardinia is the second largest Mediterranean island after Sicily and Corsica is the most mountainous. Both have wonderful beaches and very picturesque towns and villages. The food reflects the French influence in Corsica and the Italian in Sardinia. All in all a good time was had by all.
Unfortunately we did not find our property sold on our return, but there still appears to be interest, so we have started to look around at the apartment market again to see whats on offer. I was going to say flat market, but then that's what it is innit?
Our plan was to visit Corsica and Sardinia with a view to seeing if they were worth a longer one centre trip, and we both thought they were. Sardinia is the second largest Mediterranean island after Sicily and Corsica is the most mountainous. Both have wonderful beaches and very picturesque towns and villages. The food reflects the French influence in Corsica and the Italian in Sardinia. All in all a good time was had by all.
Unfortunately we did not find our property sold on our return, but there still appears to be interest, so we have started to look around at the apartment market again to see whats on offer. I was going to say flat market, but then that's what it is innit?
Monday 7 July 2008
SuperLambBanana
Well the Liverpool Capital of Culture team have at last made a difference which all of joe public can enjoy.
125, two metre tall replicas of Taro Cheizo’s iconic SuperLambBanana sculpture have been painted, decorated and adorned by local artists, schools and community groups, to create a free to view, open air, public art spectacular.
The sculptures will only be on display until 25 August after which they will be auctioned off, and there is a web site dedicated to them or read the wikipedia entry.....and follow this map link This is a picture of the original.......
Baaaabara
Well I, for one, am delighted that the alleged sexual antics of the England rugby team in new Zealand have been dropped. The old adage, 'what goes on tour, stays on tour' seems to be put at risk by the increase in kiss and tell stories which involve women who do not understand the moral high ground needs to be maintained.
That said, I can't help feeling that if David Strettle had had Ugandan discussions with a sheep, the new Zealand public would never have let it drop!
That said, I can't help feeling that if David Strettle had had Ugandan discussions with a sheep, the new Zealand public would never have let it drop!
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