A brisk trip to the smoke and back last night. Got a bit het up hurrying across town after getting a bit late with a squeeze-in pint in Portobello Road. I'd forgotten the proportion of utter onanists ruining it for everyone else although there were periods of proper 35mph cruising in the company of decently-spaced adults. There was a beautiful huge rainbow on the way in though, so later the driver of RA12NBO didn't really annoy me although he wasn't a ball of fire.
A mimsing decorated little Nissan thing was dazzling me with its rear foglight. Eventually I was able to pull up on its right at a light and roll down the nearside window. The Nissan did likewise: a pale-skinned Muslim girl obviously not of English descent but with a London accent. She was smiling.
I said her foglight was on and it was dazzling. She said, Oh, how do I turn it off? I said sorry, dunno, varies from car to car. The lights turned green and I let her go first. She turned the foglight off and I gave her a mainbeam flash to say OK. She waved her thumb out of the window to say thanks.
Londoners aren't all crap. Jolly good girl that.
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The 7am-10am/4pm-7pm bus lanes in and out of town are a godsend to non-onanists such as myself who actually read the signs. Saves me half an hour each way, more on a Saturday :)
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>> The 7am-10am/4pm-7pm bus lanes in and out of town are a godsend to non-onanists such
>> as myself who actually read the signs. Saves me half an hour each way, more
>> on a Saturday :)
The locals in Brixton get very upset when you use them to undertake, particularly the BMWs (I don't mean the Bavarian made machines).
;>)
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>> Londoners aren't all crap.
>>
Ahem! Indeed not. ;-)
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I don't think many "Londoners" still live there
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>> I don't think many "Londoners" still live there
>>
Too true. :-)
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Londoners are people who live there. They come in a variety of models.
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Romans were Londoners at one time, so were Normans, my sister who lives in E. Dulwich calls Peckham, Africa.
But not in a derogatory way.
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>> Londoners are people who live there. They come in a variety of models.
>>
Exactly, AC!
And it is precisely because of this wide variety of people and cultures (rubbing shoulders in a far more friendly way that the extreme right could possibly believe) that London is one of the great cities of the world.
Having said that I love the countryside. I try to get to see it as much as possible. One of the benefits of retirement (when it comes) will be having more time to see some of the fantastic places all over the UK that I've only seen in pictures up to now.
Last edited by: Londoner on Sun 14 Apr 13 at 17:34
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>>to see some of the fantastic places all over the UK
Bit of a top tip to follow. Don't bother with Motherwell...
:-)
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Or Muthuhwell as we pronounce it.
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Try "Ardnamurchan" then. Actually, it's rather nice there, if or when the rain stops.
( Arrd-na-murra-chan) "ch" as in "loch" not "lock", if you even slightly care...
:-)
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I'm a parrot Humph. I can pronounce most names and words in most languages. Ardnamurchan would give me no problems and I could even manage a bit of an r... one has to in many languages. But of course one would soon regress to Ahdnamuhchan (with the ch still correctly pronounced). Perfectly comprehensible even if it grates a bit on an expectant Caledonian ear.
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london today is as cockney as dick van dyke....and heres another thing...max miller you dont get many of them to the pound misses
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A cheeky fruit seller in Portobello Road, 20 years ago perhaps, murmured and bawled in my hearing:
'Who wants a NICE APPLE, you've got a LOVELY PEAR!'
Made me laugh, but herself disapproves of sexist stuff like that.
(PS: he was a proper cockney zookeeper, as some of the families who run stalls in the Beller still are... but of course there is a steady influx of new blood from every corner of the planet).
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Mon 15 Apr 13 at 16:02
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Is that the Ardnamurchan that features in the shipping bulletin? I've often wondered what it looks like - it doesn't feature in the RNLI book of paintings of shipping areas that my son gave me a while ago.
I still listen to the shipping bulletin occasionally for nostalgic reasons, even though I don't live near Portland Bill any more and don't even get on ferries very much.
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www.car4play.com/redirect.php?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardnamurchan
Yes it's an amazing wild place with great scenery on a nice day but you have to be very dedicated to stay any period in such a remote spot. There are only about three places to eat out within an hours drive along wearing single track roads. Shopping too is an issue with the nearest mainland shops of any size being a 4hr round trip.... or 3hr (+ferry wait time) round trip if you use the ferry to Tobermory.
But know what to expect, stock up with most of the weeks food on the way and relax in a cottage close to the white sands of Sanna bay with your small boat waiting on the foreshore and it's a delight.
www.sannabay.co.uk/photographs/Page3/bin/images/small/DSC_2692.jpg
Well so my boating friends tells me... we've always managed to find 90% of the remote feel tucked away round a corner from nearer facilities. Not been closer that 20mls to the lighthouse.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Tue 16 Apr 13 at 11:09
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>> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardnamurchan
We stayed with friends on Luing, an island on the opposite side of Mull, last year. Very interesting lifestyle in that part of the world, it's hard to believe you're only an hour or two away from civilisation.
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RA12NBO. Is that a real number plate? If so it ain't insured!
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Thanks for that - what a lovely place.
The RNLI book I mentioned is called 'Rain Later, Good' and is a series of paintings and descriptions by watercolourist Peter Collyer. It's excellent - he even makes South Utsire look interesting.
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There and back, OMG! - Dave_
