Well, today’s been a bit of a washout – literally! The rain has been unceasing, morning noon and night. So much so that this is the only day so far this year where my exercise level is well below par. I did venture out in the late afternoon when it became obvious the rain wasn’t going to give up as I had some food shopping to do, but conditions were so bad I ended up getting soaked despite being bedecked in waterproofs. Today was definitely one for curling up in front of a fire with a drink and a good book.
Instead, I’ve spent most of it scanning old slides in an effort to feel that I’ve at least achieved something, although it’s quite frustrating being trapped (in more ways than one) whilst looking through a collection of photographs from exotic, warm and sunny climes!
Still, it’s provided me with an new picture of the day. In fact, it’s been hard to choose which one to use as there’s plenty that would make the cut, but I’ve finally plumped for this shot. I took this shot in from the Nehru bridge over the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad, in the Gujarat, India on the 15th February 2000. For me, the contrast summed up much of India.
Whilst a new Holiday Inn dominates the skyline, slums line the bank of the river where an enterprising chap has built a simple Ferris wheel for children as a way of eking out a living. I wonder what the guests at the hotel though when they gazed out of the window of their plush hotel only to find the vista wasn’t quite what was suggested in the brochure?
The scene’s changed since 2000 of course. The hotel’s still there, only it’s no longer a Holiday Inn but a ‘Lemon Tree’. The slums have been swept away and who knows what’s happened to the people. Now a new road (Riverfront Rd) and a walkway line the Sabermati’s banks.
If you want to see more picture from India I’m adding them to this gallery. I’ve still a hundred plus to add over the next week or two…
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Today’s a day that’s been dominated by Jet, our cat, who’s been at the vets for the past 24 hours. Tonight we brought him home. The boy old boy’s returned with stitches in his mouth as the vets had discovered the two mandibles that make up his lower jaw had become separated and misaligned, which was causing him a lot of discomfort and stopped him eating. Now he’s rehydrated and fed he’s regained some weight. It’s Dawn and I that’s lost several pounds (and then some)! Nonetheless, it’s lovely to have him home and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
I have managed to get some work done, but not as much as I’d liked. Dawn’s on a ‘virtual retreat’ this weekend, so I’m going to use the time to catch up with work and chores. Well, let’s face it – it’s not as if I’ve got a flight to catch, is it?
What I have managed to do this evening is get a few slides scanned, which has provided the picture of the day. Yesterday’s was a view of the ‘little beach’ in Goa, India. Here’s looking the other way…
This is the view of the magnificent main beach at was was then still a fairly sleepy little fishing village of Arambol in North Goa. You can see the boats pulled up all along the beach. The shacks that you can see at the back of the beach appear during the tourist season to sell food and drink to tourists, then disappeared once the season ended. The main part of the village is beneath the palm trees behind them. The beach stretches Southwards for miles so it was always easy to find a quiet spot to sit and sunbathe before splashing around in a sea which didn’t develop any real waves (unlike the little beach, which could be much more fun). This wasn’t paradise by any means, but it certainly deserved an honorable mention!
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
I’ve always said that Extinction Rebellion and HS2Rebellion are anything but real environmentalists. Both organisations have jumped on the ‘green’ bandwagon to further a wider (anti-capitalist) agenda and nothing more – hence some of their mad tactics that do nothing to promote tackling climate change. Exactly the opposite in fact. One only has to look at the way XR have frequently disrupted public transport in the UK, even going as far as disrupting electric public transport by gluing themselves to trains on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) or standing on the roofs of Underground trains!
HS2Rebellion are doing the same with High-Speed 2, opposing a green railway that is the only way we’ll have the rail capacity to get modal shift from road air to rail to cut our biggest source of Co2 emissions (transport) and meet our international obligations to tackle Climate Change.
Today, HS2Rebellion let the cat out of the bag by showing they either don’t understand the issues – or just don’t care. Their target was the news that Malaysia has cancelled the proposed High-Speed rail project between Kuala-Lumpur and Singapore and they used this (superficial) report on the BBC from a freelance journo based in Singapore. In the report it mentions that there are 30,000 local flights between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur per annum – as well as a 24 hour bus service. Here’s what XRebellion have to say on their Facebook page.
Yet again we have supposed ‘environmentalists’ playing along to the right-wing libertarian narrative about costs. This is bizarre. After all, aren’t they the ones who’re always telling us that there is no ‘Planet B’ and that the environment is priceless? Not if you’re intending to build High-Speed rail it seems (roads? No problem – carry on!).
What is it that these ‘environmentalists’ are deliberately ignoring? Simple, just how much carbon those different modes of transport generate. Take a look at this and compare domestic flights, buses and high-speed rail (mentioned as ‘Eurostar’ on this chart).
Here you have the blatant hypocrisy of XR and HS2Rebeliion exposed in black and white in one simple chart.
Over in the UK there’s a similar picture. The biggest market for domestic aviation is between Scotland and London’s airports. HS2 (like HS1 before it with flights to Brussels and Paris) will make severe inroads into that market by speeding up Anglo-Scottish services, as Chris Ogilvie often points out.
I have to declare an interest here. I know Malaysia (and Singapore) well. I’ve been travelling there since 1992 and maintain a keen interest in the areas political, economic and transport issues. In the past, I interviewed the then head of Malaysian Railways for the International Railway Journal and I maintain contacts inside both countries, which is why I know the BBC story isn’t the full story by any means. Even so, for ‘environmentalists’ to gloat over the failure to building a carbon-neutral alternative to 30,000 horribly polluting domestic flights a year (never mind all those 24 hour, 5 hour coach trips) is mad – but then, these people aren’t real environmentalists. What’s depressing is the number of genuine ‘green’ groups and people who’ve been taken in by them. We’ve now gone from saving the planet by any means to saving the planet – just as long as the price is right! This is why I’ve long maintained that the the UKs ‘green’ movement (or what passes for it) simply isn’t fit for purpose as they’ve become just another limb of the libertarian right. You have to ask, how (and why) did ‘greens’ suddenly start celebrating the failure of plans for high-speed rail networks whenever and wherever in the world they happen, and how on Earth can they still call themselves greens?
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Well, that wasn’t the day I was expecting! Much of the morning (from the early hours) was taken up with looking after a poorly Moggie. ‘Jet’ is 19 going on 20. I’d say he’s getting long in the tooth if it wasn’t for the fact he’s only got two left! For the past few days we’ve been aware that there’s been something wrong with the old boy so he’s already had one trip to the vets for what we thought was an ear infection, only it turns out the problem is likely to lie with his mouth, which explains why he’s refused to take his tablets, despite hiding them in food – which normally works a treat. So back to the vet he went and he’s been there all day and remains overnight tonight as they rehydrate him and top up his meds. We thought we might lose him but – despite his age – he’s not ready to go yet and still has life left in him.
To add to the fun the weather’s been crap all day. The snow’s turned to slush as persistent rain’s arrived to make conditions underfoot unpleasant and treacherous, so my usual walks have been curtailed to the bare minimum, which has chafed a bit.
On the bright side, today’s day 31 of my ‘dry’ January as I didn’t start until January 3rd. I thought with the arrival of the Brexitshambles trying to cut out alcohol on January 1st might have been a bridge too far! Despite these testing times I’ve made it through the whole 31 days without once reaching for the bottle, which I consider a bit of an achievement! I’ve not wanted to mention it before as I’m not a great one for ‘virtue signalling’ so I’ve just got on with it without fanfare, although I have to acknowledge the support of Dawn – and also Adnams alcohol-free ‘Ghost Ship’ and Erdinger’s Wiessbier, without whom the journey would have been a lot less fun! Oh, I’ve also lost 8 pounds in weight! Not that I needed to as my BMI is fine, but I feel more comfortable at the lower end of my band than the higher. This wasn’t just due to sobriety, I’ve upped my exercise by 50% and also adjusted my diet to ingest less carbohydrates. Now the challenge is to keep up the adjustments to my lifestyle, although I am looking forward to savoring a ‘proper’ beer tomorrow!
Right, on to the picture of the day. The slide scanning marathon’s taken a bit of a backseat recently as I’ve had other work to do. However, I have started a new selection of travel shots taken in India in 2000. So, here’s a real contrast to all those snow scenes I’ve been publishing recently…
I took this shot of the little beach and freshwater lake in Arambol, North Goa on the 31st January 2000.
I first got to know this place in December 1985 during my first trip to India. As a penniless backpacker in those days I ended up living on this beach for six weeks. I made some local friends in the village who looked after my passport and valuables whilst day to day stuff I kept buried in a huge old biscuit tin under some rocks at the back of the beach. My bed was a pit in the sand which I’d dig each night before lining it with a mat and covering myself with a sarong. In those days the beach was largely a nudist beach, so in the morning you’d just rise out of your pit (literally) and walk straight into the sea for a play in the waves before washing the salt off in the freshwater lagoon at the back of the beach. Happy days! Sadly, those days are long gone and the beach has changed dramatically because of the growth of tourism, new roads making travel easier and also the expansion of business as both Goans and Indians from other states cash in on opportunities.
I’ve not been back since 2004. Part of me really wants to as I had many friends their in both the local and expat communities, but part of me wants to remember it as it was – like this – and doesn’t want those memories tarnished. One thing’s for certain, until this pandemic is resolved, I can’t see me being in a position to have to angst about making the decision…
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
After enjoying some glorious sunshine yesterday I was rather surprised when Dawn said to me yesterday evening ‘oh, there’s heavy snow forecast for tonight’. I poo-poohed the idea and thought we’d probably get a smattering that would disappear within a few hours. Ha – that’ll teach me! This was the sight that greeted me when I opened the bedroom blinds this morning!
I love fresh snow like like this – especially when there’s no wind so it clings to trees and telephone wires. We’ had a good 5-6 inches overnight so I changed my plans and decided to make the best of the weather whilst I could. Here’s a few images to illustrate conditions here in the Calder Valley.
The trees look beautiful, but beware! Walking down our road was very much like running the gauntlet as you never knew when a branch would release a snow-bomb and score a direct hit on you!Looking across the Calder Valley. Norland is up there somewhere, lost in the low cloud that added to the freezing conditions. It was also excellent at muffling sound, so the world really felt rather eerie.The wonderful snowy shapes to be found in Long Wood, a short walk from home.
What the snow wasn’t so good for was travelling. Many side roads and steep hills were impassable and the railways were suffering too. From early morning until early afternoon there were no train services through the Calder valley towards either Manchester or Burnley. I hiked through Halifax to Dryclough Junction in the hope of getting a few shots of trains in the snow and I was fortunate enough to get this unusual shot.
Class 195115 working ‘bang road’ (wrong line) as 1G71, the 10.10 from Sowerby Bridge to Leeds. The set should have been working through to Manchester but it was turned around at Sowerby Bridge due to the line being blocked by the snow. Most services from Leeds were being turned back at Halifax, although the hourly service to Huddersfield (which uses the lines to the right) was running most of the time. A later 195 did run as empty stock as far as Todmorden before returning, presumably to see if it was possible to get through to Manchester, Services didn’t restart until early afternoon, although many trains were still cancelled.
This evening the rain had set in and the pristine snow soon turned to slush so I was glad I got out when I did to grab some shots whilst the snow was at its best. Tomorrow the forecast is for the rain to continue so its looking like a good day for staying at home in the warm. I’ve had two very different days out with the camera, so I can’t really complain! You can find the full selection of today’s scenic snow shots in this gallery, and the railway related ones in this gallery.
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
The first day of the month and the first day of the week arriving together along with some glorious sunshine gave me the impetus to break away from my usual routine today. Abandoning the computer I swapped it for the camera and enjoyed a long walk, just to blow the cobwebs away and do something different for a change.
For the first time this year I walked into Halifax itself, which was existing in that sort of strange half-life many towns and cities are enduring right now. The only things that were open were food outlets, banks and the odd shop selling the bare necessities of life. Still, it gave me time to look upwards to admire some of the fine buildings without worrying about walking into people as there were bugger-all people to walk into!
Despite the fact the low winter sun had already moved around and wasn’t in the best position for some pictures I began the trek from the town centre up the steep climb to the top of Beacon hill, which gives superb views across the town and out into the surrounding hills and valleys, so here’s the picture of the day, taken today from the top of the hill looking down into the town itself.
The square building at the bottom right of the picture behind the church spire is the superb Piece Hall. Above it in the centre of the picture you can see the Octagonal dome of Halifax Borough market which opened in 1896. Above the market to the right is a white fronted building with a dome. That’s the rather ostentatious Natwest bank, showing off in a town dominated by a building Society! I’m looking North-West here, so beyond the town you can see Mount Tabor and the moors around Ogden in the background.
I’ve added many other views of Halifax and surrounds taken today to this gallery. Enjoy!
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
What – is it the end of January already? What an odd month, where time has seemed elastic, sometimes stretching out in a series of ‘Groundhog day’ moments due the the Covid restrictions, yet on other days the month has flown by. The problem was, you never really knew which was going to be which!
That busyness has kept me from blogging as much as I’d planned, although the farcical anti HS2 demonstration has given some light relief as the remaining demonstrators who’re holed up in their tunnel try to pass the buck to HS2 for the situation they’re in due to their cluelessness when it comes to digging. The fact they chose to dig in sandy soil during the wettest time of the year won’t qualify them for any awards! The only question now is how long this farce drags on. Will they come out, or will they be dragged out. Either way, it won’t stop any work on building HS2 as they’re hundreds of metres away from any active worksites!
The rest of the weekend’s been quiet due to the mixed weather and lockdown. It’s not like there’s many places we can go, so life’s quite mundane. Apart from chores, walking, cooking and scanning old slides life’s been much of a muchness. But, I do have a new picture of the day from the latest batch of slide scans. I took this on the 12th September 1999 at Robin Hood’s Bay. Lynn and I were spending a long weekend at the wonderfully named Boggle Hole Youth Hostel, which made a great base for coastal walks.
Robin Hood’s Bay is a picturesque little place with some marvelous coastline and beaches that are great for just ambling along, beachcombing at low tide when some impressive rock formations are exposed. If the weather changes for the worst there’s also a couple of decent pubs in which to seek refuge.
In February I’ll be starting scanning another album of pictures from India, so expect a real variety of shots from Goa and the Gujarat.
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
As if their doomed campaign campaign hadn’t reached farcial new lows at Euston over the past few days, they’ve decided to descend even more into parody this afternoon.
Remember these are people are supposed to be concerned for the environment. Of course one of the best things for the environment is green travel options – like electric railways for example. Ah, but not if you’re of an Extinction Rebellion mindset! Remember they’ve a history of really dumb stunts like gluing themselves to electric trains which provide eco-friendly mass-transport around London. The last time they did this it really didn’t go down well with ordinary Londoners and XR hastily back-tracked, claiming it was a ‘mistake’ (damned right it was! Ed).
It appears they have the memories of Goldfish, because this has just appeared on the Hs2Rebellion Facebook page.
So, these ‘environmentalists’ have closed down a green railway in the capital in the height of a pandemic, this preventing key workers – which will include NHS staff, fire-service staff, and other public-transport workers getting to/from work. For example, University College Hospital (UCH) is only across the road from the station. How many people could potentially lose their lives because of stupid stunts like this unless this idiot is removed quickly and Euston station reopened – and what the hell do these people think they’re playing at?
My only hope is that the police now deploy the full force of the law here, as this has gone way beyond the bounds of legitimate protest. This is putting innocent people’s lives at risk.
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Unless your name’s Rip Van Winkle it’s unlikely that you’re unaware that the UK is currently in a national ‘lockdown’ to combat the resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially as there’s a new (much more easily transmittable) strain around.
The Government is (for once) pretty clear on the legal restrictions, and the message is – stay at home! As the rules make plain;
“You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary”
You are permitted to leave home for certain (essential) reasons, but the laws go on to say;
“If you do leave home for a permitted reason, you should always stay in your local area – unless it is necessary to go further, for example to go to work.
Staying in your local area means stay in the village, town, or part of the city where you live”.
Straightforward, no?
To the nation’s credit, most people are obeying the laws for the simple reasons of self-preservation and out of respect for others. Well, that is unless you’re an anti HS2 protester as apparently the rules don’t apply to them. These are the same protesters who have launched a barrage of complaints against HS2 workers, labelling them Covid ‘super spreaders’ for continuing to work during the pandemic (ignoring that they’re only one part of the construction industry which is continuing to work on essential projects up and down the country whilst being closely monitored by Health Officials and other Government agencies).
You may have seen from the media that here’s a farce going on outside Euston station at the moment as a tiny band of protesters and homeless people are being evicted by Police, bailiffs and HS2 workers who have moved in to begin clearing and securing the site. As of Friday morning all that’s left is (according to the protesters themselves) four people in a tunnel the protesters have dug under the gardens.
To say this protest is futile is an understatement. It doesn’t stop any HS2 construction work at all. The Gardens are outside the main footprint of the Euston station construction project and the site isn’t required for temporary relation of facilities for a long time yet. In effect, the protesters had neutralised themselves! All it’s achieved is a certain notoriety as a squalid place for drug-dealing that’s turned the gardens into a tip. A lot of the publicity the protesters are attracting is as much negative as positive.
But my issue is this. If we’re in a lockdown amidst a pandemic that’s already killed 100,000 in the UK, where are these protesters coming from – because many aren’t living in that camp. Now, I’m going to make absolutely no apology for naming and shaming some people here. People are dying in their 1000s, yet these protesters (and their hangers-on) consider the lockdown rules don’t apply to them. They’re roaming the country at will. Here’s some examples, all taken from their own self-publicity on social media.
Meet Caroline Thompson Smith, a ‘leading light’ in the anti Hs2 campaign in Steeple Claydon, where she lives.
Here’s Caroline yesterday, livestreaming from Euston to the HS2rebellion Facebook page. Steeple Claydon is 59 miles away from Euston. Now, what was that Government advice again?
Meet Sam Smithson, AKA “Swan”, a protester who lives at the risibly named Denham Ford ‘protection’ camp North of Uxbridge, where the protesters have failed to stop the National Grid moving some High Voltage pylons that are in the way of HS2. Back in the summer ‘Swan’ had a fall from some ropes whilst protesting and the anti HS2 websites were full of claims that she’d broken her collarbone. She made a miraculous recovery and was photographed bouncing on a bed in the hotel she was taken to immediately after her arrest!
The Denham camp is 20 miles NW of Euston. Here’s ‘Swan’ being interviewed there during their last failure to stop National Power.
And here’s ‘Swan’ yesterday at Euston, broadcasting to the world with the assistance of William AKA “boots on the ground” (more of whom in minute).
Right, let’s talk about William. Ole’ Boots can’t be with us today because he’s buggered off to Spain (for the second time during the Pandemic). This time he was boasting about how he took the train to get there. Y’know – High-Speed trains – the things he opposes the UK having? William (an American national living in London) has a long history of both spouting rubbish and flitting around the world and the UK whilst totally ignoring the Covid restrictions. Ole ‘boots’ nonsense has featured in several blogs before, notably this one, and this one.
Whilst William had to be content circulating his rubbish whilst sunning himself in Spain, other protesters had turned up. Meet Jacob Harwood, a long time protester who’s popped up all over the place since 2019. Supposedly, he’s meant to be in Canterbury where he’s a student.
Jacob (or ‘Groovella’ as his renamed himself to fool no-one at all) is still getting about a bit. On the 18th January he was filming at the HS2/E-W rail work at Steeple Claydon in Bucks
Which is rather odd as on one of his videos filmed at Euston on Thursday you can hear him swearing blind to a police officer that he’s now homeless as he’s lived at the Euston Camp since August 2019! The story changes in later videos where he claims he’s only been there five months. One thing is clear, you can’t trust a word he says.
Here’s another one to add to the list from today. Karen Wildin, who is already known to the police, having been arrested by them before for climbing on machinery up in Warwickshire. Wildin, who says she lives in Leicester, has filmed herself at Euston this morning. Now what was that the Government advice was? “You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary”…
There are several other protesters who’ve pitched up from elsewhere, including this chap, who’s ostensibly based in Bristol (and who was at Crackley camp recently). He’s one of the ‘leading lights’ in HS2Rebellion. I’ll add more details later.
Frankly, it was a wasted journey. He and another protester were taken down and arrested this morning. All the trees are now clear of protesters. In fact, the only ones remaining on site are the four holed up in the tunnel (well, they’re *really* going to stop HS2 down there, aren’t they? Ed).
Of that four, one is the famous failure, Larch Maxey, who was last seen up in North London where he didn’t stop a tree being chopped down in Islington. Clearly, Maxey has got more ‘bubbles’ than an Aero! Rather than being nicknamed ‘Larch’, Maxey would be better called ‘Dr Death’ because wherever he turns up, trees die! He’s been a serial failure since the mid-1990s when he didn’t stop a motorway extension in Lancashire. His recent roll-call of failure includes just about every StopHs2 camp going!
Oh, another ‘face’ that’s appeared in the Guardian today is Daniel Hooper aka ‘Swampy’ who is pictured down the tunnel. Is he ‘really’ living at that camp? Last month he was arrested at Denham after another famous failure to stop Hs2 work. Or, is this a case of popping in for a photo-op to get in the newspapers – sans mask, in the confines of a tunnel!
Now, the right to protest is enshrined in law – as it should be. But the right to roam the country during a pandemic isn’t. This is the 21st century and there’s a wide range of avenues open to register a protest – as these protesters show by their use of the internet. They do not need to pitch up in Central London, putting other people lives at risk. But that’s their weapons-grade hypocrisy, as this shows.
“Recklessly flouts lockdown”? Oh, the irony…
No doubt I’ll be adding a few other names to this list in the next day or two. In the meantime, it would be refreshing to see some of my colleagues in the mainstream media stop giving these Covidiots a free pass and actually do their jobs by asking some awkward and searching questions of these people for once, rather than just being a propaganda conduit for the protesters…
Of course, the stupidity and futility of this protest is also being ignored by many, because whilst the media and public’s attention is on this circus at Euston, HS2 construction work continues uninterrupted at Euston and all the other sites along the 140 mile route to Birmingham. Soon, work will begin on the Phase 2a route to Crewe as that section will gain Royal Assent any day now. I’ll be listing progress on building HS2 in my next blog…
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
There’s not much of a blog from me tonight. I’m tired and hurting from my fall yesterday, although I didn’t let it stop me getting my exercise today, it just meant some of it was through gritted teeth.
I do have one small cause for celebration. I try for a little victory each day – something that I’ve accomplished so that I can feel that I’m moving forward. Today’s was scanning the last few slides from our round the world trip. We left the UK and arrived in India on the 6th November 1997. Over the next 18 months we visited many states in India, then overland into Nepal to go trekking before flying to Thailand where we travelled overland to Malaysia, then by ferry to tour Sumatra, back to Malaysia and overland to Singapore before flying to Bali, then travelling by bus and ferry as far as the Island of Flores in the East. From there we flew back to Bali, toured the island with friends before doing a ‘visa run’ to Singapore and back. After which we went by bus and ferry to tour Java thence returning to Bali for the final time before flying to Australia for Xmas with friends we’d made on our travels. We toured Victoria with Alison and her family, then caught a train to Sydney to meet up with yet more friends before flying to Auckland, New Zealand. From there we travelled by train through the North Island, then a mixture of train and bus around the South Island (with Alison once again, sans kids) before flying back to Auckland to connect with our Air New Zealand flight to Los Angeles via a week in Fiji and another in Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. Barely pausing for breath in LA, we caught our final flight on the 20th March with Virgin Atlantic, who flew us back across the pond and home to London, where we arrived on the 21st March 1999. This rather breathless precis is just to give a flavour of what was an incredible experience. You’ll be able to find all the photographs in this gallery by the end of the week. One day (when time permits) I hope to blog in detail about aspects of the trip and show just how much the world has changed since those heady days of the 1990s. For now, here’s the picture of the day, which is the final picture I took on the trip…
We caught a Virgin Atlantic flight from LA (VS8) at 17.30, it’s an overnight flight as the journey takes 10 + hours to cover the 5416 miles. Waking up on the morning of the 21st just in time to feel the plane banking over the Atlantic at sunrise I grabbed this picture out of the aircraft window…
Memories…
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Paul Bigland 