Switzerland continued
Wooden it be lovely: Phil makes a new friend in the Bernese Oberland
This bloke was a real chip off the old block. He spoke Swiss German though, so I couldn't understand everything he said. Is it OK to fall in love with your ski instructor?
01.10.06 @ 03:09 PM PDT [link]
£6.30 for a one-day, all-zone, off-peak Travelcard
Someone is having a serious giraffe. I remember the days when £6.30 would have bought you 63 packs of Golden Wonder crisps.
01.10.06 @ 03:02 PM PDT [link]
Two issues related to taps
One sign that frequently infuriates me is the one you see by taps in office toilets that says "Caution: water is very hot". Well, if it's so hot, why doesn't someone turn the ble***ng thermostat down? I suspect it would be cheaper than having the stickers printed. And more environmentally friendly. And slightly less stupid all round. It's a bit like suspending a piece of wire a foot above the ground by the toilet door and having a notice saying "Warning: trip hazard ahead. Proceed with caution."
The other tap-related issue I wanted to mention was those stupid press-down things you get in public conveniences. You have to hold the tap down with one hand in order to wash the other one. And then you have to swap. And usually you only get a trickle.
I'd try to get a third tap issue into this entry, but I don't want to faucet. OK. It's late. I am like so outta here.
01.10.06 @ 02:55 PM PDT [link]
Life on Mars
Did you see the show on the BBC about the copper who goes into a coma and finds himself in 1973? Although the plot is completely bananas, the period detail holds the thing together. All the smoking and punch-ups and old-fashioned phones pre-date even The Sweeney. It's a bit rough and ready. Gender relations are a little bit on the prehistoric side too, with the lady policemen having their own separate division and concentrating on things like first aid.
Ahh. The days when the law really was the law, eh? Don't it make you nostalgic? Five sugars in a cup of tea and a lamp chop for dinner. You can't say fairer than that.
01.09.06 @ 03:52 PM PDT [link]
Careers advisers
I was having a laugh with my old mate McCrackergee today about careers advisers. We were wondering what would happen if they advised everyone to go into careers advice. It is, after all, what they chose to do, so the profession must surely have a lot going for it.
I checked on the learndirect website and discovered that qualified advisers earn about £24k. I think we can safely say the country would soon go bankrupt if they were recommending their own job to prospective job-seekers. They better stick to telling people to join the army and operate lathes and suchlike.
01.09.06 @ 03:47 PM PDT [link]
Phil's observations on life 010: Sometimes, it just turns out to be one of those days and you have to go with the flow
Took the kids up to London yesterday, hoping for a ride on the big wheel. Engineering works on the train line necessitated trips in aged replacement buses. When we finally made it to town, the London Eye was shut for annual maintenance. My oldest girl spotted the fact that the thing wasn't moving before Dad had clocked it himself. Snacks at the Hayward Gallery. Quick trip to the freezing cold playground by County Hall. And back home. Expensive trip to the swings.
One saving grace: a spectacular sunset over the river, captured on my Canon A95 Powershot.
01.08.06 @ 04:34 AM PDT [link]