The wrong sort of snow

So, three to four inches of snow over night and it's still coming down. The Met Office got it right; who'd have thought it?

The upshot is that the Northern Line is suspended between High Barnet and East Finchley due to a faulty train at Finchley Central. This is clearly some kind of code: they are worried about the derision they would receive if they suspended the line due to snow. Strangely, the Edgware branch is suspended between Edgware and Golders Green due to a faulty train at Colindale. That stretch is the other bit above ground...

It is a little difficult to decide what to do for the best. The buses are running but slowly and very full, so any trip into work will take a long time and yet I don't think I could necessarily get away with staying home.

It's the wrong sort of snow.

The wrong sort of snow

So, three to four inches of snow over night and it's still coming down. The Met Office got it right; who'd have thought it?

The upshot is that the Northern Line is suspended between High Barnet and East Finchley due to a faulty train at Finchley Central. This is clearly some kind of code: they are worried about the derision they would receive if they suspended the line due to snow. Strangely, the Edgware branch is suspended between Edgware and Golders Green due to a faulty train at Colindale. That stretch is the other bit above ground...

It is a little difficult to decide what to do for the best. The buses are running but slowly and very full, so any trip into work will take a long time and yet I don't think I could necessarily get away with staying home.

It's the wrong sort of snow.

So how's your day so far?

The High Barnet branch of the Northern Line is special. Special in the way that some disadvantaged folk are: “Special Needs”. I arrived in the office at 11.35 this morning. With the exception of Alex, who has to come in from Royston, South Cambridge way, everyone was already here; even the bloke who lives a couple of stops down the line from me. He chose a different route in, see, which didn’t occur to my linear mind.

London Transport – you gotta love ‘em – failed to co-ordinate anything today. At least along the Northern Line; no trains between High Barnet and Archway¹ because of a broken down train at Finchley Central. That means that the 263 bus to Archway is the only viable method of travel along that route. Except that a) they were packed and only one in three was stopping and b) most of them were turning around at East Finchley, a good couple of miles short of Archway. Pah.

Thanks, Red Ken and your London Transport cronies for hiking fares through the roof² to provide such an efficient and co-ordinated urban transport system.

Should have stayed at home in the warm with My Girl. The snow’s all melted in the centre of town, too, so there’s not even anything to look at. Still, got some nice pictures to post tonight when we get home late after seeing “Underneath The Lintel”.

Oh yes. And my trollies are dirty too. Some prat drove down the High Road at a fair rate of knots through melting slush and sent a wall of black water flying across the bus stop. Not good at the best of times; less so when you’re wearing chinos.

Grumble.


¹Originally East Finchley, but that would have been too easy.

²Train, tube and bus fares in London are now officially the most expensive in the world.

So how's your day so far?

The High Barnet branch of the Northern Line is special. Special in the way that some disadvantaged folk are: “Special Needs”. I arrived in the office at 11.35 this morning. With the exception of Alex, who has to come in from Royston, South Cambridge way, everyone was already here; even the bloke who lives a couple of stops down the line from me. He chose a different route in, see, which didn’t occur to my linear mind.

London Transport – you gotta love ‘em – failed to co-ordinate anything today. At least along the Northern Line; no trains between High Barnet and Archway¹ because of a broken down train at Finchley Central. That means that the 263 bus to Archway is the only viable method of travel along that route. Except that a) they were packed and only one in three was stopping and b) most of them were turning around at East Finchley, a good couple of miles short of Archway. Pah.

Thanks, Red Ken and your London Transport cronies for hiking fares through the roof² to provide such an efficient and co-ordinated urban transport system.

Should have stayed at home in the warm with My Girl. The snow’s all melted in the centre of town, too, so there’s not even anything to look at. Still, got some nice pictures to post tonight when we get home late after seeing “Underneath The Lintel”.

Oh yes. And my trollies are dirty too. Some prat drove down the High Road at a fair rate of knots through melting slush and sent a wall of black water flying across the bus stop. Not good at the best of times; less so when you’re wearing chinos.

Grumble.


¹Originally East Finchley, but that would have been too easy.

²Train, tube and bus fares in London are now officially the most expensive in the world.

Messages Waiting

On my office phone there is a red light that flashes far more than I would like. It winks at me accusingly day after day. Back in the days of the analogue phone with a proper dial and no buttons, this only happened if you happened to be a PA or something and warranted a flashy phone so that you could screen your boss from the unwelcome attentions of the hoi polloi.

These days, these dark and digital days, all phones have this functionality, damn them.

All is not lost, however. I don't know if it's just Ericsson, the suppliers of our desk handsets, or whether it is true of all modern office phones: if you lift the handset from the cradle and enter #91# that annoying little light goes away.

Messages Waiting

On my office phone there is a red light that flashes far more than I would like. It winks at me accusingly day after day. Back in the days of the analogue phone with a proper dial and no buttons, this only happened if you happened to be a PA or something and warranted a flashy phone so that you could screen your boss from the unwelcome attentions of the hoi polloi.

These days, these dark and digital days, all phones have this functionality, damn them.

All is not lost, however. I don't know if it's just Ericsson, the suppliers of our desk handsets, or whether it is true of all modern office phones: if you lift the handset from the cradle and enter #91# that annoying little light goes away.