Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Talking trains
Following the recent advertisement of a competition for the invention of silly announcements for Southwest Trains, Southern have come up with a pretty good entry. After you have sat down in one of their trains you now get an announcement telling you which carriage you are sitting in. I suppose I am reasonably impressed that the technology can pipe carriage specific messages down - but, as ever, the nerds who invent these things have no discipline when it comes to using them. Back at the Treasury there were long running rows about automated messages of the day popping up when you booted your PC up which got in the way of getting on with your email.
On the same occasion discovered that railway timetables are not complete. So according to the timetable at Epsom there is one train an hour to West Croydon during most of the day. Just missed one, so go to wait at Sutton where the scenery might be more interesting. Get to Sutton where one finds that there are six trains an hour from Sutton to West Croydon - which means that if one allows a change there are at least two trains an hour from Epsom to West Croydon. Presumably they have a space budget on the timetables displayed at stations which they would burst if they showed all sensible journeys. But irritating: it means one has to ask the Network Rail web site prior to journey to get the full sp (I forget where this particular bit of slang comes from. Must ask Mr Google).
Having survived all these trials and tribulations had a good day in Croydon, marching down from West to South and back again. Busy place for a week day afternoon. Took in a number of churches. A very fine Catholic church just by West Croydon bus station with a very lurid statue of St George and the dragon. Then the main Anglican church (St Peters, I think), rather well rebuilt after a very bad fire in the 19th century. With a clerical staff of four, half ladies, and a musical staff of five: director of music, assistant director of music, two organ scholars and a composer organist. Someone was practising on the organ and it certainly made a very splendid noise. But surprised that a church had such a strong music department - and without any sign of giving concerts, lunchtime or otherwise. Round this church were a number of interesting buildings old and new. A very odd looking furniture shop and the oldest pub in Croydon amongst others. Sadly the pub did not open until 4 and we were just after lunch. Then a large Victorian church in South Croydon in what looked as if it had been a rather posh suburb, which did not appear to be completely dead but which was rather seriously locked up. The churchyard had the appearance of being frequented by undesirables at night.
Surrey Street market still doing well - maybe forty years since I used to buy vegetables there as a student. Very strong on oranges and there was at least one stall which only sold proper vegetables - none of this foreign stuff or fruit. But a note of change in the form of a Chinese vegetable stall from which we bought a couple of good looking fennels. And nearby, in what looked as if it had been the main shopping street 150 years ago, found a very old style indoor market (a little run down) with a very old style cafe at the back. Plenty of tattoos, smoking, poor whites and others. Meal of the day was shepherds' pie with three vegetables - which turned out to be cabbage, carrots and peas. The cabbage and carrots seemed fresh even if the cabbage was rather overcooked - perhaps to suit the dentures of the clientele. But not bad at 4.99 including large mug of tea.
Plus several tattoo parlours, a body piercing establishment, two wet fish shops, an eel and pie shop and a barber's shop selling china figures of black people - this last being something I had never come across before. Good for him.
All in all an interesting day, rounded off by finishing off the cold fore rib as sandwiches. Confirming my belief that fore rib is far and away the best sort of beef for eating cold. Much superior to the dry chewy stuff you get from most sandwich shops.
Only marred by this copy of Internet Explorer having flipped its setting somehow. Maybe it's down to the Starware thing that seems to have worked its way on board somehow.
On the same occasion discovered that railway timetables are not complete. So according to the timetable at Epsom there is one train an hour to West Croydon during most of the day. Just missed one, so go to wait at Sutton where the scenery might be more interesting. Get to Sutton where one finds that there are six trains an hour from Sutton to West Croydon - which means that if one allows a change there are at least two trains an hour from Epsom to West Croydon. Presumably they have a space budget on the timetables displayed at stations which they would burst if they showed all sensible journeys. But irritating: it means one has to ask the Network Rail web site prior to journey to get the full sp (I forget where this particular bit of slang comes from. Must ask Mr Google).
Having survived all these trials and tribulations had a good day in Croydon, marching down from West to South and back again. Busy place for a week day afternoon. Took in a number of churches. A very fine Catholic church just by West Croydon bus station with a very lurid statue of St George and the dragon. Then the main Anglican church (St Peters, I think), rather well rebuilt after a very bad fire in the 19th century. With a clerical staff of four, half ladies, and a musical staff of five: director of music, assistant director of music, two organ scholars and a composer organist. Someone was practising on the organ and it certainly made a very splendid noise. But surprised that a church had such a strong music department - and without any sign of giving concerts, lunchtime or otherwise. Round this church were a number of interesting buildings old and new. A very odd looking furniture shop and the oldest pub in Croydon amongst others. Sadly the pub did not open until 4 and we were just after lunch. Then a large Victorian church in South Croydon in what looked as if it had been a rather posh suburb, which did not appear to be completely dead but which was rather seriously locked up. The churchyard had the appearance of being frequented by undesirables at night.
Surrey Street market still doing well - maybe forty years since I used to buy vegetables there as a student. Very strong on oranges and there was at least one stall which only sold proper vegetables - none of this foreign stuff or fruit. But a note of change in the form of a Chinese vegetable stall from which we bought a couple of good looking fennels. And nearby, in what looked as if it had been the main shopping street 150 years ago, found a very old style indoor market (a little run down) with a very old style cafe at the back. Plenty of tattoos, smoking, poor whites and others. Meal of the day was shepherds' pie with three vegetables - which turned out to be cabbage, carrots and peas. The cabbage and carrots seemed fresh even if the cabbage was rather overcooked - perhaps to suit the dentures of the clientele. But not bad at 4.99 including large mug of tea.
Plus several tattoo parlours, a body piercing establishment, two wet fish shops, an eel and pie shop and a barber's shop selling china figures of black people - this last being something I had never come across before. Good for him.
All in all an interesting day, rounded off by finishing off the cold fore rib as sandwiches. Confirming my belief that fore rib is far and away the best sort of beef for eating cold. Much superior to the dry chewy stuff you get from most sandwich shops.
Only marred by this copy of Internet Explorer having flipped its setting somehow. Maybe it's down to the Starware thing that seems to have worked its way on board somehow.
# posted by Jim @ 12:23 AM 
