diamond geezer
The Kingsdown Avenue air crash
100 years ago today, on Christmas Eve 1924, an Imperial Airways passenger flight crashed onto a hill...
20 hours ago
100 years ago today, on Christmas Eve 1924, an Imperial Airways passenger flight crashed onto a hill near Purley killing everyone on board. It was one of Britain's earliest commercial air disasters and resulted in the very first public inquiry into a civil aviation accident. The...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Explore Patagonia's Untamed Beauty in Chile's Magallanes
2 days ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
Road Trip in Chile's Lake District with Hikes & Hot Springs
2 days ago
Herbert Lui
Deliberate play
When I was a child, my parents enlisted me in piano class for the better half of a decade. Those...
2 days ago
When I was a child, my parents enlisted me in piano class for the better half of a decade. Those were long years. Every day, I was tasked with practicing two or three songs six times. During exam season, I would need to practice my exam songs ten times perfectly—which meant that...
diamond geezer
Eversleigh Road
At this time of year I like to blog about a festively-named London street, however mundane it might...
2 days ago
At this time of year I like to blog about a festively-named London street, however mundane it might be. In the past I've taken you to Noel Street, Noel Square, three Noel Roads, Noel Park Road, Turkey Street, Christmas Street, Yuletide Close, Shepherds Hill, Angel Road, Stables...
Cheese and Biscuits
Tuétano Taqueria, San Diego
On the shortest day of the year, in the middle of the gloomiest and wettest of England's gloom and...
3 days ago
On the shortest day of the year, in the middle of the gloomiest and wettest of England's gloom and wet, I thought it might be fun to review a taco shop in southern California, because it's days like this you need to remind yourself that there are places in the world where the sun...
diamond geezer
Westminster 25
Silver Jubilee: Westminster
Westminster's Jubilee line platforms opened 25 years ago today on 22nd...
3 days ago
Silver Jubilee: Westminster
Westminster's Jubilee line platforms opened 25 years ago today on 22nd December 1999.
Westminster station - a clickable choose-your-own adventure
(it is genuinely clickable - give it a go!)
(1) You have arrived on the westbound Jubilee line...
diamond geezer
London's shortest
On the shortest day of the year, a shortlist of London's shortests
• London's shortest suburbs are...
4 days ago
On the shortest day of the year, a shortlist of London's shortests
• London's shortest suburbs are Bow, Ham, Kew and Lee.
(118m)
823m long at Kenley Airfield.
1508m long at City Airport.
• London's shortest canal tunnel is Eyre's Tunnel which bores 48m under Lisson...
diamond geezer
The London Monopoly board
Free
ParkingStrand
Fleet Street
Trafalgar SquareFenchurch
Street
stationLeicester Square
Coventry...
4 days ago
Free
ParkingStrand
Fleet Street
Trafalgar SquareFenchurch
Street
stationLeicester Square
Coventry St
Water Works
PiccadillyGo To
Jail
Vine Street
Marlborough
Street
Bow StreetMONOPOLY
(the full clickable set)Regent Street
Oxford Street
Bond...
diamond geezer
Mayfair
MAYFAIR
£400
London's Monopoly Streets
MAYFAIR
Colour group: dark blue
Purchase price:...
5 days ago
MAYFAIR
£400
London's Monopoly Streets
MAYFAIR
Colour group: dark blue
Purchase price: £400
Rent: £50
Area: 1km²
Borough: Westminster
Postcode: W1
Mayfair was mostly fields until the late 17th century when Sir Thomas Grosvenor, a Cheshire baronet, made an exceptionally...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Top Local Spots to Eat, Shop, & Après Ski in Park City, Utah
6 days ago
diamond geezer
Unblogged 1984
31 unblogged things I did in December 1984
They didn't have blogs or the internet forty years ago,...
6 days ago
31 unblogged things I did in December 1984
They didn't have blogs or the internet forty years ago, indeed my Sinclair ZX81 wasn't capable of much, but here are 31 things I didn't digitally publish at the time. To help you get your bearings I was 19 and December featured one week...
diamond geezer
Everyman Stratford International
Stratford has a new cinema.
Everyman and can be found in the highrise nomansland that separates...
a week ago
Stratford has a new cinema.
Everyman and can be found in the highrise nomansland that separates Westfield from the Olympic Park, now officially known as Stratford Cross. It's housed in a brushed metal box tucked beneath 20 floors of Grade A office space. It has three screens,...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Kayak, Hike, and Bike in Off-Season Virginia Beach
a week ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
Where to Eat, Drink, and Unwind in Virginia Beach
a week ago
diamond geezer
Going unitary
Local government organisation in England is complicated, always has been, which is why the...
a week ago
Local government organisation in England is complicated, always has been, which is why the government are keen to reorganise it.
There are 317 councils in England:
(upper-tier)
(lower-tier)
(unitary)
(unitary)
(unitary)
(unitary)
Logically it makes no sense that some shire...
Herbert Lui
Every dollar you save is a coupon on the next thing you buy
Retailers often offer incentives to encourage customers to buy more stuff. This can look like buy...
a week ago
Retailers often offer incentives to encourage customers to buy more stuff. This can look like buy two get one free, buy one get one 50% off, flash sales, and free shipping thresholds. Most of these mechanisms are designed to short circuit your brain. They work against clear...
Cheese and Biscuits
Crispin at Studio Voltaire, Clapham Common
Although my useless photos hardly do it justice (let's just get that out of the way from the start),...
a week ago
Although my useless photos hardly do it justice (let's just get that out of the way from the start), Crispin at Studio Voltaire is a lovely space to eat in. The candles on each table aren't the only source of light, but provide a romantic accessory to the tealights dangling above...
diamond geezer
Mansfield Park
Some buses terminate at the most evocative literary destinations.
K4 to Mansfield Park
Location:...
a week ago
Some buses terminate at the most evocative literary destinations.
K4 to Mansfield Park
Location: London southwest, outer
Length of bus journey: 7 miles, 45 minutes
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of an Oyster card must be in want of a...
Herbert Lui
On lateness and imperfection
At my first job, I realized that I’d missed a meeting invite and my team had started without me. I...
a week ago
At my first job, I realized that I’d missed a meeting invite and my team had started without me. I was early in my career, and hesitant to join the meeting late in-person. I felt embarrassed and, without knowing it, I started beating myself up. How could I be so inept? If I could...
diamond geezer
The December 2024 tube map
The introduction of six Overground line names continues to have unfortunate repercussions.
It's...
a week ago
The introduction of six Overground line names continues to have unfortunate repercussions.
It's unfortunate because the last tube map was only released three weeks ago. Alas it included a typo so the decision was taken to withdraw the entire batch pending a reprint, and here...
diamond geezer
The disappearing Status updates map
The introduction of six Overground line names continues to have unfortunate repercussions.
Status...
a week ago
The introduction of six Overground line names continues to have unfortunate repercussions.
Status updates page on the TfL website where for the last ten years you've been able to see a map of disruptions to the network.
The map was removed three weeks ago when the big...
Herbert Lui
Greatness means avoiding stupid mistakes consistently
Shane Parrish writes at Brain Food, “Moments don’t make legends. Consistency does. And the hardest...
a week ago
Shane Parrish writes at Brain Food, “Moments don’t make legends. Consistency does. And the hardest consistency isn’t in doing brilliant things but avoiding stupid ones. Every mistake puts you in hard mode, forcing you to make up lost ground.” In some lines of work, a person must...
diamond geezer
2025 fares
-->TfL's annual fare rise was announced yesterday. It's good news for buses and bad news for...
a week ago
-->TfL's annual fare rise was announced yesterday. It's good news for buses and bad news for trains.
GOOD: "The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced that he will freeze bus and tram fares for an historic sixth time next year, meaning Londoners continue to pay the...
Herbert Lui
The new direction
When you’re exploring a new direction in your career, you are bound to experience confusion. It is a...
a week ago
When you’re exploring a new direction in your career, you are bound to experience confusion. It is a particularly painful, vulnerable, emotion. You may experience an emotional instinct to reach out and fall back into the familiar. All of a sudden, the old, familiar, well-trodden...
diamond geezer
Ten ways to solve London's housing crisis
Ten ways to solve London's housing crisis
1) Pave over golf courses
golf courses in London covering...
a week ago
Ten ways to solve London's housing crisis
1) Pave over golf courses
golf courses in London covering approximately 3% of the capital by area, a ridiculously wasteful proportion. A lot of fairways are also very close to existing railway stations so could swiftly become a key part...
Herbert Lui
Itoya and the charm of stationary
While corporations such as Staples or Office Depot may sell supplies, a retailer like Itoya sells...
a week ago
While corporations such as Staples or Office Depot may sell supplies, a retailer like Itoya sells stationary. The difference is stationary comes with a charm just as essential as the equipment—creativity, possibilities, and consideration. If you visit Itoya’s 18-floor flagship...
diamond geezer
Substacks
For those who like writing online, the blogging platform of choice continues to evolve.
Substack,...
a week ago
For those who like writing online, the blogging platform of choice continues to evolve.
Substack, founded in 2017, which has been picking up more and more top writers of late. I have no intention of jumping ship, let's make that clear at the start, but I thought I'd take a...
Herbert Lui
Just do the real thing (again)
If you want to get good at something, just start by doing it. Today. Sam Altman writes an important...
a week ago
If you want to get good at something, just start by doing it. Today. Sam Altman writes an important reminder on this: don’t outsmart yourself and spend precious time and energy working on fake prerequisites. Here’s an example, from my life, that I write about in Creative Doing:...
diamond geezer
dg's TikTok tips
dg's TikTok tips: the iconic phonebox shot
only one has the pixiedust to glam up your socials big...
a week ago
dg's TikTok tips: the iconic phonebox shot
only one has the pixiedust to glam up your socials big time. It's the red phone box in Parliament Square, north side, and if you stand alongside you can combine the holy trinity of a) red phone box b) the actual Big Ben c) your pouting...
diamond geezer
The rising price of the double issue Radio Times
The Christmas double issue Radio Times has been published.
cover price has gone up again.
(and 50...
a week ago
The Christmas double issue Radio Times has been published.
cover price has gone up again.
(and 50 years ago, just 16p)
The data: 1974 16p, 1975 20p, 1976 22p, 1977 26p, 1978 26p, 1979 30p, 1980 36p, 1981 50p, 1982 50p, 1983 56p, 1984 60p, 1985 64p, 1986 70p, 1987 74p, 1988...
AFAR Media - Travel...
The Highlights of New York Winter Jazzfest, January, 2025
2 weeks ago
Herbert Lui
Worth the wait
Late is better than never, and it’s never too late. Even if the line is long, and you missed a...
2 weeks ago
Late is better than never, and it’s never too late. Even if the line is long, and you missed a chance to join earlier. If the best time to start was yesterday, the second best time is today. Being patient is much easier than it looks. Some lines don’t need you to be present, so...
diamond geezer
Park Lane
PARK
LANE
£350
London's Monopoly Streets
PARK LANE
Colour group: dark blue
Purchase price:...
2 weeks ago
PARK
LANE
£350
London's Monopoly Streets
PARK LANE
Colour group: dark blue
Purchase price: £350
Rent: £35
Length: 1200m
Borough: Westminster
Postcode: W1
Park Lane, a seething dual carriageway that somehow retains a luxury cachet. One side is a wall of superior hideaways and...
AFAR Media - Travel...
A Weekend Guide to Skiing and Dining in Park City, Utah
2 weeks ago
Herbert Lui
The vessel heuristic
What if, when you made art, you weren’t expressing yourself? What if you were a vessel for something...
2 weeks ago
What if, when you made art, you weren’t expressing yourself? What if you were a vessel for something greater to express themselves through? “The human mind is literally an antenna,” Pharrell says. “It picks up waves and transmissions from the ultimate source, from the ether.”...
diamond geezer
We're drinking less tea
Yesterday the BBC website had a story about the amount of tea people aren't drinking any more.
do...
2 weeks ago
Yesterday the BBC website had a story about the amount of tea people aren't drinking any more.
do drink tea it's often green tea, herbal tea or bubble tea, not traditional black tea. 18 year-old Sharma, for example, said she prefers herbal tea and hasn't even heard of Typhoo...
Herbert Lui
A place and its magic
When my partner and I were on our honeymoon in Hawaii earlier this year, a driver told us about how...
2 weeks ago
When my partner and I were on our honeymoon in Hawaii earlier this year, a driver told us about how the island had lost its magic to him. After he spent a couple of years there, he naturally stopped noticing the beauty of the island. He felt wistful about this, and while his...
diamond geezer
PR bumf round-up
I haven't whinged about unsolicited PR emails for a while because I don't get as many as I used to....
2 weeks ago
I haven't whinged about unsolicited PR emails for a while because I don't get as many as I used to. But they still trickle in, generally from hopeful marketeers with a press release to regurgitate or a plea to amplify some sponsored content. We don't do that here, thanks.
Zarya...
Herbert Lui
Disorientation
When you first land in a new place, where you don’t speak the language, you’re probably going to...
2 weeks ago
When you first land in a new place, where you don’t speak the language, you’re probably going to make some mistakes. You’ll get in the wrong line at the airport. Queue on the wrong side of the escalator. Realize you’ve unintentionally broken etiquette or convention of some sort....
diamond geezer
The Watling Street divide
Watling Street runs for over ten miles from the heart of the West End to the very edge of the...
2 weeks ago
Watling Street runs for over ten miles from the heart of the West End to the very edge of the capital, nigh straight and essentially roundaboutless. Not only is today's Edgware Road a Roman survivor but it's also probably London's most influential road democracywise. That's...
diamond geezer
Bow Roundabout update #11
Major road works at the Bow Roundabout continue. They might even be halfway through, depending on...
2 weeks ago
Major road works at the Bow Roundabout continue. They might even be halfway through, depending on when you think the start and finish dates are.
new sliproad underneath the flyover is nearing completion. This'll carry westbound traffic from the contraflow lane on Stratford High...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Park City, Utah's Top Winter Activities for Families
2 weeks ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
The Ultimate Friends’ Trip at Pendry Park City Resort, Utah
2 weeks ago
Herbert Lui
Invest in your stories
My friend Peter started posting at LinkedIn a couple of years ago. He noticed that while people who...
2 weeks ago
My friend Peter started posting at LinkedIn a couple of years ago. He noticed that while people who followed him appreciated his advice, what they remembered most were his stories—about how he met his co-founder and started an agency, how they spun out new companies, and his move...
diamond geezer
Six free exhibitions in north central London
Six free temporary exhibitions in north central London
(I'll rank these at the end, but the best...
2 weeks ago
Six free temporary exhibitions in north central London
(I'll rank these at the end, but the best one comes first)
Difficult Sites: Architecture Against the Odds
at: RIBA, Portland Place
from: 10am to 5pm (not Sunday)
until: 29 March
cottage melded into a rocky Leicestershire...
Herbert Lui
Fast & Furious
The Fast & Furious franchise was inspired by an article on street racing culture by Kenneth Li. The...
2 weeks ago
The Fast & Furious franchise was inspired by an article on street racing culture by Kenneth Li. The first three movies in this Fast & Furious franchise—Fast & Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift—maintained its signature by staying true to this...
diamond geezer
merry = 𝑥 - mas
We have the best signwriters at Bow Road station.
merry = 𝑥-mas
2 weeks ago
We have the best signwriters at Bow Road station.
merry = 𝑥-mas
diamond geezer
Another tube map typo
Would you like to see another tube map typo?
It's not a spelling mistake it's a missing word, if...
2 weeks ago
Would you like to see another tube map typo?
It's not a spelling mistake it's a missing word, if that helps you spot it. Nobody at TfL spotted it, nor anybody at the printers, or if they did they just thought never mind let's use these duff maps anyway.
I've checked other...
Herbert Lui
Confidence vs. trusting the process
“This might not work,” Seth Godin writes in his blog post, “Out on a limb.” (It’s one of my...
2 weeks ago
“This might not work,” Seth Godin writes in his blog post, “Out on a limb.” (It’s one of my favorites, alongside “Talker’s Block.” ) It’s fascinating to see this idea make it into a key part of his book The Practice, which I recently picked up and find myself liking a lot. If you...
diamond geezer
perhaps your most incredibly dull post
According to a reader, my investigation of the five smallest parks in Barking and Dagenham was...
2 weeks ago
According to a reader, my investigation of the five smallest parks in Barking and Dagenham was "perhaps your most incredibly dull post".
All the buses in Barking and Dagenham in alphabetical order
What I had for dinner on December 4th for the last 45 years
1980 roast
1981...
Herbert Lui
Serious writing
In Impro, Keith Johnstone describes how his teachers taught him to write, “They wanted me to reject...
3 weeks ago
In Impro, Keith Johnstone describes how his teachers taught him to write, “They wanted me to reject and discriminate, believing that the best artist was the one who made the most elegant choices. They analysed poems to show how difficult ‘real’ writing was, and they taught that I...
diamond geezer
The five smallest parks in Barking & Dagenham
Join me on a journey of data-driven disappointment as I attempt to answer a question nobody else is...
3 weeks ago
Join me on a journey of data-driven disappointment as I attempt to answer a question nobody else is asking.
What are the five smallest parks in Barking & Dagenham?
map.
"We're so proud Barking and Dagenham has 28 brilliant parks and open spaces which are much loved by so many...
Herbert Lui
Some notes on a return visit to Hong Kong
In late 2021, I moved to Hong Kong for six months. My partner and I enjoyed it so much that we ended...
3 weeks ago
In late 2021, I moved to Hong Kong for six months. My partner and I enjoyed it so much that we ended up staying nearly a year and a half. We moved to New York City shortly after that, and I started my job at Figma. I always thought I’d document the trip some other […]
The post...
diamond geezer
Unblogged November
30 unblogged things I did in November
Fri 1: I bought some Edding 55 pens online yesterday because...
3 weeks ago
30 unblogged things I did in November
Fri 1: I bought some Edding 55 pens online yesterday because I can't find them in the shops any more, and they were due to arrive today. Before they arrived I got three emails saying "Please note, your driver is unable to leave this item...
diamond geezer
Advent Way
'Tis the season.
Advent Way N18
A country lane called Angel Road once headed east out of...
3 weeks ago
'Tis the season.
Advent Way N18
A country lane called Angel Road once headed east out of Edmonton following Pymme's Brook, ending at a sylvan bridge across the River Lea where anglers often gathered. Then in the 1920s the North Circular Road was built, the engineers choosing...
diamond geezer
November 2024 in summary
I'd like to apologise to readers who don't like trains and railways because all of this week's posts...
3 weeks ago
I'd like to apologise to readers who don't like trains and railways because all of this week's posts have been about trains and railways. I'm aware that many people do like trains and railways, including The Men Who Leave Comments When I Write About Trains And Railways, and their...
diamond geezer
TfL FoI requests in November 2024
30 things we learnt from TfL FoI requests in November 2024
1) In a typical month (April 2024) TfL...
3 weeks ago
30 things we learnt from TfL FoI requests in November 2024
1) In a typical month (April 2024) TfL issued 29,767 Under 16 Oyster Photocards, 6992 16+ Oyster Photocards, 6028 18+ Oyster Photocards and 269 Apprentice Oyster Photocards.
2) The social media management tool used by...
diamond geezer
The Overground renaming story
The Overground renaming story
Sep 2006: The Mayor announced yesterday that he's found a cunning way...
3 weeks ago
The Overground renaming story
Sep 2006: The Mayor announced yesterday that he's found a cunning way of extending the tube network without forking out billions on new tunnels. He's taking a couple of existing rail services - namely Silverlink's North London line and TfL's East...
diamond geezer
Liverpool Street
LIVERPOOL
STREET
STATION
🚂
£200
London's Monopoly Streets
LIVERPOOL STREET STATION
Group:...
3 weeks ago
LIVERPOOL
STREET
STATION
🚂
£200
London's Monopoly Streets
LIVERPOOL STREET STATION
Group: British Railways
Purchase price: £200
Rent: £25
Annual passengers: 95 million
Borough: City of London
Postcode: EC2
busiest station in the UK, a great contrast to mere Marylebone and...
diamond geezer
10 things to see on the Liberty line
The introduction of line names on the Overground is sure to bring sightseers to Havering to see what...
4 weeks ago
The introduction of line names on the Overground is sure to bring sightseers to Havering to see what the Liberty line is all about. So here's my tip-top tourist guide to help you find the finest places in the locality, some of which are actually rather fine.
10 things to see on...
diamond geezer
Overground line factfile
Overground line factfile
(because all the stats have changed)
Windrush line...
4 weeks ago
Overground line factfile
(because all the stats have changed)
Windrush line
Operates: Highbury & Islington to New Cross/Clapham Junction/Crystal Palace/West Croydon
Colour on map: red parallel lines
Joined the Overground: 2010
Length: 24 miles
Zones: 1-5
Number...
diamond geezer
Renaming the Overground, step by step
The introduction of the six new London Overground names is finally, tangibly, underway. But the...
a month ago
The introduction of the six new London Overground names is finally, tangibly, underway. But the changes are being phased in, as befits a seriously complex operation, with some happening now, some delayed until next month or next year, and some kicked far into the future because...
diamond geezer
Bow Roundabout update #10
Major roadworks at the Bow Roundabout continue to create long queues of traffic.
This is a queue...
a month ago
Major roadworks at the Bow Roundabout continue to create long queues of traffic.
This is a queue of traffic moving very slowly in brief bursts towards the end of Bow Road. On this particular day the back of the queue was around Bus Stop M although often it goes a lot further....
diamond geezer
Anorak corner (rail edition)
Anorak Corner [National Rail edition]
passenger data from across Britain's railway network, this...
a month ago
Anorak Corner [National Rail edition]
passenger data from across Britain's railway network, this batch covering the period April 2023 to March 2024.
The UK's ten busiest National Rail stations (2023/24) (with changes since 2022/23)
1) -- Liverpool Street (95m)
2) -- Paddington...
Cheese and Biscuits
Jeune & Jolie, Carlsbad
To a visitor from lands afar (me) who sees this part of the world in little two-week periods twice a...
a month ago
To a visitor from lands afar (me) who sees this part of the world in little two-week periods twice a year, Jeune & Jolie feels like it did all the work of establishing itself as one of the best restaurants in California in a metaphorical blink of an eye, a few short months...
diamond geezer
The London Overground line names post
The phased introduction of six new Overground line names has begun.
Before we get into all that,...
a month ago
The phased introduction of six new Overground line names has begun.
Before we get into all that, let's get the new names out of the way.
we did all that back then.
First important thing: If anyone posts any line name comments on any future post, I will shift them back to...
diamond geezer
Electric 358
A new bus has started running on route 358 between Crystal Palace and Orpington. They call it the...
a month ago
A new bus has started running on route 358 between Crystal Palace and Orpington. They call it the tram bus.
It's not really a tram, it's "a bus with tram styling" according to the manufacturers, Spanish company Irizar. They make two lengths of vehicle and to be fair the 18m...
diamond geezer
Tractor Tax Protest
Thousands of farmers, countryfolk and their supporters were in central London yesterday to protest...
a month ago
Thousands of farmers, countryfolk and their supporters were in central London yesterday to protest against the imposition of inheritance tax on farmland. You could tell something was up by the number of people in Barbour jackets, tweed caps and sensible outerwear milling around...
diamond geezer
Southwark 25
Silver Jubilee: Southwark
Southwark station opened 25 years old today on 20th November 1999.
The...
a month ago
Silver Jubilee: Southwark
Southwark station opened 25 years old today on 20th November 1999.
The platforms are much like many of the others on the Jubilee line extension, but the concourse between them is unique. Step through and you enter a long cylindrical space on two...
diamond geezer
Carpenders Park
One Stop Beyond: Carpenders Park
In this series I'm taking the train one stop beyond the Greater...
a month ago
One Stop Beyond: Carpenders Park
In this series I'm taking the train one stop beyond the Greater London boundary, getting off and seeing what's there. Today that means Carpenders Park, one stop beyond Hatch End on what will next week be the Lioness line. For positioning purposes...
diamond geezer
Visit London bolx
Visit London is the flagship brand charged with attracting tourists to the capital, and in this we...
a month ago
Visit London is the flagship brand charged with attracting tourists to the capital, and in this we wish them well. But they do write some absolute bolx.
This was their first tweet this month.
November has arrived and that can only mean one thing... a magical London...
diamond geezer
Cromwell Road Bus Station
Cromwell Road bus station in Kingston has reopened.
There are eight versions of today's post,...
a month ago
Cromwell Road bus station in Kingston has reopened.
There are eight versions of today's post, according to your level of interest.
(click to jump to the right one)
1) I just need the basics
2) I never intend to visit but tell me more
3) I sometimes use this bus station
4) I...
diamond geezer
Beddington Farmlands
A Nice Walk: Beddington Farmlands (1 mile)
Sometimes you just want to go for a nice walk, nothing...
a month ago
A Nice Walk: Beddington Farmlands (1 mile)
Sometimes you just want to go for a nice walk, nothing too taxing, a bit of a stroll, wildlife guaranteed, railway-adjacent, mostly dry underfoot, broad pylon vistas, binocular opportunities, possibility of lapwings, won't take long. So...
AFAR Media - Travel...
The Best Winter Resorts and Activities in Central Minnesota
a month ago
diamond geezer
Empty dangling
Big news about the Dangleway!
Opening hours cutback proposed🚡
On weekdays that means an 8am...
a month ago
Big news about the Dangleway!
Opening hours cutback proposed🚡
On weekdays that means an 8am start rather than 7am.
🚡 🚡 🚡NowFrom Decembercut
Mon-Thu 07:00 to 22:00 08:00 to 22:001 hour
Friday 07:00 to 22:00 09:00 to 22:00 2 hours
Saturday08:00 to 22:0009:00 to 22:001...
AFAR Media - Travel...
A Guide to Mindful Travel in Greater Palm Springs
a month ago
diamond geezer
Anorak corner - bus edition
Anorak Corner [bus edition] (annual update)
Once again TfL have silently published their annual...
a month ago
Anorak Corner [bus edition] (annual update)
Once again TfL have silently published their annual spreadsheet listing the number of passengers using every London bus route and how many kilometres those buses travelled. Data is for April 2023 - March 2024. Comparisons are with the...
AFAR Media - Travel...
9 Greek Travel Experiences for a Luxurious Escape
a month ago
diamond geezer
McDonald's in Woolwich at 50
50 years ago today England's first McDonald's restaurant opened.
There's a brilliant plaque...
a month ago
50 years ago today England's first McDonald's restaurant opened.
There's a brilliant plaque outside.
The three signatories were big names in the American company - Robert Rhea, Fred Turner and Ray Kroc - but none of them turned up. Instead the ribbon was cut by the dynamic...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Alberta’s Best Nature Escapes for Adventurous Travelers
a month ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
An Alberta Winter Getaway for Nature, Wellness, and Culture
a month ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
Where to Ski, Stay, & Explore Outdoors in Alberta's Winter
a month ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
Why Madeira, Portugal Is the Ideal Stopover Destination
a month ago
diamond geezer
Bond Street
BOND
STREET
£320
London's Monopoly Streets
BOND STREET
Colour group: green
Purchase price:...
a month ago
BOND
STREET
£320
London's Monopoly Streets
BOND STREET
Colour group: green
Purchase price: £320
Rent: £28
Length: 800m
Borough: Westminster
Postcode: W1
penultimate street on the Monopoly board famously doesn't exist, even though it has a station named after it. It's also...
diamond geezer
Random Remembrance
Every London borough hosts a Remembrance event, maybe several.
The parade lines up outside the...
a month ago
Every London borough hosts a Remembrance event, maybe several.
The parade lines up outside the museum and awaits the signal. Everyone important's here, all the civic dignitaries apart from those who've been delegated to officiate at the borough's three other memorials. The...
diamond geezer
Draw-Off
For a few weeks every November the water level in the Thames in west London is deliberately...
a month ago
For a few weeks every November the water level in the Thames in west London is deliberately lowered.
Draw-Off and it exposes more of the riverbed than usual.
In order to carry out essential maintenance works on Richmond lock, weirs and sluices, it is necessary to hold up the...
diamond geezer
Ten apologies
I'd like to apologise for the ten posts I could have brought you today but haven't written.
1)...
a month ago
I'd like to apologise for the ten posts I could have brought you today but haven't written.
1) Visit London have opened a temporary Ticket Shop in Covent Garden
flogging stuff, mainly tickets to attractions and shows, and it looks hugely superfluous but it's not aimed at...
diamond geezer
Bow Roundabout update #9
The roadworks at the Bow Roundabout continue, and have a lot more continuing to go.
Bow side of...
a month ago
The roadworks at the Bow Roundabout continue, and have a lot more continuing to go.
Bow side of the flyover, although new kerbstones are now lined up along the new slightly-wider edge of the roundabout.
major roadworks.
For the last month one of these two lanes has been...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Discover Portugal’s Wellness Havens with TAP Air’s Stopover
a month ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
Why Lisbon's Culinary Scene Rivals Europe's Best Food Cities
a month ago
diamond geezer
Tube map gaps
It's exactly 11 months since London last had a new tube map.
Intervals between tube maps in reverse...
a month ago
It's exactly 11 months since London last had a new tube map.
Intervals between tube maps in reverse chronological order
11 months
Dec 2023 A Little Slice of Paradise ← Brent Cross West
7 months
May 2023 Come Out, Come Out
6 months
Nov 2022 Routes/Roots ← Bond Street
6...
diamond geezer
Walking on Canada Water
It's now quicker to walk from Canada Water station to the big Tesco. This is because British Land...
a month ago
It's now quicker to walk from Canada Water station to the big Tesco. This is because British Land are trying to sell flats.
swooshy timber boardwalk has just opened and it's red. Very red.
It starts from the dock edge by the library and ends at the far end of what used to be...
diamond geezer
The 47th President
Two months ago I asked you the following question.
Who do you think will be the next American...
a month ago
Two months ago I asked you the following question.
Who do you think will be the next American President? (poll closed)
Kamala
HARRIS
comments (71)
Donald
TRUMP
comments (29)
And now here we are the morning after the election. A red dawn is rising.
10 comments from readers...
Cheese and Biscuits
Lima, Shoreditch
I don't usually like to do invited reviews back-to-back, so this was supposed to be a post about a...
a month ago
I don't usually like to do invited reviews back-to-back, so this was supposed to be a post about a lovely Catalonian restaurant called El Molí de L'Escala. El Molí serve a daily-changing menu of exciting and unusual local seafood (they had sea cucumber on the menu last week, and...
diamond geezer
Dunton Green
One Stop Beyond: Dunton Green
In this series I'm taking the train one stop beyond the Greater...
a month ago
One Stop Beyond: Dunton Green
In this series I'm taking the train one stop beyond the Greater London boundary, getting off and seeing what's there. Today that means Dunton Green, one stop beyond Knockholt on the Sevenoaks line, a disparate village at the foot of the North Downs...
diamond geezer
Taking the piss
In an ideal world every TfL station would have toilet facilities but the truth is you're more likely...
a month ago
In an ideal world every TfL station would have toilet facilities but the truth is you're more likely to be caught short.
announce "bold plans to grow and improve toilet provision" because that'd be a very good thing. The press release promised "investment totalling £3m per year...
diamond geezer
Single life
Single life
Yes, I used to post this every year, but now I only do it every five.
Single: You get...
a month ago
Single life
Yes, I used to post this every year, but now I only do it every five.
Single: You get the whole duvet to yourself.
Coupled: You don't need a hot water bottle.
Single: There's half as much ironing to do.
Coupled: There's twice as much ironing to do but somebody else...
diamond geezer
The Map House
An exhibition of tube maps, dozens and dozens of them, is pretty much nirvana for some people. If...
a month ago
An exhibition of tube maps, dozens and dozens of them, is pretty much nirvana for some people. If this is you be sure to make a pilgrimage to The Map House (nearest station Knightsbridge) before the end of the month. Look for the gold tube map in the window, just round the corner...
diamond geezer
TfL FoI requests in October 2024
20 things we learnt from TfL FoI requests in October 2024
1) The five road junctions with the most...
a month ago
20 things we learnt from TfL FoI requests in October 2024
1) The five road junctions with the most casualties and collisions over the last three years (specifically the greatest 'casualty harm') are the Redbridge Roundabout, Seven Sisters, Elephant & Castle, the foot of Ilford...
diamond geezer
Bow Roundabout update #8
The major roadworks at the Bow Roundabout are now into their second month (or their third month if...
a month ago
The major roadworks at the Bow Roundabout are now into their second month (or their third month if you're the manager who cancels buses).
a curve of concrete block paving that's due to become roadway, so fairly trivial.
Previous updates: #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7
diamond geezer
Unblogged October
31 unblogged things I did in October
Tue 1: Two new developments in Barking & Dagenham are...
a month ago
31 unblogged things I did in October
Tue 1: Two new developments in Barking & Dagenham are over-egging transport links in their roadside marketing. Barking Riverside says 'Perfectly connected' when the reality is a half-hourly boat, a train to Barking or non-express buses....
Cheese and Biscuits
Med Salleh Viet, Earl's Court
It's a funny old part of town is Earl's Court. Not quite Kensington, not quite Chelsea, not many...
a month ago
It's a funny old part of town is Earl's Court. Not quite Kensington, not quite Chelsea, not many reasons to visit (certainly not since the conference center/arena got pulled down), it's these days little more than a fairly ordinary provincial high street dumped in West London,...
Spoon & Tamago
Keisuke Oka’s Arimaston Building in Tokyo, Made Entirely by Hand
all photos by @husky_003 | used with permission Almost 15 years ago, on a tiny plot of land in...
a month ago
all photos by @husky_003 | used with permission Almost 15 years ago, on a tiny plot of land in eastern Tokyo, a young architect named Keisuke Oka began to construct a tower of concrete entirely by hand. Located just a short walk from Mita Station, the Arimaston Building (蟻鱒鳶ル) is...
diamond geezer
Oxford Street
OXFORD
STREET
£300
London's Monopoly Streets
OXFORD STREET
Colour group: green
Purchase price:...
a month ago
OXFORD
STREET
£300
London's Monopoly Streets
OXFORD STREET
Colour group: green
Purchase price: £300
Rent: £26
Length: 2km
Borough: Westminster
Postcode: W1
Oxford Street is one of the Roman Empire's most successful roads, at least in terms of retail income. It started out as...
diamond geezer
Consequential
Some weeks are consequential.
a) Today is the Budget.
This budget also feels like it's been...
a month ago
Some weeks are consequential.
a) Today is the Budget.
This budget also feels like it's been coming for ages, the General Election being 17 weeks ago, but it takes time to check the nation's finances, develop a plan and balance strategic gains with individual pain. There has...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Counter, Tunbridge Wells
As much as I try to travel as far and wide as possible for a meal, there are certain parts of the...
a month ago
As much as I try to travel as far and wide as possible for a meal, there are certain parts of the world that are somewhat better-represented on these pages than others. Obviously as I live in London, and it's the best food city on the planet, that's the main focus of this blog....
diamond geezer
Signs of autumn in Old Malden
I worry sometimes that my content isn't niche enough. Things on hills in Hainault. Ex-country lanes...
a month ago
I worry sometimes that my content isn't niche enough. Things on hills in Hainault. Ex-country lanes in Harrow. Bridges in Norwich. So today I'm going all-out niche in an attempt to dampen interest even further. Welcome to...
Signs of Autumn in Old Malden
Malden, a manorial...
diamond geezer
Hog Hill and Dog Kennel Hill
Things on Hills: Hog Hill and Dog Kennel Hill
Where the heck are we? The far side of Redbridge,...
a month ago
Things on Hills: Hog Hill and Dog Kennel Hill
Where the heck are we? The far side of Redbridge, almost in Havering
Be more precise: On the southern edge of Hainault Country Park
Nearest tube station: Fairlop, but 1½ miles away so hardly near
Nearest bus routes: both the 247 and...
Spoon & Tamago
Japan’s Jimi ‘Mundane’ Halloween Costumes of 2024
Happy Jimi Halloween to everyone who celebrates. It’s that wonderful time of year when our favorite...
a month ago
Happy Jimi Halloween to everyone who celebrates. It’s that wonderful time of year when our favorite Japanese festival, Jimi Halloween, is on full display. Mundane Halloween, as we coined it back in 2018, is when people dress up in costumes so mundane they have to be explained....
diamond geezer
Rayners Lane
Four tube stations are named after country lanes, the longest of which is Rayners Lane in Harrow....
a month ago
Four tube stations are named after country lanes, the longest of which is Rayners Lane in Harrow. What's more it still follows exactly the same meandering path across two miles of suburbia as it did when everything was fields. So I've walked it.
entirely undeveloped agricultural...
diamond geezer
Secret river quiz
Congratulations, you've found my secret river quiz.
(completed in seven hours, thanks)
a month ago
Congratulations, you've found my secret river quiz.
(completed in seven hours, thanks)
diamond geezer
Emails from 2004
Today I thought I'd dig into my inbox archive and bring you ten emails I was sent in October 2004....
a month ago
Today I thought I'd dig into my inbox archive and bring you ten emails I was sent in October 2004. Twenty years ago was a different time.
From londonmobs (1/10/04)
(and that was it, no further London flashmobs were organised)
cc-ed from my work address (5/10/04)
The...
diamond geezer
Bow Roundabout update #7
The second full week of roadworks at the Bow Roundabout has seen drilling continue on the Stratford...
a month ago
The second full week of roadworks at the Bow Roundabout has seen drilling continue on the Stratford side, both under and beside the flyover. A third lane is already substantially carved out at the end of Stratford High Street. Below we see a broad curve where grey concrete block...
diamond geezer
Not very interesting transport news
Friday's not very interesting transport news
The Overground lines still haven't been...
2 months ago
Friday's not very interesting transport news
The Overground lines still haven't been renamed
double-sided Mildmay line panel was revealed at one end of platforms 1 and 2 (click to embiggen), while a separate sign directed passengers up to the Mildmay line from the subway. These...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Lamb Inn, Little Milton
Most visitors to the Lamb Inn will approach from the car park and be greeted with the sight pictured...
2 months ago
Most visitors to the Lamb Inn will approach from the car park and be greeted with the sight pictured above - an achingly cute thatched countryside pub in whitewashed stone looking like it hadn't changed much in the past few hundred years. And this is, of course, a great way to...
diamond geezer
Revised security measures at the National Gallery
Last Friday the National Gallery made it harder for visitors to enjoy a look around.
Revised...
2 months ago
Last Friday the National Gallery made it harder for visitors to enjoy a look around.
Revised security measures at the National Gallery
Walk-through metal detectors have been a fixture here for years, ditto a perfunctory bag check. This did tend to create queues but nothing...
diamond geezer
Postcards from Norwich
Postcards from Norwich
✉ Goldsmith Street
five years ago it went to council housing in Norwich....
2 months ago
Postcards from Norwich
✉ Goldsmith Street
five years ago it went to council housing in Norwich. They could have built flats but instead they packed 105 energy-efficient houses into a handful of dense terraced streets, aligned east-west to maximise solar gain. Extra-thick walls...
Cheese and Biscuits
Hong Kong Restaurant, Angel
London has never been the kind of place where you can just pick a restaurant at random and have at...
2 months ago
London has never been the kind of place where you can just pick a restaurant at random and have at least a decent dinner. There are too many tourist traps, dingy fast food joints, grim chains and bandwagon-jumping copycats (just see how many smash burger joints have appeared in...
diamond geezer
Ted Lasso in Richmond
A Nice Walk: Ted Lasso (1 kilometre)
Richmond as seen on Ted Lasso, nowhere near enough to make a...
2 months ago
A Nice Walk: Ted Lasso (1 kilometre)
Richmond as seen on Ted Lasso, nowhere near enough to make a day of it but a nice walk all the same.
n.b. I'm walking the route suggested on page 26 of the Visit Richmond Guide 2024/2025
Turn left out of the station and cross the road at...
diamond geezer
Trafalgar 219
To celebrate/commemorate the 219th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, here are 40...
2 months ago
To celebrate/commemorate the 219th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, here are 40 Trafalgar-based lists.
Places called Trafalgar: cape in Spain, hamlet in Cornwall, town in Indiana, community in Nova Scotia, town in Victoria, waterfall in Dominica, village in South Africa,...
diamond geezer
BL1
London's Free Buses
BL1: Bedfont Lakes - Feltham
BL2: Bedfont Lakes - Hatton Cross
Length of...
2 months ago
London's Free Buses
BL1: Bedfont Lakes - Feltham
BL2: Bedfont Lakes - Hatton Cross
Length of journey: 2 miles, 12 minutes
It's a strange place, a 1990s commercial development built across former gravel pits, originally with IBM as the lead tenant. It's a bit like Stockley Park...
Spoon & Tamago
Five Things To Look Forward to at the 2025 World Expo Japan Pavilion
The 2025 World Expo in Osaka, slated to take place in Osaka, is just 6 months away. Taking place...
2 months ago
The 2025 World Expo in Osaka, slated to take place in Osaka, is just 6 months away. Taking place from April 13 to October 13, 2025, the expo aims to be a participatory, experiential, solutions-oriented exposition, offering the world an opportunity to come together in one place to...
diamond geezer
RP1
London's Free Buses
RP1: Richmond Park circular
Length of journey: 12 miles, 90 minutes
the RP1, a...
2 months ago
London's Free Buses
RP1: Richmond Park circular
Length of journey: 12 miles, 90 minutes
the RP1, a minibus service organised by the Royal Parks to provide accessible transport through and around Richmond Park. Just because you can't get around easily any more, why should you miss...
Spoon & Tamago
The New 12 Kanda Co-Working Space Supports Small Businesses
all photos by Toshiyuki Yano Right across the Kanda River from Akihabara Station is 12 Kanda, a new...
2 months ago
all photos by Toshiyuki Yano Right across the Kanda River from Akihabara Station is 12 Kanda, a new co-working space dedicated to supporting small businesses and startups. A visually eye-catching building, it features multiple stories with different forms and functions stacked on...
diamond geezer
847
London's Free Buses
847: Stratford to Here East
Length of journey: 1 mile, 7 minutes
shuttle bus...
2 months ago
London's Free Buses
847: Stratford to Here East
Length of journey: 1 mile, 7 minutes
shuttle bus that runs up and down the Olympic Park and has done since May 2017. It may therefore come as a surprise to hear that I've never previously ridden it, especially as it's very close to...
diamond geezer
Bow Roundabout update #6
The first full week of roadworks at the Bow Roundabout has seen lengthy queues and a bit more...
2 months ago
The first full week of roadworks at the Bow Roundabout has seen lengthy queues and a bit more drilling. The queues were at their worst on Wednesday when an additional set of roadworks temporarily afflicted Tredegar Road, at one point stretching over three quarters of a mile along...
diamond geezer
Borough visitor websites
Some London boroughs like to have a web presence that draws tourists in, should anyone be...
2 months ago
Some London boroughs like to have a web presence that draws tourists in, should anyone be interested, or highlights places of interest for the benefit of local residents. These websites attempt to reinforce the idea that a borough has history, or culture, or some sort of life,...
diamond geezer
Regent Street
REGENT
STREET
£300
London's Monopoly Streets
REGENT STREET
Colour group: green
Purchase price:...
2 months ago
REGENT
STREET
£300
London's Monopoly Streets
REGENT STREET
Colour group: green
Purchase price: £300
Rent: £26
Length: 1300m
Borough: Westminster
Postcode: W1/SW1
Regent Street is one of the board's younger streets and a rarity for central London in that an architect drew a...
diamond geezer
I've been to see some art
I've been to see some art.
Tate Modern
Mire Lee: Open Wound (until 16 March)
metal motor hanging...
2 months ago
I've been to see some art.
Tate Modern
Mire Lee: Open Wound (until 16 March)
metal motor hanging in mid-air, slowly turning, over which are draped strips of fabric soaked in some manky viscous liquid. This drips gradually into a metal tray underneath, turning a series of...
diamond geezer
It's official
Journalists working at various media portals are under increasing pressure to churn out more and...
2 months ago
Journalists working at various media portals are under increasing pressure to churn out more and more stories because the more they write the more page views they get. Clickbait isn't going away any time soon. But a trope that's sadly gathering more prominence lately is a...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Lufthansa Strives to for More Eco-Friendly Air Travel
2 months ago
diamond geezer
Random Bexley Footpath
I worry sometimes that my content isn't niche enough. Things to do in Wood End. Roadworks at the Bow...
2 months ago
I worry sometimes that my content isn't niche enough. Things to do in Wood End. Roadworks at the Bow Roundabout. A walk along the Burnt Oak Brook. So today I'm going all-out niche in an attempt to dampen interest even further. Welcome to Random Bexley Footpath.
All Outer London...
diamond geezer
Burnt Oak Brook
THE UNLOST RIVERS OF LONDON
Burnt Oak Brook
Mill Hill → Burnt Oak (2 miles)
London's bountiful...
2 months ago
THE UNLOST RIVERS OF LONDON
Burnt Oak Brook
Mill Hill → Burnt Oak (2 miles)
London's bountiful supply of unlost rivers continues to provide opportunities for waterside walking if you know where to look. This one flows not far from Edgware and is yet another tributary of the Silk...
diamond geezer
Bow Roundabout update #5
Four months of major roadworks were supposed to begin at the Bow Roundabout on Monday 30th...
2 months ago
Four months of major roadworks were supposed to begin at the Bow Roundabout on Monday 30th September. This did not happen. But they are now underway and - spoilers - it's bad news for local road users.
Monday 7th October
Tuesday 8th October
10 years ago.
However as a...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Shop the Best Artisan Goods in China, Colombia, and Spain
2 months ago
Cheese and Biscuits
Xi Home Dumplings Bay,
I often like to look up the situation of restaurants I'm heading out to on Google Streetview, just...
2 months ago
I often like to look up the situation of restaurants I'm heading out to on Google Streetview, just so I know what to expect when I get off the bus and lessen (though not completely mitigate) the chance I might head off in completely the wrong direction. I wouldn't recommend doing...
diamond geezer
The Smudge of Remembrance
n.b. All the photos in this post were taken this week.
The Smudge of Remembrance
This key project...
2 months ago
n.b. All the photos in this post were taken this week.
The Smudge of Remembrance
This key project is called The Smudge of Remembrance and has been comprehensively curated to create spectral moments of commemoration firmly rooted in the everyday.
Some iterations are almost...
diamond geezer
Wood End
Do you ever look at the front of a bus and think "where the hell is that?"?
actual place in actual...
2 months ago
Do you ever look at the front of a bus and think "where the hell is that?"?
actual place in actual London. It even has a library, or rather it did but we'll get to that. You'll find it west of Sudbury, north of Greenford, east of Northolt and south of South Harrow, if that...
diamond geezer
Go To Jail
The square after Piccadilly on the Monopoly board is GO TO JAIL. The accompanying picture may show a...
2 months ago
The square after Piccadilly on the Monopoly board is GO TO JAIL. The accompanying picture may show a police officer blowing a whistle but the person who actually sends you to jail is a judge in a court room, so today's post is about criminal courts in London.
Criminal courts in...
diamond geezer
Canteenlessness
I was out in the City at lunchtime, not far from St Paul's, and found myself amid a horde of...
2 months ago
I was out in the City at lunchtime, not far from St Paul's, and found myself amid a horde of businessfolk buying lunch. They were flocking to nearby shops, mainly specialist food outlets, for a calorific haul to tide them over into the afternoon. You could tell it was peak...
Cheese and Biscuits
Camille, Borough Market
Some restaurants just make it look so easy, don't they? The menu at Camille is so enticing, with...
2 months ago
Some restaurants just make it look so easy, don't they? The menu at Camille is so enticing, with unusual eye-catching ingredients prepared in exciting and distinctive ways, that it's almost enough to spoil any other dining experience by default, and it makes you wonder if they...
diamond geezer
The zone 1 challenge
It's time once again to go on a pointlessly challenging train journey.
How many zone 1 stations can...
2 months ago
It's time once again to go on a pointlessly challenging train journey.
How many zone 1 stations can you travel through without repeating any?
And there are 72 zone 1 stations altogether, so it's going to be a long journey.
It's perhaps best to think of the question as...
Spoon & Tamago
An Exhibition of Plushie, Small Disappointments
An onigiri smushed at the bottom of your bag. Water splashing off a spoon. Burnt toast. Life is full...
2 months ago
An onigiri smushed at the bottom of your bag. Water splashing off a spoon. Burnt toast. Life is full of small disappointments. But helping us see the humor in it all is Makosun, a Japanese maker of weird plushies—their words, not ours—who renders all these small disappointments...
diamond geezer
Piccadilly
PICCADILLY
£280
London's Monopoly Streets
PICCADILLY
Colour group: yellow
Purchase price:...
2 months ago
PICCADILLY
£280
London's Monopoly Streets
PICCADILLY
Colour group: yellow
Purchase price: £280
Rent: £22
Length: 1400m
Borough: Westminster
Postcode: W1/SW1
Piccadilly leads from the West End to the west of town and is one of London's older roads. The eastern half was...
Spoon & Tamago
In an Appeal to Young Workers, a Manufacturing Company Steps Away from Obscurity
all photos by Takumi Ota courtesy Schemata Architects For decades, Japanese manufacturers have...
2 months ago
all photos by Takumi Ota courtesy Schemata Architects For decades, Japanese manufacturers have worked in obscurity, churning out parts for the world’s biggest automakers and smartphone brands. And for the most part—largely owing to the confidential nature of their work—they have...
diamond geezer
The last QEOP entrance opens
In good news the last entrance into the Olympic Park has finally opened. About time too.
The new...
2 months ago
In good news the last entrance into the Olympic Park has finally opened. About time too.
The new connection starts just beyond the bridge over the Waterworks River, where a broad shallow concrete ramp bears off from the Greenway and slopes down towards the railway. It's...
diamond geezer
Bow Roundabout update #4
Four months of major roadworks were supposed to begin at the Bow Roundabout on Monday. So how's that...
2 months ago
Four months of major roadworks were supposed to begin at the Bow Roundabout on Monday. So how's that going?
Monday 30th September
Tuesday 1st October
I popped up to Old Ford to see what's happened with route 8 terminating one stop early. A temporary stand has been created...
diamond geezer
Moor Park
One Stop Beyond: Moor Park
In this series I'm taking the train one stop beyond the Greater London...
2 months ago
One Stop Beyond: Moor Park
In this series I'm taking the train one stop beyond the Greater London boundary, getting off and seeing what's there. Today that means Moor Park, one stop beyond Northwood on the Metropolitan line, a Hertfordshire halt which exists thanks to a golf...
diamond geezer
Eden Dock
You know how when you come out of Canary Wharf tube station, main entrance, there's always been a...
2 months ago
You know how when you come out of Canary Wharf tube station, main entrance, there's always been a big empty dock in front of you? Well, not any more.
yesterday and is really very impressive. So long as you don't read anything about it.
island. Unsurprisingly it's already...
diamond geezer
Waverley
This is Waverley, the world's last seagoing paddle steamer.
She's currently on a two week foray...
2 months ago
This is Waverley, the world's last seagoing paddle steamer.
She's currently on a two week foray up and down the Thames Estuary and adjacent coasts. And if you'd been in Gravesend on Sunday evening you could have enjoyed a two-hour voyage up the estuary to Tower Bridge for just...
diamond geezer
Unblogged September
30 unblogged things I did in September
Sun 1: My new laptop is on quite the sightseeing tour....
2 months ago
30 unblogged things I did in September
Sun 1: My new laptop is on quite the sightseeing tour. Yesterday it was in Shanghai, today it's in Köln and tomorrow it'll be in Stanford le Hope.
Mon 2: At Gipsy Hill station I spotted a cat on the Oyster reader, and quite frankly this...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Ropemaker, Emsworth
As I have surely said on this blog plenty of times over the years, I will never go to any holiday or...
2 months ago
As I have surely said on this blog plenty of times over the years, I will never go to any holiday or short trip without at least one meal booked that stands a better than average chance of being decent. This is partly just for the sheer joy of eating out (how sad must your life...
diamond geezer
Unblogged 1984
30 unblogged things I did in September 1984
They didn't have blogs or the internet forty years ago,...
2 months ago
30 unblogged things I did in September 1984
They didn't have blogs or the internet forty years ago, indeed my Sinclair ZX81 wasn't capable of much, but here are 30 things I didn't digitally publish at the time. To help you get your bearings I was 19 and most of this is the end...
diamond geezer
TfL FoI requests in September 2024
20 things we learnt from TfL FoI requests in September 2024
1) The average e-scooter hire trip...
2 months ago
20 things we learnt from TfL FoI requests in September 2024
1) The average e-scooter hire trip lasts 16 minutes, is 1½ miles long and is undertaken at 6½ mph.
2) TfL plan to replace the Lodge Avenue flyover on the A13 with a like-for-like replacement, with construction starting...
Spoon & Tamago
This Halloween, a Zombie Shinkansen Will Travel Between Tokyo and Osaka
Want a taste of the frights but too busy to go to a haunted house? How about a haunted train? This...
2 months ago
Want a taste of the frights but too busy to go to a haunted house? How about a haunted train? This year, a Tokaido shinkansen, in what is being called the world’s first zombie bullet train, will travel between Tokyo and Osaka. The stage will be set in car 16 of the “Nozomi 435”...
Spoon & Tamago
Artists Summon Mythical Creatures of the Echigo Region for the 2024 Wara Art Festival
photos courtesy Wara Art Festival Autumn is officially upon us. It’s the season of shorter days,...
2 months ago
photos courtesy Wara Art Festival Autumn is officially upon us. It’s the season of shorter days, brighter moons and bountiful harvests. Niigata prefecture, in Northern Japan, is known for its rice paddies and rice production. Around this time of year the rice harvest becomes a...
diamond geezer
Wimbledon expands
Last week the Deputy Mayor approved the All England Club's planning application to build 39 new...
2 months ago
Last week the Deputy Mayor approved the All England Club's planning application to build 39 new tennis courts across Wimbledon Park. But was that decision right or was it wrong?
extend across the road with a new show court and dozens of practice courts, and throw in a new...
diamond geezer
Hampton Water Works
The square after Coventry Street on the Monopoly board is the Water Works. London has all kinds of...
2 months ago
The square after Coventry Street on the Monopoly board is the Water Works. London has all kinds of water infrastructure, from sewage treatment works to reservoirs and ring mains, not to mention sewers, pumping stations and the Tideway Tunnel. But I thought I'd visit the largest...
diamond geezer
Overground renaming - Severe Delays
One thing that happens when transport deadlines slip is that some things happen anyway, things that...
2 months ago
One thing that happens when transport deadlines slip is that some things happen anyway, things that were supposed to be associated with the launch. The weekend Crossrail was supposed to open but didn't, for example, Adidas inexplicably released a set of purple trainers with a 3D...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Tips for Exploring L.A.'s Northern Shopping Districts
2 months ago
diamond geezer
Three NHS checks
I went to the doctor's a couple of weeks ago, not because I needed to but because I thought I...
2 months ago
I went to the doctor's a couple of weeks ago, not because I needed to but because I thought I should. "Oh that seems fine," she said, in a wholly reassuring way. "But perhaps we ought to do some checks."
On Monday I went back to my doctor's surgery for Check 1. It's always...
diamond geezer
Paddington plus
Paddington tube station has another entrance. I know, another one.
It already has a...
3 months ago
Paddington tube station has another entrance. I know, another one.
It already has a District/Circle/Bakerloo entrance on the mainline concourse, a separate District/Circle entrance across the road on Praed Street, a completely separate Circle/Hammersmith & City entrance over...
diamond geezer
Post Office Tower
When it opened anyone could pay four shillings to take a lift to the top of the Post Office Tower,...
3 months ago
When it opened anyone could pay four shillings to take a lift to the top of the Post Office Tower, and in that first year over a million people took up the offer. But the viewing platforms closed in 1971 following a terrorist explosion and the famous revolving restaurant closed...
diamond geezer
Open House (3)
For Open House this weekend I visited twelve different and varied properties, ranging from...
3 months ago
For Open House this weekend I visited twelve different and varied properties, ranging from underwhelm to amazeballs. I'll save the wow until later but here are brief reports on the others, hopefully as testament that exploring otherwise inaccessible spaces is an opportunity not...
Spoon & Tamago
150-Year Old Florist in Yanaka Blossoms with a New Cafe
all photos by Takuya Seki courtesy Maru Architects Founded in 1870, Hanaju is a florist that has...
3 months ago
all photos by Takuya Seki courtesy Maru Architects Founded in 1870, Hanaju is a florist that has served Tokyo’s Yanaka neighborhood for over 150 years. The flower shop is located near the entrance of Yanaka Cemetery and is surrounded by traditional homes and businesses, including...
diamond geezer
Farewell Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, first published in 1827, went to press for the last time on...
3 months ago
The Evening Standard, first published in 1827, went to press for the last time on Thursday.
<insert anecdotes here, including how it used to have competition, and how it used to be good, and how it used to cost money but you'd still buy it, and how it was never the same after...
diamond geezer
Bow Roundabout update #3
They've confirmed dates for the upcoming major roadworks at the Bow Roundabout.
This is annoying...
3 months ago
They've confirmed dates for the upcoming major roadworks at the Bow Roundabout.
This is annoying for a number of reasons.
It's hard to comprehend why local bus services have been worsened entirely unnecessarily for several weeks and I can only assume that this is because...
diamond geezer
England's 100 largest towns
One reason I went to Redditch is that it's one of England's largest towns and I'm trying to turn...
3 months ago
One reason I went to Redditch is that it's one of England's largest towns and I'm trying to turn this list blue. Admittedly it's only number 98, but every blogpost counts.
England's 100 largest towns and cities by population
1-10: London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol,...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Travel by Sea With Luxury, Sustainability, and Adventure
3 months ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
Explore the Arctic's Beauty and Wildlife on a Luxury Cruise
3 months ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
New Luxury Cruises in the Adriatic and Baltic Seas
3 months ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
The Best Places to Eat and Drink in Myrtle Beach, SC
3 months ago
diamond geezer
Redditch
Gadabout: REDDITCH
Redditch is an old market town a dozen miles south of Birmingham and marginally...
3 months ago
Gadabout: REDDITCH
Redditch is an old market town a dozen miles south of Birmingham and marginally in Worcestershire. It's also a new town, one of the second wave designated in the mid 1960s, and expanded considerably to create a car-friendly constellation of residential nuclei....
AFAR Media - Travel...
A Myrtle Beach Travel Guide for Travelers with Disabilities
3 months ago
diamond geezer
Coventry Street
COVENTRY
STREET
£260
London's Monopoly Streets
COVENTRY STREET
Colour group: yellow
Purchase...
3 months ago
COVENTRY
STREET
£260
London's Monopoly Streets
COVENTRY STREET
Colour group: yellow
Purchase price: £260
Rent: £22
Length: 200m
Borough: Westminster
Postcode: W1/WC2
Coventry Street owes its name to Charles II's secretary of state, Henry Coventry, who'd built a house here...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Myrtle Beach’s Sensory-Friendly Hotels, Spots, Restaurants
3 months ago
diamond geezer
The Royal Mail Experiment
Have you ever wondered whether the Royal Mail are failing to deliver your post on time? I've long...
3 months ago
Have you ever wondered whether the Royal Mail are failing to deliver your post on time? I've long thought it suspicious that I go days without post then a whole batch arrives together, and that bills seem to arrive long after they were posted. But without evidence all this is...
diamond geezer
Canary Wharf 25
Today is Canary Wharf station's 25th birthday. Not the DLR station (that's 33) nor the Crossrail...
3 months ago
Today is Canary Wharf station's 25th birthday. Not the DLR station (that's 33) nor the Crossrail station (that's 2) but the Jubilee line station which opened mid-afternoon on Friday 17th September 1999.
The relentless commercialisation of Canary Wharf station
"Twenty banks of...
Cheese and Biscuits
Hainan House, Angel
Hainan is an island off the south coast of China about the size of Vancouver Island - that makes it...
3 months ago
Hainan is an island off the south coast of China about the size of Vancouver Island - that makes it bigger than Sicily and Sardinia and twice the size of Hawaii, with a population of over 10 million people (more than London). And yet inevitably until last week I'd never heard of...
diamond geezer
Open House (2)
For Open House Day Two I zipped around the capital and visited seven different and quite varied...
3 months ago
For Open House Day Two I zipped around the capital and visited seven different and quite varied properties. It was a long day. I therefore don't have the time or energy to write about them all, not right now, so instead I've prioritised selecting some good photos and uploading...
diamond geezer
Open House (1)
It's that time of year again when hundreds of London properties open their doors to the public if...
3 months ago
It's that time of year again when hundreds of London properties open their doors to the public if you know where to look. It's also the time of year that I visit lots of places and write about them, so steel yourself. That said I only visited two yesterday, way out in far-flung...
diamond geezer
Birmingham stations quiz
Birmingham stations quiz
Birmingham.
1) Cider Pub
2) Fresh Road
3) Valets Path
4) Jump...
3 months ago
Birmingham stations quiz
Birmingham.
1) Cider Pub
2) Fresh Road
3) Valets Path
4) Jump Street
5) Upland Road
6) Student Hub
7) Tree Quartet
8) Stony Mound
9) Wintry Mount
10) Little Common
11) Half Half Ring
12) Perfume Forest
13) Dark Chocolate
14) Pork Substitute
15)...
diamond geezer
The news from Birmingham
Non-Hyperlocal update: The news from Birmingham
1) Ozzy the Bull, who you may remember stole the...
3 months ago
Non-Hyperlocal update: The news from Birmingham
1) Ozzy the Bull, who you may remember stole the show at the 2022 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, has been relocated to take pride of place at New Street station. To be fair he's been there since last summer but this is the...
diamond geezer
The news from Bow
Hyperlocal update: The news from Bow
1) The Bow East by-election took place on Thursday and we have...
3 months ago
Hyperlocal update: The news from Bow
1) The Bow East by-election took place on Thursday and we have a new councillor.
• Abdi Mohamed [Labour]: 53% (↑6%)
[Green]: 30% (↑14%)
[Conservative]: 10% (↑4%)
[Liberal Democrats]: 6% (↓2%)
It was a strong Labour performance, taking over...
diamond geezer
Anorak corner (tube edition)
Anorak Corner (the annual update) [tube edition]
Hurrah, it's that time of year again when TfL...
3 months ago
Anorak Corner (the annual update) [tube edition]
Hurrah, it's that time of year again when TfL silently updates its spreadsheet of annual passenger entry/exit totals at every tube station.
To be honest they did this last month, that's how silently the data was updated, but at...
Spoon & Tamago
Tentacle-Inspired Leather Accessories Handcrafted by Cokeco
Cokeco are a Fukuoka-based design duo who create leather accessories inspired by the natural...
3 months ago
Cokeco are a Fukuoka-based design duo who create leather accessories inspired by the natural curiosities of the world around them. Lately, their attention has been focused on sealife: specifically, our multi-limbed mollusc friends whose tentacles provide endless inspiration for...
diamond geezer
Kempton Park
One Stop Beyond: Kempton Park
In this series I'm taking the train one stop beyond the Greater...
3 months ago
One Stop Beyond: Kempton Park
In this series I'm taking the train one stop beyond the Greater London boundary, getting off and seeing what's there. Today that means Kempton Park, one stop beyond Hampton on the Shepperton line, a station which exists solely because of the...
diamond geezer
Pig Farm Alley
Underwhelming London: Pig Farm Alley, Worcester Park
Pig Farm Alley is a long straight path, off...
3 months ago
Underwhelming London: Pig Farm Alley, Worcester Park
Pig Farm Alley is a long straight path, off limits to traffic, in the London borough of Sutton. It runs from Trafalgar Avenue, off Stonecot Hill, to an edgeland nomansland by the Lower Morden Equestrian Centre. It's about a...
diamond geezer
London's weekly local papers
In Motspur Park I saw a newsagent that still has an advert for the Surrey Comet above the awning. Is...
3 months ago
In Motspur Park I saw a newsagent that still has an advert for the Surrey Comet above the awning. Is that still going, I wondered. And yes, it turns out it still publishes, though now as the Epsom & Surrey Comet.
weekly local newspapers London still has.
Barnet Borough...
Spoon & Tamago
Craft Your Own Salt From Over 600 Varieties at this New Salt Specialist in Tokyo
unless otherwise noted, all photos by Takeshi Shinto This summer, a unique store opened in Tokyo....
3 months ago
unless otherwise noted, all photos by Takeshi Shinto This summer, a unique store opened in Tokyo. Located just a few steps away from Tokyo Sky Tree is “Guruguru Shakashaka,” a salt specialty store that lets you explore 600 varieties of salt and then blend your own. Equally unique...
diamond geezer
W12W13W14
Over the weekend TfL withdrew bus route 549, extended route W13 and substantially restructured...
3 months ago
Over the weekend TfL withdrew bus route 549, extended route W13 and substantially restructured routes W12 and W14. I wrote about the changes last week, and how TfL's information strategy relied substantially on a very complicated map. I went back yesterday to see how the...
diamond geezer
Bow Roundabout update #2
Roadworks are supposed to have started at the Bow Roundabout but they haven't yet, indeed it's...
3 months ago
Roadworks are supposed to have started at the Bow Roundabout but they haven't yet, indeed it's possible they've actually been put back by two weeks. This is somewhat peeving given substantial bus mitigation has already taken place - five routes have had their frequency...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Royal Oak, Whatcote
There are so many different types of restaurant, so much variety in the ways and manner and styles...
3 months ago
There are so many different types of restaurant, so much variety in the ways and manner and styles that we eat out, that sometimes it's amazing we find anything in common about the experience at all. And yet somehow we do, and restaurant critics and food blogs exist because, by...
diamond geezer
Climbing Campden Hill
A Nice Walk: Campden Hill (¾ mile)
Campden Hill, a full 42 metres above sea level. Here it is on a...
3 months ago
A Nice Walk: Campden Hill (¾ mile)
Campden Hill, a full 42 metres above sea level. Here it is on a topographic map, a raw bruise to the east of Holland Park, entirely untroubled by public transport. [1872 map] [2024 map]
Campden Hill rises to the south of Notting Hill Gate,...
diamond geezer
It's this blog's 22nd birthday
It's diamond geezer's 22nd birthday.
It's not an especially notable anniversary, not like 21 or...
3 months ago
It's diamond geezer's 22nd birthday.
It's not an especially notable anniversary, not like 21 or 20, but it's still a big number.
diamond geezer
BBC Breaking News alerts
Like millions of Britons I have the BBC News app on my phone, and like millions of Britons I get...
3 months ago
Like millions of Britons I have the BBC News app on my phone, and like millions of Britons I get Breaking News alerts flashed to me on my screen when something happens. But all too often I find myself thinking "That's not breaking news", or even "that's not news", as another...
diamond geezer
Mildmay Weaver Windrush
We're still a couple of weeks away from the renaming of the Overground lines.
On the left is the...
3 months ago
We're still a couple of weeks away from the renaming of the Overground lines.
On the left is the list of Overground line closures displayed at every station this week...
It may look unfamiliar, and the line names may not mean much to you yet.
But I'd hope we can agree it's...
diamond geezer
Bow Roundabout update #1
Roadworks have yet to start at the Bow Roundabout but buses on route 8 have already been curtailed...
3 months ago
Roadworks have yet to start at the Bow Roundabout but buses on route 8 have already been curtailed so they no longer start at Bus Stop M. Unfortunately nobody's told the passengers yet. They're still standing around waiting for buses that aren't coming, some for ages until the...
diamond geezer
Redbridge Museum reopens
The London borough of Redbridge has boasted a solid mid-table museum since 2000, housed in a bespoke...
3 months ago
The London borough of Redbridge has boasted a solid mid-table museum since 2000, housed in a bespoke corner on the second floor of Ilford's main library. But it's needed a bit of a refresh for a while so they used lockdown as a chance to start updating it with lottery money and...
diamond geezer
Poor predictions
Two years ago today Liz Truss became Prime Minister. That went well.
I took the opportunity to ask...
3 months ago
Two years ago today Liz Truss became Prime Minister. That went well.
I took the opportunity to ask who you thought would win the next General Election. I offered four options and asked you to "pick the outcome you expect, not the outcome you want". 83 of you had a...
diamond geezer
Route 549
London's next dead bus
549: Loughton to South Woodford
Location: outer London/Essex
Length of...
3 months ago
London's next dead bus
549: Loughton to South Woodford
Location: outer London/Essex
Length of journey: 5 miles, 30 minutes
549, which dies tomorrow, is one of London's weirder bus routes. It was transferred to TfL control from Essex in 2003, hence the unusual opening digit. It...
diamond geezer
Rejigging the Bow Roundabout
(this is the first post written on my new laptop)
(Windows 11 remains very unfamiliar - a lot's...
3 months ago
(this is the first post written on my new laptop)
(Windows 11 remains very unfamiliar - a lot's changed since 7!)
I'm still trying to work out what's going on with the imminent roadworks at the Bow Roundabout. I keep checking the Causeway one.network map where everything's...
diamond geezer
Slowing the Bow Roundabout
(this is the last post written on my old laptop)
temporary timetables on bus routes 25, 205, 276,...
3 months ago
(this is the last post written on my old laptop)
temporary timetables on bus routes 25, 205, 276, 277 and 425 "to help with reliability during roadworks at the Bow Roundabout and displacement of traffic onto local roads". For example buses on route 25 usually run every 7-8...
Cheese and Biscuits
Mamapen at the Sun and 13 Cantons, Soho
There are a few pubs in London notable for their hosting of fledgling food businesses, giving...
3 months ago
There are a few pubs in London notable for their hosting of fledgling food businesses, giving talented but cash-strapped teams a chance to test their market and their cooking skills without the risk and stress of opening a completely brand new restaurant. Over the years, you will...
diamond geezer
Leicester Square
LEICESTER
SQUARE
£260
London's Monopoly Streets
LEICESTER SQUARE
Colour group: yellow
Purchase...
3 months ago
LEICESTER
SQUARE
£260
London's Monopoly Streets
LEICESTER SQUARE
Colour group: yellow
Purchase price: £260
Rent: £22
Area: 2 acres
Borough: Westminster
Postcode: WC2
And so to the yellows, the 'entertainment' corner of the Monopoly board. One theory has it that their ordered...
diamond geezer
Route 310
Route 310: Golders Green - Stamford Hill
Length of journey: 7 miles, 45 minutes
promised during the...
3 months ago
Route 310: Golders Green - Stamford Hill
Length of journey: 7 miles, 45 minutes
promised during the Mayoral election. It shadows two existing bus routes. It's being delivered on a twelve-month trial basis. It runs every day but not all of the day. It tackles one very specific...
diamond geezer
Unblogged August
31 unblogged things I did in August
Thu 1: A new coffee shop has opened just inside the gateline at...
3 months ago
31 unblogged things I did in August
Thu 1: A new coffee shop has opened just inside the gateline at Whitechapel station (or at least I assumed it was new because it didn't have a name displayed anywhere, whereas apparently it opened in June). It turns out they're called Yellow...
diamond geezer
September events diary 2024
It's almost September again but never fear, London's putting on a last flurry of events, activities...
3 months ago
It's almost September again but never fear, London's putting on a last flurry of events, activities and happenings before the nights draw in and we're all invited. Here's my weekend-by-weekend guide to free September delights.
All month
Totally Thames (Sep 1-30): Once again a...
diamond geezer
TfL FoI requests in August 2024
20 things we learnt from TfL FoI requests in August 2024
1) In 2023/24 TfL sold 3,143,828 One Day...
3 months ago
20 things we learnt from TfL FoI requests in August 2024
1) In 2023/24 TfL sold 3,143,828 One Day Travelcards (down 38% on 2018/19). They also sold 3,849,293 Weekly Travelcards (down 65%), 801,367 Monthly Travelcards (down 67%) and only 15,192 Annual Travelcards (down 80%).
2)...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Blind Bull, Little Hucklow
A large menu is rarely a good sign, and I have to admit a part of my heart sank when I sat down at...
3 months ago
A large menu is rarely a good sign, and I have to admit a part of my heart sank when I sat down at the Blind Bull and counted 12 items in the starters section, 6 mains, 3 sides and 5 desserts (even if I'm being kind and counting all the ice creams as one) - fully 26 dishes...
diamond geezer
Poverest
This is a sponsored post on behalf of the Poverest Tourist Board
Visit Poverest - London's Secret...
3 months ago
This is a sponsored post on behalf of the Poverest Tourist Board
Visit Poverest - London's Secret Leisure Destination
Poverest, the charming outer London suburb handily located on the Chislehurst Road, where a good time is always on offer. [map]
Ask anyone in Poverest where...
diamond geezer
Opening up the Thames Path
I'm indebted to Ian Visits for alerting me that a new stretch of the Thames Path has just opened up....
3 months ago
I'm indebted to Ian Visits for alerting me that a new stretch of the Thames Path has just opened up. It's alongside Craven Cottage, the home of Fulham FC, where previously you had to divert inland around three sides of the stadium. That's no longer necessary because a new...
diamond geezer
London's most extreme roundabouts
London's most extreme roundabouts
i.e. the largest, smallest, deepest, farthest, earliest,...
3 months ago
London's most extreme roundabouts
i.e. the largest, smallest, deepest, farthest, earliest, weirdest, exitiest... all the extremes.
roundabout anyway, and will also have gaps, omissions and inaccuracies, but thankfully a lot of my readers are inquisitive research-friendly...
diamond geezer
Theobalds Grove
One Stop Beyond: Theobalds Grove
In this series I'm taking the train one stop beyond the Greater...
3 months ago
One Stop Beyond: Theobalds Grove
In this series I'm taking the train one stop beyond the Greater London boundary, getting off and seeing what's there. Today that means Theobalds Grove, one stop beyond Turkey Street on the Southbury Loop, better known these days as the Weaver...
diamond geezer
From eight to nine
Yesterday I undertook the not inconsequential task of buying a new laptop, something I'd been...
4 months ago
Yesterday I undertook the not inconsequential task of buying a new laptop, something I'd been putting off for a long time.
2020 and your collective advice was "if it's still working keep using it" so I did. It's got slower, as you'd expect, but I've worked around that and put up...
diamond geezer
Replacing Overground signage
The renaming of the Overground lines draws closer, indeed should be taking place next month. The...
4 months ago
The renaming of the Overground lines draws closer, indeed should be taking place next month. The original intention was for the changeover to be in August in conjunction with a new tube map, but that's not happened so technically it's late. That said, an awful lot of signage on...
diamond geezer
50 dull lists
50 dull lists
UK cities without a railway station: Armagh, Ripon, St Asaph, St Davids,...
4 months ago
50 dull lists
UK cities without a railway station: Armagh, Ripon, St Asaph, St Davids, Wells
Commemorative stamps 2024: Spice Girls, Weather forecasting, Vikings, Dinosaurs, 100 years of commemorative stamps, Peppa Pig, Dogs, Red Arrows, Dungeons & Dragons, Tower of London,...
diamond geezer
The refillable water bottle tube map
If you were wondering what symbol would be added to the tube map next, how about a refillable water...
4 months ago
If you were wondering what symbol would be added to the tube map next, how about a refillable water bottle?
It's always obvious retrospectively.
Overground network, hence the map is titled "London Overground stations with free drinking water fountains". The new symbol thus...
diamond geezer
Where's Gail's?
The bakery chain Gail's has been busy spreading its sourdough tentacles across London over recent...
4 months ago
The bakery chain Gail's has been busy spreading its sourdough tentacles across London over recent years. It had been doing this successfully and also quietly until it dared to suggest opening a branch in Walthamstow Village whose residents promptly set up a petition to campaign...
diamond geezer
Fenchurch Street
FENCHURCH
STREET
STATION
🚂
£200
London's Monopoly Streets
FENCHURCH STREET STATION
Group:...
4 months ago
FENCHURCH
STREET
STATION
🚂
£200
London's Monopoly Streets
FENCHURCH STREET STATION
Group: British Railways
Purchase price: £200
Rent: £25
Annual passengers: 10 million
Borough: City of London
Postcode: EC3
Fenchurch Street was between 1923 and 1948. It's a small and mostly...
diamond geezer
I'd never do that
I caught the train from Whitechapel to Stratford, just the one stop, and saw lots of people doings...
4 months ago
I caught the train from Whitechapel to Stratford, just the one stop, and saw lots of people doings things I'd never do.
The woman alongside was eating chips, and I'd never do that. The smell of hot food always permeates, indeed her wafting fried odour proved this, so I prefer...
AFAR Media - Travel...
7 Articles on Adventure and Wellness in the Nordic Countries
4 months ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
7 Articles on Adventure and Wellness in the Nordic Countries
4 months ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
8 Lesser-Known Places to Visit in the Nordic Countries
4 months ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
An Insider’s Guide to Wellness Travel in Sweden and Norway
4 months ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
Why Denmark and Finland Are Must-Visits for Foodies
4 months ago
diamond geezer
On multiple OS maps
This is the town of Purley.
three OS Landranger maps.
Landranger maps, each drawn to a scale of...
4 months ago
This is the town of Purley.
three OS Landranger maps.
Landranger maps, each drawn to a scale of 1:50000, and between them they cover the whole of Great Britain and its islands.
maps tend to align precisely with their neighbours so places appear on one or the other. But...
Spoon & Tamago
Abstract Paintings by Yuna Ogina Depict Intimate Human Connections
Tokyo-based artist Ogino Yuna creates semi-abstract paintings using motifs of living things that are...
4 months ago
Tokyo-based artist Ogino Yuna creates semi-abstract paintings using motifs of living things that are familiar to her, such as flowers and people. But for her latest exhibition, which just opened in Tokyo, the artist has pointed her brush at one of the most basic yet intimate...
diamond geezer
Hayling Island
Seaside postcard: Hayling Island
Hayling Island lies just off the south coast near the mouth of the...
4 months ago
Seaside postcard: Hayling Island
Hayling Island lies just off the south coast near the mouth of the Solent, just east of Portsmouth. It's England's 7th largest offshore island and 5th most populous, some way behind Wight and Portsea respectively, both of which are nextdoor. It...
Spoon & Tamago
Minimal and Tranquil Charcoal Drawings by Masahiko Minami
“TRYST” (2021) by Masahiko Minami. Charcoal and mixed-media on wood panel Masahiko Minami works with...
4 months ago
“TRYST” (2021) by Masahiko Minami. Charcoal and mixed-media on wood panel Masahiko Minami works with charcoal and graphite to create minimalist landscapes in dramatic contrast. At once both familiar and foreign, the landscapes present a tension between absence and depth,...
diamond geezer
Havant
Until yesterday I hadn't been to Havant.
Havant is a large town in southeast Hampshire on the way...
4 months ago
Until yesterday I hadn't been to Havant.
Havant is a large town in southeast Hampshire on the way to Portsmouth.
They Havant got many old buildings because most of the town burnt in a fire in 1760. Only the church and a row of cottages survived.
St Faith's and they found...
diamond geezer
Hyperlocal news
HYPERLOCAL HISTORY MONTH: Looking forward
(I'm not sure things happening in September really count...
4 months ago
HYPERLOCAL HISTORY MONTH: Looking forward
(I'm not sure things happening in September really count as History, but they are Hyperlocal)
Major roadworks at Bow Interchange
announced temporary timetables are being introduced on bus routes 25, 205, 276, 277, 425 and D7 starting on...
diamond geezer
Bus timetables are rubbish
TfL run all their services to timetable, but increasingly hide these from the public on the...
4 months ago
TfL run all their services to timetable, but increasingly hide these from the public on the assumption we don't need to know.
"The timetable redesign follows research that shows people want even more simplistic bus information than already exists. People want larger type and...
AFAR Media - Travel...
A Local Baker’s Top Picks to Maine’s Best Winter Adventures
4 months ago
diamond geezer
Random Grid Square TQ2492
Greater London contains around 2000 National Grid squares, each 1km by 1km in size. What I like to...
4 months ago
Greater London contains around 2000 National Grid squares, each 1km by 1km in size. What I like to do, very occasionally, is pick one at random, visit it and write about what's there.
Which random grid square did I pick? TQ2492
Where is it? Frith Manor in the borough of Barnet,...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Where to Explore Maine’s Outdoors and Dining—a Local's Guide
4 months ago
diamond geezer
Banksy's zoo
Over the course of the last nine days, the artist Banksy has been out daily painting animals at...
4 months ago
Over the course of the last nine days, the artist Banksy has been out daily painting animals at various locations across London. As publicity goes it's been a summer season masterstroke.
Some have since been removed, some have been screened off, some have been further...
AFAR Media - Travel...
What to Eat, Do, and See, and Where to Stay, in Maine
4 months ago
diamond geezer
The exclaves of Sutton
This is Saffron Close, one of the exclaves* of Sutton.
exclave, noun (plural exclaves)
A portion...
4 months ago
This is Saffron Close, one of the exclaves* of Sutton.
exclave, noun (plural exclaves)
A portion of a country's territory not connected to the main part.
It's a very ordinary late 20th century cul-de-sac, not far from the tram stop at Therapia Lane in the vicinity of Mitcham...
diamond geezer
30s update
This is probably a good day for my annual heatwave update.
Dates on which the temperature at...
4 months ago
This is probably a good day for my annual heatwave update.
Dates on which the temperature at Hampstead reached 30°C
JunJulAugSep
2010279/10
201127
2012 2518
2013 13 15/16/17 221
2014 18
2015 122
2016 18/19/202413
201717/18/19/20/216
2018 5/6/7/8 15 23 25/26/272/3...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Barn at Moor Hall, Ormskirk
In restaurants that offer both an A La Carte and parallel set menu I often play a bit of a thought...
4 months ago
In restaurants that offer both an A La Carte and parallel set menu I often play a bit of a thought experiment. If there was no such separation of options, and if all the dishes available were priced evenly on the same list, which would I end up going for?
Set menus (usually,...
diamond geezer
Poohsticks Bridge
In deepest East Sussex, on the edge of Ashdown Forest, is a famous bridge where a six year-old boy...
4 months ago
In deepest East Sussex, on the edge of Ashdown Forest, is a famous bridge where a six year-old boy and a fictional bear invented a waterborne race.
There was a broad track, almost as broad as a road, leading from the Outland to the Forest, but before it could come to the...
diamond geezer
25 years of hurt
25 years ago today a total solar eclipse could be seen from the UK. How is that ever quarter of a...
4 months ago
25 years ago today a total solar eclipse could be seen from the UK. How is that ever quarter of a century ago?
small part of the UK mainland in south Devon and Cornwall, arriving over Land's End at 11:10am and departing near Salcombe five minutes later. All you had to do to...
diamond geezer
Banksy's animals
Over the course of this week, the artist Bansky has been out daily painting an animal at various...
4 months ago
Over the course of this week, the artist Bansky has been out daily painting an animal at various locations across London. The sequence of events generally goes like this.
Overnight: Bansky (or his henchpeople) paint an animal silhouette on a wall somewhere.
Early morning: Local...
diamond geezer
Football pre-season update
Football pre-season update
Olympic Men's Football, as of three minutes ago, it's time to look...
4 months ago
Football pre-season update
Olympic Men's Football, as of three minutes ago, it's time to look forward 11 minutes to the start of the new football season.
Championship at 8pm tonight with a pair of opening matches, one between title contenders Blackburn Rovers and title...
diamond geezer
Let's vote again (Bow East version)
HYPERLOCAL HISTORY MONTH: Let's vote again
Bow East you're about to get another chance to place a...
4 months ago
HYPERLOCAL HISTORY MONTH: Let's vote again
Bow East you're about to get another chance to place a cross on a ballot paper, and all because 15302 voters put their cross on a ballot paper somewhere else.
by-election is being held in Bow East ward for a seat on Tower Hamlets...
diamond geezer
One Stop Beyond
But what are the first stations beyond the Greater London boundary?
Herts
Moor Park...
4 months ago
But what are the first stations beyond the Greater London boundary?
Herts
Moor Park z6/7
Carpenders Park z7
Herts
Elstree and
Borehamwood z6
Potters Bar
Herts
Cuffley
Theobalds Grove z7
Waltham Cross z7
Essex
Buckhurst Hill z5
Roding Valley z4
Grange Hill...
diamond geezer
Hinchley Wood
One Stop Beyond: Hinchley Wood
Hinchley Wood, one stop beyond Surbiton on the New Guildford...
4 months ago
One Stop Beyond: Hinchley Wood
Hinchley Wood, one stop beyond Surbiton on the New Guildford line.
unsung fields to the east of Esher, officially in the parish of Thames Ditton, sliced through by a non-stopping railway. What changed things was the arrival of the Kingston Bypass...
diamond geezer
Tickets are being accepted on alternative services
The tube was seriously disrupted in northwest London yesterday morning when a signal failure at...
4 months ago
The tube was seriously disrupted in northwest London yesterday morning when a signal failure at Wembley Park caused line closures and serious delays. And the advice which popped up is the advice which often pops up in such a situation, which is that tickets were being accepted on...
diamond geezer
You must have a valid ticket before boarding
Last month there were significant closures on the DLR and a replacement bus service ran.
And...
4 months ago
Last month there were significant closures on the DLR and a replacement bus service ran.
And there was one particular sentence that surprised me the most.
"You must have a valid ticket before boarding the replacement bus service."
I've never seen that before, not on a TfL...
Spoon & Tamago
Isometric Drawings of Sento, Kissaten and other Japanese Establishments by Honami Enya
rendering of the Takara-yu sento in Tokyo Japanese illustrator Enya Honami uses a style of...
4 months ago
rendering of the Takara-yu sento in Tokyo Japanese illustrator Enya Honami uses a style of architectural rendering known as isometric drawings to faithfully recreate cross-sections of Japanese public bathhouses, or sento. Honami is a skilled draughtswoman by trade, having...
diamond geezer
Trafalgar Square
TRAFALGAR
SQUARE
£240
London's Monopoly Streets
TRAFALGAR SQUARE
Colour group: red
Purchase...
4 months ago
TRAFALGAR
SQUARE
£240
London's Monopoly Streets
TRAFALGAR SQUARE
Colour group: red
Purchase price: £240
Rent: £20
Area: 3 acres
Borough: Westminster
Postcode: WC2
four streets on the Monopoly board (all the pinks plus Strand) and is also a property in its own right. I've...
diamond geezer
Why are people wrong?
Why are people wrong?
There's no need to be wrong these days, all the facts are there. All you...
4 months ago
Why are people wrong?
There's no need to be wrong these days, all the facts are there. All you need to do is look.
It's not clear where all this wrongness comes from. Nobody's born with wrong opinions but many accrue them later in life. Could be nature, could be nurture,...
Spoon & Tamago
Tomohiro Inaba Invites Viewers to Complete the Story of His Sculptures
“To the promised land” (2024) | installation view at YukikoMizutani Tomohiro Inaba is an artist who...
4 months ago
“To the promised land” (2024) | installation view at YukikoMizutani Tomohiro Inaba is an artist who creates sculptures that engage the viewer through their own imagination. Depending on your point of view, Inaba’s works look like they’re either disintegrating into mid-air or or...
diamond geezer
Sullivanlessness
London's only independent bus operator threw in the towel on Friday, withdrawing their services from...
4 months ago
London's only independent bus operator threw in the towel on Friday, withdrawing their services from eleven routes in north London. Sullivan Buses have operated out of South Mimms since 1998 and will continue to run their Herts-based services as usual. But boss Dean Sullivan has...
diamond geezer
Three 15-minute posts
Here are the other three submissions to my "Write A Post in 15 minutes" challenge. They have more of...
4 months ago
Here are the other three submissions to my "Write A Post in 15 minutes" challenge. They have more of an out and about theme. The first is from Peter who lives in south Devon, not actually in Honiton but fairly close. The second is from Lorenzo and was originally laid out with ten...
Spoon & Tamago
Manga Artist Hirohiko Araki Pays Tribute to Osaka Station’s History and Culture with New Public Art...
Osaka Station just got a little more bizzare. Manga artist Hirohiko Araki, known best for his epic...
4 months ago
Osaka Station just got a little more bizzare. Manga artist Hirohiko Araki, known best for his epic saga Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, has installed his first-ever public art piece at Osaka Station’s West Gate. Titled “Fountain Boy,” the circular, back-lit sculpture pays homage to the...
diamond geezer
Six 15-minute posts
Here are six brief posts, none of which I spent more than 15 minutes on.
1) The consultation...
4 months ago
Here are six brief posts, none of which I spent more than 15 minutes on.
1) The consultation report for "Extending the DLR from Gallions Reach to Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead" has just been published. At this very early stage in the project it focused on asking people...
diamond geezer
Lower Lea Valley Bus Review
HYPERLOCAL BUS NEWS: Lower Lea Valley Bus Review
development papers focused on particular...
4 months ago
HYPERLOCAL BUS NEWS: Lower Lea Valley Bus Review
development papers focused on particular geographical areas. A recent set covers the Lower Lea Valley, an area of "historically relatively low trip-generating industrial land progressively transforming into higher trip-generating...
diamond geezer
Hyperlocal History Month
August is often Local History Month on diamond geezer. I thought this year I might go hyperlocal and...
4 months ago
August is often Local History Month on diamond geezer. I thought this year I might go hyperlocal and bring you historical details of objects and places particularly close to home. We'll see how it goes.
HYPERLOCAL HISTORY MONTH: My fridge
My fridge is four years old, having...
diamond geezer
TfL FoI requests in July 2024
20 things we learnt from TfL FoI requests in July 2024
1) TfL will not reveal the maximum speed on...
4 months ago
20 things we learnt from TfL FoI requests in July 2024
1) TfL will not reveal the maximum speed on each tube line because "disclosure of the information you have requested would be likely to adversely affect the safety and security of TfL employees and members of the general...
diamond geezer
Unblogged July
31 unblogged things I did in July
Mon 1: "Oooh," I thought, "I bet that's the last London park in...
4 months ago
31 unblogged things I did in July
Mon 1: "Oooh," I thought, "I bet that's the last London park in alphabetical order, I wonder what the first is." So if you see a post one day called The A-Z of London Parks, that's where the idea came from.
Tue 2: Unblogged follow-up to my Free...
AFAR Media - Travel...
4 Kessler Collection Hotels with Art in the Southern U.S.
4 months ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
4 Kessler Collection Hotels with Art in the Southern U.S.
4 months ago
diamond geezer
The best value London sightseeing bus
The best value London sightseeing bus
It's hard to get an objective opinion. If you head to the...
4 months ago
The best value London sightseeing bus
It's hard to get an objective opinion. If you head to the Visit London website it turns out they have an affiliate deal with Golden Tours and promote them heavily at the top of their list, with two other operators tucked a long way down and...
diamond geezer
The Ivers
Today is Buckinghamshire Day, a celebration of all things Northwest Home Counties, or at least it is...
4 months ago
Today is Buckinghamshire Day, a celebration of all things Northwest Home Counties, or at least it is if you're a flagpole fetishist or a features writer with a gap to fill. It might sound historic but was actually conjured up in 2015 for no better reason than that on 29th July...
diamond geezer
Watch
AcquaintanceWatch #28July
Wochabinupto?
Blog visitors: 0
Blog comments: 0
Blog content:
Hours out:...
4 months ago
AcquaintanceWatch #28July
Wochabinupto?
Blog visitors: 0
Blog comments: 0
Blog content:
Hours out: 0
Nights out: 0
Alcohol intake: 0 Becks
Tea intake: 0
Trains used: 0
Steps walked: 0
Mystery count: 0
comments if(postComments['231203823120386'] != null){document.write(' (' +...
diamond geezer
Some transport news
Some transport news
Overground news
It's only accessible via QR code so it's not that...
5 months ago
Some transport news
Overground news
It's only accessible via QR code so it's not that accessible, but I clicked through and discovered the URL is vin.cloud.gomedia.io/HOXTON so you can check it out too. The homescreen is a list of the next three departures and their expected...
diamond geezer
Summer Olympics of my lifetime
Summer Olympics of my lifetime
10th October 1964: Tokyo
Tokyo Melody by Helmut Zacharias - and...
5 months ago
Summer Olympics of my lifetime
10th October 1964: Tokyo
Tokyo Melody by Helmut Zacharias - and helped propel it to number 9 in the singles chart. As one of a limited number of 7-inches in our record box while I was growing up it got a lot of plays, and I still subliminally love...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Upgrading to Lufthansa Allegris’ New Business Class
5 months ago
Spoon & Tamago
New Rent-Free Apartments Aspire to Support Budding Manga Artists
a rendering of Manga Apartment VUY, for which occupancy will begin in March 2025 For many years, a...
5 months ago
a rendering of Manga Apartment VUY, for which occupancy will begin in March 2025 For many years, a model has existed in Japan in which subsidized housing supports manga artists who are early in their career and have not yet established an audience. One of the earliest was the...
diamond geezer
Rail & Heritage Loop
A Nice Walk?: Rail & Heritage Loop (18 miles)
Buro Happold, in association with social enterprise...
5 months ago
A Nice Walk?: Rail & Heritage Loop (18 miles)
Buro Happold, in association with social enterprise Footways, have just launched a new circular walking route linking 10 central London rail termini. It's not meant for speedy connections, more for recreational wandering, and ticks...
Cheese and Biscuits
Cafe Kitty, Soho
For someone who spends an unhealthy amount of time thinking about and reading about restaurants, I...
5 months ago
For someone who spends an unhealthy amount of time thinking about and reading about restaurants, I consider it a personal failing that I didn't connect Cafe Kitty (Soho) with Kitty Fisher's (Mayfair) until it came up in conversation about halfway through dinner. In my defence,...
diamond geezer
Rooms Through TIme
The Museum of the Home in Hoxton has evolved again. It used to be the Geffrye Museum, a linear...
5 months ago
The Museum of the Home in Hoxton has evolved again. It used to be the Geffrye Museum, a linear celebration of historic middle-class interiors. In 1998 it extended beyond the almshouses into a loopy extension with cafe and gift shop. In 2021 they added a thematic basement, shifted...
diamond geezer
Fleet Street
FLEET
STREET
£220
London's Monopoly Streets
FLEET STREET
Colour group: red
Purchase price:...
5 months ago
FLEET
STREET
£220
London's Monopoly Streets
FLEET STREET
Colour group: red
Purchase price: £220
Rent: £18
Length: 500m
Borough: City of London
Postcode: EC4
Fleet Street precisely links the edge of the ancient walled city (at Ludgate) to the edge of the expanded medieval...
diamond geezer
Numberplate games and how to play them
Numberplate games and how to play them
A 123 BCD
CNPS, in which you have to spot all the numbers...
5 months ago
Numberplate games and how to play them
A 123 BCD
CNPS, in which you have to spot all the numbers from 1 to 999 in order. First you spot a 1, then a 2, all the way up to 999. It just takes a very long time to complete. I played it once and it took nearly four years, eventually...
diamond geezer
RM70
Every 10 years the Routemaster Association likes to take over Finsbury Park with a mass line-up of...
5 months ago
Every 10 years the Routemaster Association likes to take over Finsbury Park with a mass line-up of London's favourite heritage vehicle, the RM bus. Unfortunately this year Haringey council made things difficult so the 70th anniversary bash, RM70, had to find a different home....
diamond geezer
Washside postcards
Washside postcards: Hunstanton → King's Lynn
✉ Head south from Hunstanton and the first village you...
5 months ago
Washside postcards: Hunstanton → King's Lynn
✉ Head south from Hunstanton and the first village you graze is Heacham, home of Norfolk Lavender. It describes itself as "England's premier lavender farm (est. 1932) with nearly 100 acres of lavender" so we had high hopes, but it was...
diamond geezer
Hunstanton
Seaside postcard: Hunstanton
Hunstanton is a seaside town at the northwest tip of Norfolk and...
5 months ago
Seaside postcard: Hunstanton
Hunstanton is a seaside town at the northwest tip of Norfolk and reputedly the only resort on the East Coast that faces west. It's like Great Yarmouth in that it boasts amusements, tattoos and chippies, but also smaller, newer, remoter, genteeler,...
diamond geezer
Bus of the day 197
Bus Route Of The Day
197: Croydon to Peckham
Quadrant: London southeast
Length of journey: 10 miles,...
5 months ago
Bus Route Of The Day
197: Croydon to Peckham
Quadrant: London southeast
Length of journey: 10 miles, 65 minutes
Because it's 19th July I've been out riding the 197, because that's the Bus Route Of The Day. My apologies for the repetition.
Threepenny Bit building, stopping not...
diamond geezer
NewsBites From Norfolk
NewsBites From Norfolk
(It's been a busy week)
n.b. one of these didn't actually happen, sorry.
5 months ago
NewsBites From Norfolk
(It's been a busy week)
n.b. one of these didn't actually happen, sorry.
Spoon & Tamago
An Ethereal Bubble Emerges from a Japanese Townhouse in New Art Installation by MAD Architects
photos by Osamu Nakamura In Niigata prefecture’s Murono Village, a surreal scene has unfolded…or...
5 months ago
photos by Osamu Nakamura In Niigata prefecture’s Murono Village, a surreal scene has unfolded…or should I say, inflated? From the rear of an abandoned townhouse a colossal, semi-transparent bubble has emerged, immediately transforming the quiet village into what could easily be...
AFAR Media - Travel...
The Best Theme Parks, Festivals, and More in Florida
5 months ago
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