I'm a firm believer that if you wait long enough a lot of expensive places can eventually be visited for free. So it is with the London Wetland Centre, indeed all WWT reserves, which are offering free entry this week to celebrate World Wetlands Day. I last visited in 2006 when admission was also free, saving £6.75, and this year I've saved considerably more by flashing a barcode in a complimentary email. Venue: London Wetland Centre Location: Queen Elizabeth's Walk, Barnes, SW13 9SA [map] Open: 10am - 5.30pm (closes 4.30pm in Winter) Admission: £16.50 5-word summary: reclaimed reservoirs, now waterfowl airport Website: wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/london Time to set aside: at least an afternoon The site at Barn Elms lies within the great Boat-Race curve of the Thames, facing Fulham across the river and accessed via Barnes. Entry is across a footbridge over a gratuitous lake, just to set the scene, past a bronze statue of Sir Peter Scott in wellies making observational notes on two Bewick's Swans. I don't think the guano smearing his hair was part of the sculptor's original vision but it did feel appropriate. Then it's into the Visitor Centre to pay up (or not, as applicable), and then you're out into the main courtyard ready to spot birds. Leave the gift shop to the end, it is indeed an integral part of the exit procedure. What lies ahead is a complex of lakes, lagoons and reedbeds very approximately square in shape. The important thing is you can't walk all the way round the edge because the northern quadrant is kept people-free, so the two options are to walk left as far as you can go or right as far as you can go, then come back and do the other one. Before you head off check the screen with a list of daily sightings (oooh) and then look for the stairs leading to The Observatory. This is a balconied space behind a huge glass wall with a great view across the site and offers the chance to spot birds on the nearest lake. Almost all of the waterside is reed-edged so you need to take your observation opportunities when you can and this is the only elevated warm one. otters so don't expect a sensational aquatic act, but they did eventually emerge yesterday and do some cute things with straw... and Bob flew off sadly unsatisfied. For the serious visitor the site's true highlights are the hides, six in total, each with a different waterside aspect. If you're not familiar these are shielded spaces with slotty windows allowing birds to be seen without seeing you. If you are familiar you'll know they have seats or perches allowing lengthy periods of observation, and ledges where you can rest your extremely large lens and watch the action. I always feel underdressed when I turn up with my tiny 8×21 binoculars sourced by redeeming Orange reward points rather than the optical Alpenhorns that proper birders bring, but equally I wouldn't know what I was looking at anyway. The South route has more of a child-visitor-focus, including a pond zone, a sound garden and an adventure playground. It's well done and also partly educational, including for example a plughole you can walk through to discover what not to flush. More active kids will appreciate the Wild Walk, a chain of planks which hugs the edge of the Fritillary Meadow and threatens a muddy denouement should you fall. At the far end is a proper rope bridge, which in the absence of small children was being enjoyed by adults and even grey-haired visitors instead. It felt perfectly fine as I strode on, then started wobbling and bouncing unnervingly as I approached the middle, and that was without anyone else stomping along to make things worse. I saved the tallest hide for last, the Peacock Tower, which boasts views of lake, scrape, lagoon or marsh depending which way you look. Climbing to the second floor offers the best panorama, be that of water, birds or the west London skyline, and yes there's a lift should your twitching needs require step-free access. Here was the greatest concentration of serious observers, notebooks at hand, occasionally muttering "widgeon, shoveler, two teal" to a neighbour before raising their glasses again. I can see the value of annual WWT membership if waterfowl are your thing, especially at just £4.50 a month, but I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to have free rein for just one day. At time of writing £0 tickets for today and tomorrow are still available and who's to say what flapping wonders you might see.

Hyperlocal update: New supermarket comes to E3 SimplyFresh, specifically to Bromley-by-Bow. Which is extraordinary. dual carriageway and think "this is a bit bleak", and the adjacent streets wouldn't have changed your mind. But today a fringe of highrise flats is gradually infilling the space between the A12 and the river Lea - the usual bricky stacks - and people are living here who'd never have dreamed of moving in before. Leaside Lock, despite not facing Bow Locks and despite only one building being beside the Lea. Buildings thus far constructed instead face either the A12 or the District line, neither of which were deemed appropriate for naming purposes. This however hasn't stopped people moving in, nor stopped the sales team writing some absolutely premier bolx. THE NEW heart OF BROMLEY-BY-BOW, BEATING WITH EAST LONDON PERSONALITY So far the only on-site facility is the 'state-of-the-art' gym, an essential component of many a millennial morning, which opened back in October. The supermarket will be next in a prime location immediately adjacent to the subway, tucked into the empty unit under the tallest tower. It's appeared to be on the verge of opening for several weeks because the shelves were already stacked with non-perishables, indeed December looked to be a strong possibility, but instead much interior faffing continued and now it's February. The most recent update is a sheet of A4 sellotaped to the door which says "We apologise for the opening delayed due to some work in progress. we will be open Soon." But this weekend they've finally filled the vegetable racks with carrots and onions and yesterday I saw someone at the back adding packets to the chiller cabinets so I guess opening day can't be very far away. Might even be today. Tesco Extra with its three dozen aisles of options. There's also a Sainsbury's Local on the other side of the A12 catering for the convenience needs of everyone who turns right out of the station rather than left. This new SimplyFresh supermarket will only be the closest food store to the 965 properties at Leaside Lock, only half of which have so far been completed. Technically it isn't needed, but equally residents in loungewear will appreciate not having to dash the extra two minutes for their Doritos, muesli and Andrex. SimplyFresh claims to be "an upmarket grocery store concept focusing on local and best-of-British products anchored by an organic healthy range of food", "born out of a shared desire to want something better". They have SimplyFreshes in Stratford-upon-Avon, Cheltenham, West Wimbledon and Dulwich, not to mention a store in a village outside Cheddar. Admittedly they also have branches on university campuses, at St James's Park tube station and in Bethnal Green so they're not overly snobby, but who'd have guessed there was a business case for an organic-first outlet on the Blackwall Tunnel Approach Road?  Simply  Fresh Tesco  Heinz beans (415g, pack of 4)£4.49£3.75 can of Spam (340g)£4.29£3.50 Batchelors Mushy Peas (300g)£1.3960p Napolina chopped tomatoes (400g) £1.20£1.00 Loyd Grossman sauce (350g)£3.39£3.00 Fray Bentos Steak Pie£3.50£2.80 Pot Noodle (King Pot)£1.75£1.35 Heinz Tomato Ketchup (low salt)£3.95£3.00 Colman's mustard (100g) £2.49£2.00 jar of Bovril (250g)£5.09£4.55 own brand squeezy mayo (500ml)£1.55£1.07 value tin of sliced carrots (300ml)99p50p TOTAL£34.08£27.12 26% more at SimplyFresh compared to Tesco and I have no reason to think that's not a ballpark figure. It is, I confess, a highly hyperlocal issue. But if you're also a frequenter of small local stores or premier outlets I wonder if you've ever done the maths to compare how much you might be overspending.

Head to Chinatown or Trafalgar Square today and you can celebrate Chinese New Year with dancing, culture and cuisine courtesy of the London Chinatown Chinese Association and the Mayor of London. That's because the new moon on 29th January triggered the Year of the Snake (蛇), a period traditionally symbolised by wisdom, intuition and transformation. 60 years ago. I thought I'd look back and see what I was doing when the Year of the Snake came round previously, aided and abetted by the fact that I started keeping a diary when I was 11¾ so I do actually have a record of each. 2 February 1965 (Wood Snake) 18 February 1977 (Fire Snake) BAGA 4 athletics award. Today we have a debate in English on the subject of pirate radio, our history teacher allows us to play games and our music teacher fails to turn up. My diary says "Mark ran round school three times" which I have to confess means nothing to me now but if you've ever seen the film The History Boys you'll have a good idea what the course looked like. This evening sees the final performance of Haydn's Creation in the local church because I've already been drafted into the school choir and they take concerts really seriously. Tomorrow I'll be going shopping in Watford and trying to find the latest copy of Krazy comic, which I still reckon is the best comic of all time although you may disagree because 2000AD was launched the following week. We also go grocery shopping in the new Mac Market in Charter Place, which has just opened, and which I see I rated "good". Simpler times, most of which I would completely have forgotten had my 11 year-old self not diligently recorded them. 6 February 1989 (Earth Snake) that Brit Awards show and I'll be going to Penzance for the day because a ticket is only £19. 24 January 2001 (Metal Snake) text messages. Playing Sim City 3000, which I've just bought, proves rather cheaper. Then tonight an email arrives confirming that the nicest person in upper management is leaving, probably not coincidentally, and suddenly my work environment is careering off in uncomfortable directions. However by taking advice and being canny I'll have negotiated a payrise by Monday, and within months I'll be quitting for Job 4 in London which is essentially where my life turns around. It didn't look great at the time, but you'd not be reading this blog were it not for machinations at the start of the year of the Metal Snake. 10 February 2013 (Water Snake) National Libraries Day, specifically Kensal Rise and the Horniman which I visited yesterday. Tonight I'm going to write up my trip to Queen's Park, including my grandfather's grave, Daleks and the fact you can buy toilet rolls in Singhsbury's Superstore. Best of all I'm about to write two posts about the potential for a Bakerloo line extension, having walked across Burgess Park and Walworth, and 12 years later I am still writing about London's inability to kickstart this project. On this particular Sunday my fridge is empty so I walk down to the big Tesco only to discover they've shifted their opening time from 10am to noon so I have to go to the Co-op instead. Later I download a new app on my smartphone and receive disappointing feedback, make sure I've posted a golden wedding card to my brother's in-laws and watch a light sprinkling of snow fall just before midnight. The week ahead includes an appraisal meeting at work, a trip to the opticians and a big night out in Nine Elms, and looking back it feels almost recent but is actually 20% of my life ago. 29 January 2025 (Wood Snake) And here I am back in the Year of the Snake again, walking the streets of Crofton Park and having bacon and Brussels sprouts for dinner. What amazes me is how few Snakes it's taken to reach my 60th year and what unnerves me is how few I still have to go, maybe just the one. Such is wisdom, intuition and transformation.

20 things we learnt from TfL FoI requests in January 2025 1) 21% of applicants for a Train Operator role are female, 74% are BAME and 11% are over 50. At last count only 5% were successful. 2) Last year TfL spent £39.75 on numberplates, equivalent to two replacements. 3) If customers are waiting at a bus stop, buses should stop. Drivers should not ‘rebuke’ customers for not holding out their hand as some customers may not be able to do so. 4) During the first nine months of 2024, 100 pre-booked passenger assistance requests were recorded at West Drayton station. 5) From the launch of the ULEZ until 20 December 2024 TfL received £618,021,900 from daily ULEZ charge payments. 6) During the financial year 2022/2023, TfL recorded 945 potholes. 7) The three organisations who ran the most campaigns on TfL rail services last year were Islamic Relief UK, Government CCS and Newham College of Further Education. 8) In December Banksy's three monkeys were cleaned off the Overground bridge above Brick Lane because "unauthorised art can attract more graffiti, which encourages trespassing and anti-social activity that poses a danger to the operational railway and customers. This piece therefore had to be removed to prevent possible disruption." 9) The Next Train Indicator on the southbound platform at Northwood Hills has not functioned since November 2023, despite the unit being replaced, due to water ingress. 10 Customers need to be in possession of a valid ticket when using any rail replacement bus service, even though fares are not normally charged. 11) The Central Line Improvement Programme involves the complete refurbishment of all existing Central line trains including more reliable motors, better accessibility, improved customer information and a new moquette. It began ten years ago. So far £160m has been spent and two trains have been upgraded and entered into passenger service. Three more should enter service this year. 12) During the design stage of the September 2024 pocket tube map an unfortunate error was not spotted which led to the printed map including a mistake. This oversight led to a decision being made to reprint the map because "the accuracy of customer information is really important". The cost of replacing the maps was £94,000. 13) There is no exemption for driving in bus lanes on Christmas Day, even though there are no buses. 14) There have been 18 flooding incidents on the Elizabeth line since it opened, half of them at Gidea Park. 15) Pdf copies of pocket tube maps from 2004, 2005, 2011 and 2013 have been made available. 16) A new 'bus view' in the TfL Go app will go live in the first half of 2025, including the ability to move the map around to find different bus stops. 17) When renaming the Overground lines was proposed in 2015, the chosen names were North London Line, East London line, Barking line, Lea Valley line, Watford Local line and Emerson Park line. (I have blogged about this) 18) Since 2022 only one customer incident on the tube has involved paranormal activity (a distressed 15 year-old-boy at King’s Cross on the Metropolitan line in December 2023 mentioned that he had seen ghosts). 19) Trams are running to a reduced timetable due to the declining reliability of the tram fleet (and yes you can see a copy). 20) TfL does not currently have any Tesla vehicles and has not leased or hired any previously. The five worst questions TfL were asked 1) Over 75% Dial a ride journeys are for solo passengers HOW LONG MUST THIS WASTAGE OF RESOURCES CONTINUE? 2) Again and again I have sent emails re lights on in broad daylight and unnecessary lighting Under The FOI act how many stations had their lighting on today and what was the electric costs never mind the light bulbs loss of life It is time TFL was split up and the bonuses paid were returned for all the fares lost and overspending and journeys which are so uncomfortable because of the grinding noises and speed of the trains Please see my previous email 3) Just inquiring to see if there is any information about the sound that plays when a bus terminates. It sounds almost like a gong. Just interested to know why that selection, it's quite an ominous sound and a weird way to end a journey, after sticking out a bus journey to termination I feel like you've earned the right to a positive noise that can help you push on to your home. I'm also interested to know the file name of the sound. 4) There was an ad it was an image of a lion I was wondering where I can find this or you could tell me what it was I’ve been looking all over the internet for it. Please could you help me find it? I would be really grateful as I require this for business purposes and art. 5) Hello. I’m sorry to bother you for this question but I am not native to the area. I was wondering if there is information in regard to the color of the mice. Is it simply genetic markings or are they that dark due to the conditions/being dirty. If so, what in the underground system is causing it to keep them this dark? Thank you for your time. I promise this is a legitimate question.