Been away for over a year. Not been bus driving so not much to write about.

Actually that's not strictly true, but someone needs to use this computer. I shall try again in a while.

Bonfire Night

Bonfire Night has come round again, it’s on Tuesday but there will be fireworks displays this weekend which is a pity because the weather is having another go at trying to flatten the UK. A deep depression is heading for Scotland pulling in wind from the Atlantic which means it’s going to be cold, wet and very windy from some time on Saturday afternoon for 48 hours. Fortunately the tradition of building bonfires seems to have died down a bit in recent years because high wind and big raging fires on street corners is not the best of combinations.

Phone hacking is in the news at the moment and with the trial set to last 6 months I have a feeling we will all be pig sick of hearing who hacked who’s phone and why and who knew the hacking was going on and who was having a love affair with whom. They, the lovers, must have never left messages on each other’s phones, probably because they knew how easy it was to have their private thoughts spread over the front page of a rival newspaper. The big question at the moment is why don’t they just plead guilty and save a lot of time and money. You get a reduced sentence if you plead guilty and we won’t have to listen to all the grubby details for the next 6 months.

Another story that caught some peoples eye was the tactics used by the Unite Union. I have been a member of 4 unions in my working life and been crapped on by all four of them so after the last lump a crap landed on my head I decided not to join another union again but I almost wish I was a Unite member so I could have the pleasure of showing my disgust by quitting.

And on a lighter note A former bank manager has claimed to have broken the blind water speed world record by travelling at more than 93mph.

The 52-year-old, from Manchester, sped across Torquay harbour in a Formula 1 powerboat.

If confirmed, it would mean Mike Newman holds the blind land and water speed records simultaneously.

I always thought there was a 4 mph speed limit in Torquay harbour.

But well done anyway, Mr Newman.

 

PS I got on Stagecoach Gold again at Victoria Park and tried to get connected. At the Grand the wifi was still looking for a I.P. Address so I gave up and switched off

 

 

A few things been happening over the last two weeks. First there were wild fires sweeping through New South Wales. They were so bad that Sydney, where my sister lives was covered with a thick blanket of smoke and people were warned to stay indoors with the windows and doors closed. The temperature has been up in the thirties and it is still early spring so it is really hot for the time of year and the new prime minister of Australia says climate change is crap. He is also busily dismantling the system put in place by the previous government to work to reduce carbon emissions in Australia. The moral of this little story is politicians can not be trusted to save the world, just to win votes.

One of my nephews is a member of The Rural Fire Service and he has been out fighting the fires over the last few days.

Then we were warned by the Met Office to expect a major storm to hit us on Sunday night. From what I have seen the storm missed Torquay. Other places weren't so lucky.

It's Halloween tomorrow and there is a party at The Pad in Paignton where I work. I'm not a

great believer in Halloween but a party is a party.

I caught the Gold service home from work today and tried to connect to the internet with my tablet. Didn't work for some reason. Shame.

Odds and Ends from Torquay.

The building to replace the Palm Court Hotel is beginning to take shape. Looks like the back end of a ship.

The shark, not a real one is part of an exhibition being held at the Spanish Barn here in Torquay. Here is a little extract from Torbay's publicity for the event:-

Afloat is a FREE exhibition at Torre Abbey Spanish Barn open until 18 October. By the end of last month over 2500 people had been to see the exhibition, and it is open from 10am to 5pm every day except Monday and Tuesday.

Afloat is the culmination of the Arts Council funded visit to Torbay by Lone Twin's Collective Spirit, a beautifully crafted sailing boat made from people's wooden memorabilia.

Collective Spirit is the centerpiece of the water-themed exhibition, which also features work by some of the region’s best artists, including Paul Riley, Alan Cotton, and Bob Grimson, and includes art from a range of disciplines including painting, ceramics and sculpture. 
Well it looked interesting enough for me to make my way over to The Spanish Barn to have a look. Sorry to say but the fish, made of fibre glass and priced at £3000, was the only thing that was even remotely interesting there.

Dumb Bird

Not quite sure why this seagull was trying to eat this guy's fleece jacket. It must have the same nutritional qualities as a Big Mac.