Dad’s 75th

It was my Dad’s 75th birthday on Monday. A day we thought he’d never see so it was extra special and everyone went round to the house to wish him well. My Mum made Paella especially for the occasion and a good afternoon was had by all.
I went out to work later on and during the act of helping a wheelchair passenger out and shutting the door I managed to hit my head with the door and practically knocked myself out. I had to compose my self and inspect the fast-approaching lump about a hundred times before I satisfied myself that I would be able to continue my nights work and not be a danger to my passengers, but I tell you what, it didn’t arf fucking hurt!!
I blew Tuesday out as my son went up to Liverpool with his mates to watch Liverpool V Arsenal and me, my son Michael and my brother watched it on TV.
As I was on my way out tonight I stood on the dog’s ball that he had kindly left on the stairs for someone to pick up and play with him. I twisted my right ankle and could have sworn I heard a bone crack. I managed to walk it off a bit and went to work but it’s still sore and swollen as we speak.
Work wise it was really busy as The Brits were on at Earls Court and there was people needing cabs everywhere. I had a really lucky run of jobs one after the other starting off from Victoria to Narrow St E1 then picking up from the drop off straight away and taking her to Hackney Wick. As I dropped off at the Wick someone else wanted to be taken to just behind Manor House then as I came back round to Seven Sisters Rd a couple wanted to go down to the Camden Palace which has been renamed Koko for those of you who are interested and finally from there another couple wanted Elsworthy Rise.I stopped off on Kingsway for a bite to eat and wished I hadn’t. The guy in the sandwich bar looked like he needed a slow boil and the sandwich he made me (roast beef and tomato) was all hard round the edges, obviously the bread had done a bit of bird. You live and learn. To cap it all off as I was driving onto my drive I clipped the railing and have scuffed all the side of my bumper, which will need blackening. I think I’m losing the plot. Oh and before I forget. I got a Fixed Penalty Notice this morning informing me that I had been photographed blocking a box junction in Maida Vale and I would have to pay £50 within a fortnight or £100 after that. What a bunch of low-life bastards these people are. If you saw the junction yourself you’d say what a load of bollocks it all is.

Danish Cartoon Protests

Just heard that Abu "The Hook" Hamza has been sent down for 7 years. Too right and all. I was sat in my cab one day last week with my son in Baker Street when the Muslim's were starting their protests about the Danish cartoons. Nothing wrong with a protest. But I read all the placards saying things like "Your 9/11 will come" and "Freedom of speech go to hell" and other such rubbish and thought "what the hell is going on here?" Would we be allowed to stroll down Main Street Bagdhad with similar banners? Would we heck. We'd be blown up or shot. Now I don't generally have a view on anything but when this sort of shit happens in my town it can be difficult to ignore and not have an opinion. So I'm glad that the police have started clamping down on it and that they can stop this sort of incitement in future.
Me and the kids have had the flu this week and are slowly recovering. It could have been worse. It could have been Bird Flu. Chirp Chirp!!
I'm still working everyday. Sometimes in two stints. I had yet another row with a beggar yesterday. He was a little Rastafarian guy and he collared me as I was on my way in to collect my pre-ordered number 96 with fried rice (Satay Chicken) in Battersea Park Road. This one only wanted a cigarette but I pre-empted him by thinking he wanted money and then we got into a long heated discussion. He was trying to convince me that people with money (me, that's a laugh) should be more giving and that we should be more aware of other peoples cultures. I said to him that in Britain we were all the same and that nobody was left to starve here. I then asked him if he recieved benefits to which he agreed he did and then I said "so why don't you buy yourself some fags then?" He couldn't answer that one.

A good servicing

I just had the cab serviced a few days ago. I was two thousand two hundred miles over the service mileage but I managed to bullshit my way through it (again!) and so have warranty for another six months. It was only a small service so apart from suspension bushes and a tyre only came to £180. The actual suspension is still completely knackered though but there's nothing that can cure that other than a complete new suspension or a gallon of petrol and a match!! I'm still working all the hours under the sun to haul myself out of the mire and it's pretty tough going. The last few nights have seen my going over to the hotels surrounding ExCeL a good few times but last night was complete nightmare as the Limehouse Link was closed and the traffic was backed all the way into The Highway and my French punter was bleating at the meter ticking relentlessly upwards. (got to dash out, i'll complete this later)