The Busy Times

The Busy Times is a publication started by an enterprising individual who started off selling receipt pads to taxi drivers at the entrance to Paddington Station. It's really taken off this last year and a copy can be seen on the dashboard of most taxis. The one in the pictures is a supplement to the main booklet and it lists all the venues in London where somebody may need a cab and the times that events finish. Now, I've managed for 16 years without it but it's very handy to have in the cab if the work is a bit thin on the ground. It also lists train times for all the main line stations, the times theatres turn out in Theatreland, lots of other handy information and also has a warning message to would-be thieves on the back page. The main booklet is £3 and comes out every quarter and the supplement comes out as and when circumstances require.

I spent most of the day ferrying the kids about hither and thither. My daughter spent the day with a school friend in Wembley and my son went to his mates 21st Birthday celebration in Harrow and then into town at Covent Garden.

I got out to work at 10pm (it's getting later and later again) and only did three hours before my son rang to see if I was in the area to pick him up and take him home. In that short time I managed about 10 jobs most of them in the centre.

Smooth Operators

I picked up four Brazillian guys in Chelsea and took them to the trendy Sanderson Hotel. They were in very high spirits and one of them had samba music playing from his mobile phone. They were all singing along and the cab was rocking from side to side. A Mercedes Sports pulled up next to us with 3 beautiful girls in it and the guys started chatting them up whilst we waited in the traffic. I had to smile to myself at all the pick up lines they were using and d'you know what? They worked because they told the girls to follow them to the Sanderson for a drink and some fun and the Mercedes stuck right behind me all the way there. Once there I was paid off and looked on in admiration as these guys reeled in their catch. Good luck to them.

As I said it was a short shift tonight as I collected my son from The Roadhouse in Covent Garden but it was a pleasant evening all the same.

Today is St George's Day, the patron saint of England so Sunday night should be pretty busy in town, hopefully not too many drunks, i'll let you know how it goes.