HNY 2013

Hi folks
Happy New Year to you all!!
We're having a serious cold snap at the moment. We've had snow, it's melted and now it's on its way back again.
I'm due to go to Suffolk tomorrow with Jane to celebrate her grandaughters first birthday and I can see us getting stuck down there. We still rent the cottage just north of Ipswich so at least we'll be nice and cosy down there if we do get snowed in. There's a lovely wood burner in the front room which heats the place up nicely.
In the news this last week you will have heard about the helicopter that clipped a crane on a new residential skyscraper and crashed onto some poor bloke arriving for work in Wandsworth Road. Both he and the pilot died and the effects of the ensuing chaos are still being felt this week with Nine Elms Lane still closed. The skyscraper is next to the St George's Wharf apartment complex where my niece Vicky (hi Vix!) currently resides and she, along with everyone else was evacuated whilst they assessed whether the crane was going to topple over onto their building. They were eventualy allowed back in but as I mentioned the whole area is far from back to normal.
As I awoke on Sunday morning I went to the bedroom window to take a photo of Janes car and my cab covered in snow to post on Facebook. All seemed normal. About 4 hours later I left the house with Jane to grab a Roast Beef dinner at the Weatherspoons in Kenton then an overdue visit to my parents nearby. As I shut my front door I immediately noticed my nearside front window had been smashed and the door partially left open. The perpetrator/theiving bastard had had a good rummage about and taken a little pullstring bag I had in the front containing my beloved 80g ipod and my Taxi Licence amongst other sundry items. From the compartment in my arm rest they had taken my coin dispenser containing about £50 in float for work. Both the vizors were down and everything had been closely scrutinised before making off with their spoils. I suppose, given the area I live in 12 years without a break-in is good going and a timely reminder to never leave any valuables in or out of sight. Anyhoo!! The upshot was that come Monday morning I had to wait till 10am before anyone was even at the garage, then they had to ring around to find the glass. I gave them an hour to sort that out before I made my way to the garage. When I got there they were still ringing around looking for a poxy bit of glass. In the end they rang a windscreen repair company who had one window left in stock and they would come round and fit it for £70. Only problem was they couldn't come till the afternoon. The garage owner decided to give me a spare cab so I could get to work and earn his rent, which was overdue, as usual! About an hour later the phone rings and he's telling me to come back as my cab's fixed!! ffs I'm in Victoria Station waiting for a job. The passenger comes out, where does he want? London Bridge Station, even further away. Nothing for it but to do the job and run light all the way to the garage in Camden. The owner always likes you to give the cab back with the same amount of diesel he gave you it with. I couldn't be bothered and just swapped them over. He was far to busy to notice. My cab stank of garage fluids. There was lube oil all over the window sill but at least they'd vaccumed out all the glass. I put my id's in their holders and went back to work with my nice new window. Let's see how long before it happens again.
The work is slowly returning to normal after Christmas so my resolution for this year is to try and get a month ahead with everything. But maybe not the cab rent!!
"Good luck with that Carlos" I hear you all saying.
Take Care out there.
L.C.
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Location:St Johns Wood