A good night

I drove my son to work this morning (Saturday) then went to my parents’ house to collect my Dad and take him to a garden centre to buy some plants and seeds for his garden.
Started work around 7pm and to get me in the mood I put U2’s Zoo Station on full blast. The only problem is that I generally trap my first job within minutes of leaving the house and was only half inspired by the music before having to turn it off to pick up this really frail old Irish man. As he struggled into the cab I could see he was dribbling saliva all over the place and made a mental note to check that there wasn’t any on the seats and walls (are they called walls or bulkheads?) after he had got out. I forgot to check as a steady run of work then ensued. Edgware Road Station to Farringdon Station, Farringdon Station To Liverpool Street Station, Stamford Street to Horseferry Road, Rochester Row to Warwick Square, The Raft (Victoria Stations Gatwick Express Terminal) to Vama Restaurant in the Kings Road, Vama to The Fentiman Arms. From there I drove to Victoria Station to sit on the rank but there was a queue of people waiting and I managed to pick up and drive off just as the resident beggar was making a beeline straight for me. At 9pm the rain started and the work continued. At 10pm I stopped for a bite to eat at cabbies favourite kebab joint, Efes in Great Titchfield Street. They really know how to make a lovely kebab. Back to work and the jobs followed one after the other. I took two drunk ladies up to Haringay and because I let them off £2.80 (the fare was £22.80) and told one of them that she only looked about 25 years old (we’d been chatting) she wanted to kiss me and put her lips in the gap in my security screen. I offered her my hand instead of my lips and she gave that a little peck. I felt like the Pope!! On my way back from Haringay I was driving past the O2 Centre and this drunken crowd were stood in the road trying to flag me down. One guy was doing a “most muscular” pose a la Arnold Schwarzenegger and I couldn’t get by. I locked the doors and waited till he tried to get in then put my foot down and sped off. He lashed out at the cab with his foot I think and I heard a thud. I wasn’t in the mood for any more nonsense tonight and drove straight home. I checked for any dents but it’s dark so I’ll check in the morning. But apart from that last bit of hassle it was another decent night in London.

The Keys

My daughter needed a lift to her friends house this morning and I couldn't find my keys so I had to take the spares. When I got back home I searched high and low for them but couldn't find them anywhere. I could have sworn I took them out of the door when I got in last night but came to the conclusion that I did leave them there and somebody had taken them for future use. Now I am too security conscious to let something like that go so I went straight round to the local hardware store and bought a replacement Yale barrel which came with 2 keys and I then got 2 more cut so that we could all have one. Total cost was £17. I had to trim the arm of the barrel to fit the lock but soon had it done and felt satisfied no one could get in with my lost/stolen key. I was debating whether to fit some sort of hidden switch under the dashboard of my cab as my cab keys were also on the bunch lost/stolen. I thought I'd leave it for today and get advice from somewhere. When the time came to collect my daughter I sent my son. Whilst I was at work I get a call from him saying that my daughter had my bunch of keys and they had somehow ended up in her bag. I threw a small fit but was actually glad they hadn't fallen into the wrong hands. Well at least now I have a spare barrel for my front door!!
I only did a couple of hours tonight as I wasn't in the mood.
I picked up my first celebrity in a long time and he's a personal favourite of mine. Richard Dreyfuss was just standing on the side of a road in Primrose Hill with an elegant lady, possibly his wife, but I wouldn't really know and asked me to take them to the O2 Centre in Finchley Road. There is a cinema complex there and some restaurants. I didn't get a chance to say anything to him as it was a short ride and he was deep in conversation with his companion and as he got out there was another couple waiting to get in. He paid me £10 for a £7 fare and that was that. I only did one more job after that then came home and watched Oceans 12 on DVD.

Crossing two bridges?

Just got in from a decent nights work and logged straight on here and I have to say it looks really pretty, the site that is. I only used one of the templates provided by Blogger I haven't suddenly become a techie or anything like that but the overall effect is quite stunning, even professional.
I managed to get out around 8pm and was pretty busy right up until 2am. I never stopped anywhere for food so I reached my target in those 6 hours.
I was driving through Trafalgar Square and realised that Nelson's Column is completely boarded up and there's a staircase running to the very top. They're obviously cleaning all the birdshit off it and giving it a general spruce up but I bet it'll piss a few tourists off who wanted to take a picture of it.
I picked a man up in Shaftesbury Avenue and he asked to be taken to Great Suffolk Street south of the river. I drove down Haymarket, through Trafalgar Square, Northumberland Avenue, along the river to Blackfriars Bridge, over the bridge, left into Southwark Street and finally right into his street. As I was crossing the bridge he pipes up with "Why are we crossing the river again?" Comments like that get my back up straight away and I feel like throwing them out. I replied with "If you can name the first bridge you reckon I crossed I'll give you a free ride". Needless to say he couldn't name it and I started lecturing him about accusing cab drivers of taking the long way round. By the time he got out I had made him feel like a complete twat and he couldn't apologise enough and even gave me a few quid extra.
There was a big function on in the marquee in Battersea Park and the taxi marshal told me there were about 1500 people there so I went back three or four times but they were all short to average rides.
Best ride of the night was probably Paddington Station to Putney.
So all in all a peaceful (except for the twat) but average (ride wise) night.

New Template

I've been messing around with the templates and lost my other one. This one doesn't look too bad so I will run with this one for a while. I'm off to work now so hopefully I will update you if anything exciting happens.

Tariff Increase

It's getting harder and harder for me to get out to work.
The last few nights have seen me having an afternoon nap and dragging myself out of bed at 9 or 10 at night to go to work.
Friday really took the biscuit as I went out to work at 2am on the Saturday morning. I must admit I did enjoy it and took a decent wage in about 3 hours.
Sunday saw the annual tariff increase and all licenced taxis had to report to various depots and locations all over London to have their meters upgraded with the new software. I had to go to Station Road in Tufnell Park and I was in and out in under 10 minutes.
One weird incident to report tonight. I picked a couple up in Sloane Square and they were all over each other, shining each others tonsils. The woman wanted to drive past Chelsea College in Manressa Road. When we got there she told the bloke to get out while she paid. As he got out she grabbed the door handle, slammed it shut and shouted "Drive off quick!!!" The bloke looked totally bewildered as I sped off. I never asked her why.
I took her to the Grosvenor Kensington and she paid the fare plus a two pound tip and walked off. She must have had her reasons.

Mothers Day

I don't know whether to delete this blog as I really can't be bothered most of the time. We'll see if I can get into it over the coming days and weeks.
On Sunday just gone it was Mothers Day and we all surprised my Mum and Dad. They thought they were going for a quiet meal with my sister and we all showed up at the Travellers rest Beefeater in Kenton, North West London, all 20 of us! We had a nice 3 course meal and a bit of a laugh for around a score a piece and Mum was chuffed to bits. She even shed a tear at the verses on the card I bought her and I'd only just grabbed it off the shelf in Sainsbury's.
The cab has been behaving itself and only needed a new battery in the last 2 months and that cost me nothing as the warranty covered it. But the annual overhaul is fast approaching so a grand will have to be found to pay for that.
I've been working away as usual trying to put a bit of daylight between me and my bills and debts and slowly but surely I think I'm winning.
I had a nice run out to Windsor the other night but I had to endure a Walter Mitty type character talking a load of bollocks. I just humoured him and was rewarded with £100 including £16 tip.
I blew out tonight as my sleep was disrupted during the day. I've spent all evening clearing out my bedroom of serious amounts of crap that has accumulated over the last year and a bit and my brother came earlier to collect a lot of stuff he had stored here.
I'm going through a U2 period at the moment. I've always liked some of their music but recently have decided to get right into them by "acquiring" all of their music and reading up on them and I'm finding it really engrossing and time consuming and have discovered some pukka songs that I've been playing and playing.
It's getting warmer here now. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing as I have been really busy at night with the cold weather.
Right I'm off to bed.

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)

Bah Humbug

Don't you just hate Christmas and the New Year? It's all complete hype and a waste of money if you ask me. Now that everything is getting back to normal I can concentrate on the important things like getting my life back on track.
My Dad has had yet another operation on his eye to re-attatch his retina. He spent two nights in Moorfields Hospital and we'll know soon enough if the op was a success.
My son has started work in Tesco's on the "Jack & Jill". Well, it's a job innit? He only does saturdays at the moment but will become full time as and when a position becomes available.
My cab is literally falling apart. The non-existent suspension is shaking it to pieces. One of the tyres has 2 nails in it and has to be pumped up every other day. The brakes are grinding and the wipers are wiping fresh air. Why don't I take it for it's 63k service (the mileage at the moment is 64k plus) and get it all sorted I hear you ask? Coz I'm brassic as per usual. Who said cabbies were rolling in it? Did they mean rolling in debt? Probably.
Any way it's not all grim. Work is steadily picking up and I have worked 15 straight days without a night off. Another couple of weeks like that and I'll be well on the way to sortedness.
If you took Paddington and Victoria Stations away from me I'd be knackered. That's where I am most evenings ranking up for a job. Victoria attracts all the dregs of society and I'm constantly waving away beggars and thieves trying to sell there loot to the cabbies. Mind you, I got tempted yesterday and got talked into buying two Monty Python Box sets for £25 fresh from some nearby shop or other. (I probably shouldn't say it on here as it may get referred to Special Branch by some jobsworth or other! Oh Well, I've said it now) Lets hope it keeps busy. Be Lucky out there.

2 months on

I'm back folks!
Like getting out to work in the evening, it's just a matter of getting out the door. In the case of this blog it's just a matter of logging on. This is the first time I've managed it in two months and only because of a certain sister in law giving me grief about it.
So, what's been happening you may ask? Most days and weeks are just spent earning a crust. Nothing very eventful ever happens so rather than invent stuff for the sake of it I just don't bother.
On the home front my daughter has just broke up for Christmas. My second son has just started work on the checkout in Tesco's since he got sacked from his apprenticeship 6 months ago. My eldest is waiting to start a networking course in the New Year and is just dossing about. My Dads health continues on a stable level but he has lots of hospital appointments weekly and a few which involve a trek into Central London, but considering he was almost dead in April he's in great shape and is even doing a spot of work at 74 years of age! I've just got a couple of things to get to complete my Christmas Shopping and we'll be spending Christmas Day at Dean and Dianne's which is a nice change from the chaos that occurs in my house every year. It's a tradition in my family to do Chops and Chips on Christmas Eve. I've bought an industrial type chip fryer on ebay and am awaiting delivery, hopefully today or tomorrow otherwise I'll have to fry the chips in my wok and that is a right pain in the arse. Boxing day's are spent at my parents house and are usually a good crack. I have to make a couple of Spanish Omelettes as my contribution.
On the work front it's been pretty good in the evenings. I've been to Upminster, Purley, Kenley, Richmond, Twickenham, Harrow, Barnet and lot's of other out of the way places over the last few weeks.
I nearly had a punch-up with the resident beggar in the South Kensington area. He was walking down the line of traffic asking for money. When he reached me I told him to get lost. He called me a fat something or other and I drove off as I was carrying a passenger. When I dropped the passenger off I got the "red mist" and drove straight back to where he was. I jumped out of the cab and grabbed him and shoved him. He was as light as a feather and ended up on his arse about 6 feet away. I was just about to wade in when another cab driver stopped me advising me that if caught I could lose my cab drivers license so we ended up having a slagging match in front of a whole bunch of people and eventually I got a fare and had to drive away but it took me a while to settle down and I had to avoid the area for a couple of hours.
The cab continues to, in my opinion, deteriorate. The suspension is completely non-existent and it must be a really uncomfortable ride for my punters. There's a brand new TXII model with a much improved suspension and I might enquire about it in the New Year. I'm due a 63000 mile service anytime now and I know for a fact i'll need 2 tyres and rear brakes and also suspension bushes. Last month I contacted the finance company to see if I could return my cab but there was still around 2k owing on the finance so that was a non starter.
Tomorrow (or later today) will probably be it for a few days and I will be back at work on Tuesday evening.
So until then may I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year 2006

Poor Dad

It's been all go these last few months at home and at work.
My dad's been in and out of hospital 3 times for various things which has involved daily visits to wherever he's been hospitalized. He just came home from another spell in hospital for an inflamed gall bladder but the doctors said it would be too risky to operate at this time so they sent him home after a course of antibiotics.
My cab drivers licence expired at the end of April and the Public Carriage office issue you with a cover note whilst the new one is being dealt with. This year I had to fill out a form for the CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) and when they complete their checks to make sure I'm a good citizen they then let me and the Carriage Office know and my new licence is issued and sent out to me. I am now on my 4th cover note. I had to go back to the PCO today for the latest one and they then had to ring the CRB to find out what the hold up was. The lovely girl at the PCO told me the CRB were in the final stages of whatever it is they do there and it should all be sorted pretty soon.
I got flashed by a speed camera on Fryent Way recently doing 42mph in a 30 mph zone. No excuse really and another 3 points on my license making six in all. Just another six to go and I will have earned myself a well earned rest from cab driving, and all other forms of driving for that matter.
I've gone from working nights to days and am now back on nights again. I ocassionally pop out for a few hours in the day but the second I get stuck in proper traffic I go home and return later on. I recently had my cab serviced and also had a propshaft fitted and an alternator, both of these under the warranty. Yesterday, while collecting my dad from hospital I reversed into a post in the hospital car park and dented the rear bumper. Now when I try and close the boot it catches on the bumper and I have to press down on a bit of plastic to close it. It doesn't look like much but will cost a good £300 to put right before my next annual overhaul.
I have also acquired a satnav. I've managed without one for fifteen years but have always felt one would come in handy as an a to z. I only use it when going into uncharted territory or to confirm what I already knew but wasn't 100% sure about. It wouldn't be wise to trust one of these gadgets completely as they are quite capable of sending you into a one way street the wrong way or over a traffic island blocking a right turn.
I was sitting on Paddington Station rank the other day and this guy walked up to me and asked for the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport. The way he said it was like it was a local job so I informed him it was an hour's drive and could come to about £90. He said "I know, don't you want to take me?". I did want the job and I took him straight away. I love those types of jobs but they only come along every so often.
I've been giving free lifts to people recently. Whilst out on errands or whatever, people come up to me at traffic lights, if they're going my way I take them as far as I can and don't charge them. I've also been giving money to the many resident beggars at London's main-line railway stations. I must be going soft. I hope people are as generous to me if I ever end up on Skid Row, and the way I feel somedays it could be in the not to distant future. Be Lucky.

Getting ready for the rush

The school holidays are finally over. My kids are back from the States and my daughter goes back to school in a few hours. The work from now till Christmas will be really busy and now is the time to get ahead of yourself. I had a moment of clarity whilst I was out working tonight and realised it's time to stop messing about and start working harder. Ever since I got my Green Badge I've never really made the most of it. I should be sitting pretty now with cash in the bank and a bright future ahead for me and the kids. Instead I scrimp and scrape, piss and moan and generally feel sorry for myself whilst everything collapses around me. My eldest son needs the fees for a course he wants to do and I can't even help him, that really makes me feel worthless. So I've made a decision to put that right starting right now and hopefully it will bear fruit over the coming weeks.
I have been working constantly since my last post and have had all sorts of types in the back of the cab. I did something tonight that I've never done and that is to broom a job because it was shit. Basically, it was lashing down with rain and this bloke and his bird wanted me to drive them round the corner. I had just waited half an hour on Victoria Station rank and I blew my top and told him to fuck off and walk and that he was a lazy git etc. He wasn't too impressed and I don't think I enhanced the reputation of the "Friendly London Cabby" too much either but it was all part of the transition I was going through tonight and out of it emerged the newer, better and stronger me!!

Out for a spin

It's been a busy month but not workwise.
My dad was re-hospitalised for an eye operation and was moved down to St Thomas's in central London which meant daily visits for the family. It wasn't too bad for me as I work in town anyway.
Then we had some family visiting from Spain which meant trips too and from Heathrow to collect them and to provide a bit of entertainment for them.
I decided not to work last night as I was thoroughly fed up with it all so me and my second son took my oldest sons car for a little spin......up to Birmingham. It's only a Nissan Micra 1.1 but it cruised up the M1 at 70 mph. Being soccer anoraks, we went straight to the main football grounds in Birmingham such as West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa and Wolves. I never managed to get to Birmingham City as we went the wrong way. We had a nice Chinese meal as well and then came straight back to London.
I still have two kids away on holiday in the States and they get back on the 15th of August. It's been nice and peaceful here and so much easier to keep clean.
While my dad spent 8 days in hospital I started working days. Now I'm back on nights and picking up all the dregs. I'm still working on ComCab but not doing as much as I'd like. I haven't done any long jobs lately. The best two I can recall are a radio job from Chelsea to The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore and some nutty bird doing a drug run from Victoria to Walthamstow via a dodgy address in Hackney. I thought I wasn't going to get paid at one point because she was whispering into her phone and looking really suspicious but it all turned out ok in the end.

7-7 Bombings

Well I won't say I never expected it but not on such a big scale. Since the bombings last Thursday (7-7-05) I've been glued to the TV to see all the recovery work and to hear how the investigation is coming along. Each day a new bit of info is added to the puzzle and I don't think it will be too long before someone is caught for this. When you hear peoples stories and see that they're just normal people going about their everyday business you can't help but feel sorry for them and their families. And to think that 24 hours earlier London was celebrating winning the 2012 Olympics.
My daughter refuses to go to school by bus anymore and I can't say I blame her so I guess I'll have to take her from now on unless this is definitely sorted and someone is caught.
My eldest son and my daughter are now in San Diego, USA with their mother for the next five weeks so it's just me, my second son and our potty Jack Russell, Dude here till they return.
The day of the bombs was really busy workwise as people had no other option but to catch a cab home. These last two nights have been really quiet, well Friday more then Saturday and there's no prizes for guessing the topic of conversation amongst most people.
I'm trying to do as much work as possible on ComCab as it's better quality work and much safer. The average job goes about £20+.
There's lots of road closures around town at the moment. Some due to the bombs and some due to the VE Day celebrations so it's quite awkward to get around smoothly. In spite of all these things this is still the greatest city in the world in my humble opinion and I wouldn't live anywhere else.

Well Wishing

Good wishes go out to my mother-in-law Jan who is recovering in hospital after a serious operation, let's hope she's home really soon.
My dad's still getting better but I had to take him to Moorfields Eye Hospital last saturday as his left eye started giving him grief and the doctor said it was his iris that was stuck to another part of the eye, a common problem in someone who's run down after a long illness. They gave him some drops and it's nearly back to normal.
Two of my kids go to the States to see their mother again this week so it should be nice and quiet for a month without them around, not to mention 66% easier to keep the house clean and 66% less food to buy, also less washing, less electricity consumption, less shower gel the list is endless. If we could have our time over who the hell would want to have kids? Not me, it's just a total drain on my life!!
I've been fitted for ComCab now and I have done a few jobs on it. The first day (last Tuesday) I did a credit card ride out to Hatfield Peverel a few miles past Chelmsford and my luck has been in ever since as I have also done cash rides to Maidstone onto Sittingbourne (£140) and just this evening I took a squaddie back to his barracks in Aldershot via an old brass in Victoria, 45 Vincent Street in case you're interested. (£105, the journey, not the brass!! She was £60....according to the squaddie). He was telling me how he was on leave after a tour of duty in Iraq and that he was due to return there at 7am this morning, poor sod. After a nice ride out in to the sticks I like to put the radio on to pick up the local stations but my electric ariel is stuck on down so there hasn't been any of that this week, I must get it sorted soon.

Dad's armchair occupied once again

My Dad came home from hospital on the 10th of June. He's doing really well all things considered but still has to build up the muscles in his legs after months of inactivity. It's great to see him back in his regular pew at home.
My cab went in for it's annual overhaul on the 8th of June and cost me double what it cost last year. £883 + £50 for 2 days cab rental.....bloody scandalous!!! I wouldn't mind but it drives worse than ever. The suspension on all these "new" taxis are absolutely crap and I often get complaints from passengers.
Today I left Radio Taxis Ltd after being on there a couple of years and have applied to go back on ComCab. I get fitted up next Tuesday morning.
I recently pulled on to the rank at Eurostar in Waterloo and a young French lady asked to be taken to the Ibis hotel. "Which one?" says I , "Oh the one in central London" she says. "Have you got the address?" says I, to which she produced a slip of paper saying Ibis London Thurrock. I said it was outside London and was an hours drive and would cost the best part of £70. She started cursing as she'd asked the people who booked it to put her in a hotel close to the centre. Anyway to cut a long story short off we go to Thurrock. It being outside my knowledge area I have to complete the journey with my Master Atlas of Greater London on my lap. The final twists and turns were quite awkward and just when I thought I should see the hotel at any moment I found myself on the ramp for the QEII Bridge or Dartford Crossing. It was too late to do anything at that point and I had to proceed onto the bridge, pay the £1 toll drive a mile further on the other side and come back through the Dartford tunnel paying another £1 toll that way. To add insult to injury as I got onto the bridge the Ibis suddenly came into view and she started getting all animated so I had to switch the meter off, which just so happened to have clicked onto £70, and forfeit at least a tenner. Still I got her there in the end and she was mighty peeved to say the least.
I picked a lady up in Queensway recently and she asked to be taken to Bell Street. Half way there she states that she hasn't got any money on her and would I like to be paid in kind!! Anybody who knows me....what do you think I did? I'll leave the rest to your imagination. Be Lucky

Dad Progressing

My Dad is doing really well since we brought him back from Spain last week. He's now ready to start physiotherapy. He hasn't used his legs since April the 1st but can already stand on them and march on the spot. Barring any major catastrophe he could be home much sooner than we ever though possible.
Knowing my dad is back and in good hands has given me an incentive to work harder. My annual overhaul is due on June the 8th so I have to earn bundles by then. I've been out every night for the last couple of weeks. I've had a couple of nice jobs out to the sticks recently. One out to a place called Bean in Kent, just passed Dartford (£60) and last night I had a nice ride out to South Ockenden in Essex and that went £63 but the lady gave me £75.
I'm just having a rest after all the days trekking to the hospital etc before I go out tonight.

Emergency Landing

Since my last post I have been and returned from Spain to see my Dad who remained in hospital in a precarious condition to say the least.
It was whilst I was over there that I convinced my Mum it would be better for everybody if we got him back over to England by air ambulance. After much persuading she finally agreed and it was with a great relief to all of us when he arrived back today with Mum to a hospital very near where they live. The journey was supposed to be straight forward but it developed into a major drama and the next bit I write has not been beefed up at all and any of my family will verify it.
The plan was for the medics to collect him from his hospital in southern Spain in an ambulance and take him to Alicante Airport where a fully kitted out Lear jet/ air ambulance freshly arrived from Belgium would fly him direct to RAF Northolt. The flight was uneventful and Mum said he received the best treatment and care possible. On the approach to Northolt the undercarriage was lowered but the indicator light failed to illuminate in the pilots cockpit. They tried three times to land but each time the light wouldn't go on. It was decided by the RAF personel to take no risks and they were then diverted to Stanstead airport where they are more geared up for emergencies. My Mum had to assume the brace position and all my Dad's tubes and drips were disconnected which resulted in him momentarily struggling to breathe and turn blue. The plane landed amidst a full emergency scenario with ambulances and fire tenders standing by. The landing gear held and a disaster was averted much to the relief of my Mum and Dad and all of us dotted around London who were being kept up to date by the guy co-ordinating the effort. Dad was transferred to another ambulance and they were escorted part of the way by Essex police. Once on the motorway the ambulance switched his blue's and two's on and got Dad to the hospital in Harrow in quick time. I was waiting there with one of my sisters and we were extra pleased to see both of them safe and well. Dad has now been settled-in in ITU and is very comfortable and now hopefully he can begin his long road to recovery.
I was quite worn out after the days drama so decided not to bother going to work. There's always tomorrow.

Dad a real fighter

Dad has had to be sedated again as he is really struggling with the pneumonia he contracted last week. From being well on the road to recovery he is now in serious trouble again. My Mum is still making the daily 30 mile round trip each morning but it's too tiring for her to do it twice a day so she doesn't go to the evening visit.
I booked my overhaul and PCO inspection on Wednesday and the cab goes in on June the 6th and will be presented and hopefully passed on the 8th.
Work has been OK and there's plenty out there but you have to have your mind on it otherwise it's hard to concentrate for more than a couple of hours. Best job of the night was from the Business Design Centre in Islington to just off the Wandsworth Bridge Rd.....£27.
Popped in to Tesco to get the kids some delights as it was Friday night. I had to settle for a sandwich as I really have to watch my sugar intake now with my diabetes apparently getting worse.