Jump to content

Cols

Members
  • Content Count

    784
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Cols


  1. I wasn't on that train but was on the one behind it :(

    I left Kings Cross at 17:20 and the train reached Biggleswade station and stopped. 10 minutes later the announcer said that there was a power problem and the train would go back to London, stopping at Stevenage where coaches would take us to Peterborough station to carry on the journey. We got to Stevenage about 19:00 but no coaches around. There were about 200 of us hanging round the car park. The station master announced that they were having problems with the coaches and they could not give an ETA. I wandered into the town and booked myself a hotel for the night, knowing that the hotels would soon get booked up. At 21:00 I walked back to the station and there were even more people stood around as more trains had terminated at Stevenage. One coach had just left but there must have been 300 people stood around. The taxi's were having a field day. I was lucky as the company will pick up the hotel bill but there will be loads of people out of pocket with hotel and taxi fares. There was also a school trip on board my train, a few teachers and about 40 kids (8 or 9 year olds) so god knows what happened to them.

    I've not been on a train for ages so I guess I was just unlucky and would have been impressed with the GNER service had it not been for this.


  2. Originally posted by rubydazzler

    The call system is a mess and has been for a long time. Promises keep being made about sorting it out but very little seems to be actually happening. Maybe this is why the 999 system is being overloaded resulting in people having to be put on hold ...?

     

     

    That's exactly the reason why more people ring 999. It's the same reason that people go to A&E in hospital more and more rather than wait 2 weeks to see a doctor. It's alright for the government to bleat on about people abusing the 999 and A&E systems but they are destroying services by their constant cut backs.


  3. When we bought 2 years ago I only spoke to the estate agent twice. First was a call because they wanted to check if we could afford it, second was to arrange to pick up the keys.

    If you're interested in the house, talk to the vendor directly, never use the estate agents as go-betweens - they have been known to tell lies :)


  4. Originally posted by LordSnooty

    We were horrified to discover it was about 100ft deep and lined with black, damp bricks. We could just about make out the hole at the bottom end, which from where were were looking appeared about the size of a 2p piece.

     

    Mine was very similar. We once went to the Ladybower overflow and went down the stepped rim until we were on the last step, looking down into the void. Still makes me shiver even though it was nearly 30 years ago.


  5. I've been to the ones in Oldham and in Derby and they're not bad. They source a lot of stuff from the USA so it's nice to see things that you can't find anywhere else over here. Like Makro, there are some bargains to be had but it's easy to go mad and buy a load of things only to find them cheaper in the supermarkets. My sister swears by the meat products though.

    Unlike Makro, you don't have to be in business to register but you do have to pay a yearly fee - something like £25 for a card.


  6. Fighting back ....

    Many years ago I ordered some furniture from a famous store. A couple of weeks later the company went into liquidation but the store was taken over and carried on trading as normal but I was told I would lose my £100 deposit. After many useless phone calls I managed to obtain the Freephone 0800 phone number of the store and starting phoning them - "this is the 1st of 1000 calls - it doesn't cost me anything to phone and won't get me my money back but it makes me feel better".

    After 8 calls they relented and I got my money back.


  7. Just had to make a short journey. Going out of Malin Bridge there's a lorry parked on the road blocking the tram. Gridlock everywhere. Came back via Western Bank and there's another hold up. This time there's a young lad stretched out in the road with the paramedics attending him (he seemed ok as he was chatting to them).

     

    I think I'll stay in for the rest of the day

    .


  8. I've got a simple rule of thumb as far as all art is concerned. If I could do it then it must be worthless because I've got no talent whatsoever. Thinking here of unmade beds, piles of bricks and tents etc.

     

    My favourite artist is Dali, whose paintings my wife hates with a passion. Each to his/her own.


  9. The train from Sorrento goes round the bay. There's a station at Pompei, right next to the ancient ruins. Sorrento is great for just sitting in cafes, drinking coffee and people watching. Worthwhile trips are Capri, walking up Vesuvias and the Amalfi coastline which has wonderful little towns hanging precariously on the cliff edges.

    Naples can be a bit dodgy though, lots of petty crime etc.

    The transfer from the airport to Sorrento can be a bit of a drag. Lots of narrow roads and tunnels once you leave the motorway.

     

    The last time I went was on a special archeological tour with Page & Moy but only recommended if you like your history.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.