A Sheep Town Bus to Hospital
As you can clearly see (?), the letter "C" in Old English was either pronounced as the modern "K" or, using phonetic symbols shown above, as something more like our modern ""CH", The variation changed over time and depended also on geographical location.
So the Old English (derived from Anglo Saxon sceap) was either pronounced SK - E as in hay - AP as in App which begat "SKIP" or S - CH as in choochoo - E as in hay - AP as in App which begat "SHEEP".
So "SHEEP TOWN" becomes "SKIPTON".
Sheffield correspondent Roy was very impressed with what fbb used to know as Keighley and District Bus route 66. 
It seemed, as they say, replete with sheep ... inside ...
... fenestrated ...
... outside in detail ...
... and overall.
The bus stop flags were so adorned ...
... and there were printed leaflets.
This sheepish livery is called "branding", a concept that could be learned by First Bus in Somerset and in Dorset and as revealed at Axminster on Saturday last!
A copy of the Dalesway leaflet arrived yesterday morning at fbb mansions c/o Royal Mail and will be fully reviewed as part of tomorrow's variety blog.
The Keighley Bus Company is part of the Transdev group.
They have a nice branded livery for Jurassic Coaster as per the twitter below.
But it would be even nicer if the buses on routes X51 and X53 were actually wearing it!
But why had Roy travelled all the way to Keighley to catch a Sheep bus to Sheep town?
Actually, he was only going as far as Airedale Hospital ...
... which lies happily on the 66 bus route (ORANGE) ...
But what dreaded disease would require the lad to travel all the way from Sheffield to Airedale Hospital? What medical speciality would lure him to the NHS in the north western fringes of West Yorkshire.
... easily distinguished from the orangey brown of the other route (branded Mainline).
Sadly, Roy was suffering from Ferroequinologica Paceritis - a disease for which there is no known cure but for which Airedale Hospital and Huddersfield might offer some temporary respite.
More in tomorrow's blog.
Sheffield Partnership News
(Don't Laugh)
Sadly the video seems to have disappeared, as have most references to the chummy scheme announced a good while ago.
The idea was that Stagecoach and First Bus in partnerships with each other (No, don't laugh) and also in partnership with the South Yorkshire PTE (Please, don't laugh, it makes them cry!) would work together (You are laughing now!) to improve bus services throughout the city. (fbb thinks he can now hear you crying!).
The latest outworking of this chumminess was outlined by First's boss-man, Nigel Eggleton, in a recent piece in The Star, noble journalistic beacon of truth (You're laughing again!) for the city.
As part of the on-going partnership, operators have decided all together not to bid for tendered work that comes up for renewal at the end of July. This leaves their partner PTE (Laughing again?) no option but to withdraw this block of tendered stuff.
So service 32 ...
... a mash-up of various bits and pieces created when The Peoples Republic of South Yorkshire was aiming to serve everyone with a bus past their front door, IS WITHDRAWN COMPLETELY. It does remove the last vestiges of a direct service to city from the Shirecliffe Estate ...
... which once ran every 15 minutes.
Although far from busy, hourly service 32 provides a very useful link from Sheffield estates to the huge Northern General Hospital. That link will be very much missed by many elderly folk with appointments at NGH.
SERVICE 135, which in fbb's youth was route 31 to Lower Walkley, and once the home to these rear entrance single deckers with open platform and staircase up to the seats ...
... becomes Monday to Friday daytime only ...
... losing some early morning, all evening, all Saturday and all Sunday buses.
The 31/135 serves some hilly bits of the city that lie between Infirmary Road in the valley (bus 82/82 and tram) and Walkley on the hillside (bus 95) so, apart from Monday to Friday daytimes, there will be more heavy breathing on the backstreets of Upperthorpe and Lower Walkley as Sheffielders ascend and descend!
Maybe not quite as steep as that!
Evening and Sunday services are withdrawn from two other services (208 and 73) but the removal of these "usual suspects" is worse in Rotherham with four more such cuts.
But, be very afraid!
Nigel continues ...
... there's a 25% cut to come.
On behalf of Sheffield residents, fbb cries, "OUCH"!!
Next Variety blog : Wednesday 6th July
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