Saturday's Shambles
Island News
Another Island Line Closure
Having been closed for a whole year to upgrade the line for its shiny new trains that are not fast enough to reliably maintain the proposed two-train timetable (!), comes the expected news that the tracks on Ryde Pier are to be closed.
No one is admitting why the pier job could not have been done whilst the whole line was upgraded, but excused so far offered have been particularly feeble.
We await details of alternative transport along the pier (minibus, taxi, skateboard, tuc-tuc, luggage trolley?) and an explanation of how ferry connections are to be maintained; bearing in mind they are "tight" with the new go-slow trains and will be impossible with an obligatory change to something else at Ryde Esplanade.
fbb A Museum Piece?
At last, the truth will out!
Correspondent Alan (from Northampton) has usurped the elevated status of Alan (senior Island correspondent) and sent a few holiday snaps from his long weekend vacation visiting Vectis.
He noted and phot-ed a panel in the Bus Museum that refers to fbb's former bus and coach operation on the Island. The business was taken over by others but did not survive long.
Unfortunately the pictures of both operations are pallid and faded - a bit like fbb himself - but at least there is some record!
Old Girl For Hire
Bus enthusiasts are very familiar with (possibly) the oldest double deck in the UK still "on active service" as a PSV (more correctly, these days, a PCV). 
In practice "The Old Girl" does not venture out much. But her availability for Wedding private hire is now advertised on the back of a bus.
Bus Station Bulldozed
fbb has previously written about the proposed rebuild of Ryde's bus station. It changes from a !nose in back out" layout to kerbside loading on two parallel sets of stands. Only time will tell if the new layout is big enough for peak summer operation and bus "layover" - but fbb doubts it!
The task appears to be a bit more substantial than just plonking a few new kerbstones and some extra tarmac in place.
Will it be finished on time? As with most such projects, fbb doubts it!
Health & Safety Hazard Stupidity
On the lengthy coach trip back from Ardgarten to Seaton, the last stop was at Michaelwood Services on the M5 near Dursley, Glos.
In the absence of any real food, the fbbs indulged in the smallest burger possible (still called by MacDonald's a "hamburger") with the addition of "fries". At least the chips were not filled with air!
But near the entrance fbb spotted this. The staff entrance to CostaLot opens outwards into the main entrance corridor, thus, to prevent staff egressing and smashing customers in the face (apparently it is bad for trade), a sign has been glued to the floor ...
... marking the danger zone for the door swing.
Unfortunately the yellow quadrant is placed for a door hung on its RIGHT edge - but the CostaLot door is hung on the LEFT.
So it is all wrong. Well done whoever done it. Your quadrat should be rotated though 180 degrees.
You Live And Learn - Maybe Not!
Travelling north to Scotland on the M6, fbb was always alert for interesting "things". One sign caught his eye.
fbb had never come across the phrase "Lake District Peninsulas" before. Presumably it refers to the "sticky-out bits" like that chunk of land whichever harbours Barrow in Furness and its harbours.
Seeking a photo to acts as an "aide memoire" fbb missed the above "white on brown" but aimed to get a quick snap on the way home. As the aforementioned southbound sign flew past, fbb remembered and failed again!
But the sign left a slightly sad taste in the old boys brain.
Or did it?
Yes it did, pictured thanks to Google Maps!
WRONG! Take 500 lines whoever is Minister of Transport today!
Peninsula is, indeed, a sticky-out bit of land. It is a noun.
PeninsulaR is an adjective, a describing word, as in P&O - PeninsulaR and Orient.
DaFT by name and daft by nature|!
ANSWERS to the "Northbound Holiday Quiz" have not been forgotten - just too wearisome to manage on a holiday recovery day!
Next Variety blog : Monday 17th Octoiber
180 degrees - wouldn't that end up indoors? I would suggest 90 degrees and re-stick to the floor.
ReplyDeleteI have seen that 'peninsulars' unprofessional & incorrectly spelled sign on that stretch (along with the correctly spelled 'peninsulas' one also in your blog).
ReplyDeleteSad thing is that is should be correctly called North Lancashire. The Furness peninsula is what is Lancashire-north-of-the-Sands.
However the soon to be abolished (May 2023) plastic "Cumbria" that only came to life in 1974 never allowed the real counties that they absorbed in 1974 to have any identity... so any other 'brown' signage while it may be spelled correctly in their jurisdiction, similarly has wiped out Cumberland, Westmorland & Lancashire's Furness peninsula