Not The Best Tuesday Ever

It Started Badly

Whilst fbb and his Mrs were enjoying their morning mugga in bed (prepared by fbb (with consummate culinary skill) all the power went off. Investigation showed that the "kitchen sockets" circuit was tripping the RSA circuit breaker (PQR, CSO, PSU???) - which sounded serious. First task was to get a separate unbroken feed to the fridge freezer - JOB DONE.

Later task were to unplug everything and switch off anything in sight - JOB DONE!

Alas the circuit braker still broke the circuit..

After several abortive attempts to work out what was causing the trouble the only option was to phone an electrician - JOB DONE. 

He is coming late on Thursday.

But the man to service the central heating is also coming on Thursday and he will find his job a tad tricky with no electric. Put him off - JOB DONE

Panic. How to defrost the basis of the evening meal with no microwave available - too heavy to move to an inconvenient socket elsewhere. Use the Instant Pot! - JOB DONE

By now Instant pot, kettle, reading lamp, laptop, power bit of stick blender and various other "stuff" have migrated to the dining room table where power is available.

Tidy kitchen as Mrs fbb is making dindins. - JOB DONE - nearly!

A Positive Achievement

Finish bits and pieces of our November Fellowship leaflet and quiz on the prophet Jeremiah. With Mrs fbb's help, correct the spoilings. The files are PDFs for which there is no suitable spill chucker. - JOB DONE 

Print out 60 copies of same, two sided. - JOB DONE

Whilst Mrs fbb is out doing her old folks "jiggling about" to keep healthy, fbb constructs a vat of turkey, leek and potato soup for lunch. Yummy.  - JOB DONE 

But first find means to LIGHT the gas hob - no electric to work the electric gas ignition system! Found old clicky thing in drawer of miscellaneous kitchen things. - JOB DONE

Consume substantial bowl of delicious soup for lunch. - JOB DONE

Watch a few frames of snooker from the Irish Open - JOB DONE

Wake up - JOB DONE

And so to Wednesday's blog ...

Prologis Pennies Provide Progress for Passengers

fbb thanks Northampton Alan for the catchy title!

Daventry is in Northamptonshire but on the western edge thereof, very close to the border with Warwickshire. Historically is was part of he county's extensive boot and shoe trade; but it's all gone now! 

Then British Timken (of roller bearing fame) moved in, but that's all gone now.

It is near, but not on, the A5.

It is near, but not on, the M1

It is near, but not on, the West Coast main line

It's closest station is the astoundingly luxurious Long Buckby ...

... on the Northampton loop. 

Here are plenty of trains (not the fastest) to London and, in a bit of a dog-leg, to Birmingham with connections to the further north.. But there is no realistic bus from Daventry to the station apart from a weedy occasional Monday to Friday only service.

Opportunity missed!

Long Buckby used to have a very attractive station.

But it's all gone now! Just the hut remains.

Daventry used to have its very own railway station ...

... but it's all gone now.

Buses are in the hands of Stagecoach and from this coming Sunday there are big (?) improvements to services - or so the local paper says.

Thanks to Northampton Alan for sending the quotes.

Changes are being implemented to the Daventry Stagecoach bus services to improve the work, leisure and shopping transport links for residents.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has been working with Stagecoach to improve the bus services in Daventry ... 

It is good to see a Local Authority putting its hand in the piggy bank to support good public transport. Only they aren't!

... with the financial support of Prologis UK, a Solihull-based industrial real estate agency.

These changes to the Stagecoach services came in response to customer demand. Councillor Phil Larratt, the Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport, Highways and Waste, said the feedback from residents was also considered while making the changes.

Cllr Phil Larratt said: “Working together with Stagecoach and Prologis UK we have been able to enhance bus services within Daventry, as well as improving the connections to both Northampton and DIRFT (Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal).”

Prologis UK has provided financial support to this improvement project, enabling better connections between Daventry and DIRFT.

It does sound good, even if the cash is coming from Prologis ...

... a company that is ahead of what's next.

Hmm; fbb thinks they lease out big sheds for you to do your logistics in or with.

As they are supporting all these improvements in Daventry, fbb felt he should do one of his celebrated "contrast and compare" of the current bus services in Daventry with their super new ones from Sunday onwards.

So fbb decided to begin with a current Daventry bus network map from Stagecoach. There isn't one!

This is all you get.

But the web site has access to current timetables and the revised equivalents, so we will start there.

It would appear that services are (still?) numbered for D1 to D6, so it should be easy to see the changes - even without a map. Indeed both Stagecoach and the local paper provide a list of the "improvements".

The D1 bus route provides a direct connection between Rugby and Daventry via DIRFT

The D2 bus route is changed to provide a reduced journey time between Daventry and Northampton

The D3 bus runs more often between Daventry and Northampton via Kislingbury, Bugbrooke and Nether Heyford.

The D4 bus has a new midday service from Daventry to Long Buckby.

Two hourly services, D5 and D6, are introduced within Daventry.

Even fbb remembers the branded Daventry Darts!

It's all gone now!

fbb will examine the timetables, current and new, tomorrow and, if necessary due to excitement, Friday.

 Next Daventry developments blog : Thursday 26th Jan