1st August 2025

🎤 Talking to the Oldies

I’m not sure whether it was a coincidence, but after musing last month that I was still waiting for a date, after I had been contacted by a retirement home about gjving a talk, they got in touch. Health permitting (see below) it should take place this month.

🔪 In praise of the NHS

I’m getting old, and as a consequence managed to give myself a inguinal hernia whilst gardening (it’s a man thing). It took only 2 days to see my doctor and last Friday I saw the consultant at a private hospital, after being given a multiple choice in both private and NHS clinics. My operation is imminent, so if CabbieBlog posts take a hiatus you now know the reason.

🚽 The price of progress

I’m old enough to remember my Dad buying a cold-water tap washer from a hardware shop (remember those?) costing 1d. My modern toilet now doesn’t shut off the flow. The cost? £17.99 plus postage, and getting a plumber with the tools to fit it.

🏡 Improving the environment?

As a consequence of our little dog’s health, I’ve spent too much time in Upminster. Just up the road from the vet’s, the former pitch and putt course was sold off by Havering Council in 2021 and is now Kings Green: ‘a collection of exquisite detached homes set within a private community’, where you can: ‘step into a realm of opulence’. Sterling work by the locals prevented the developers chopping down a stand of oak trees, but some inevitably were lost. Now this public green space that once contributed to reducing global warming is neither public nor green.

📺 Human

This new BBC series examines how Homo sapiens emerged as a species. In the early years of our evolution there were at least six other human species on Earth, and one of them, Homo erectus, lived for a very long time – almost 2 million years. That’s about 6 times longer than many archaeologists believe our species, Homo sapiens, is thought to have existed. Makes you think about how long we’ll last, for we seem to be making an excellent attempt at extinguishing our own species.

1st July 2025

🎤 Talking to the Oldies

Last month I mentioned being invited to give a talk at a local retirement home, some questioned if the invitation was genuine (yes I’m taking about you Pete!), well I’m still awaiting for the call. If it comes you’ll be the first to read about it here.

⛔ Gallows Corner update

As expected this important junction, the confluence of five roads, including Main Road, A12 and the A127, has closed. The detours take you on a scenic route around the Essex countryside. I hope the tens of thousands who normally pass through enjoy the panoramic views.

🦊 Emboldened foxes

Walking my dog along our local river a young fox followed us. Soon urban foxes will be asking us for treats, leaving the rats to multiply.

📖 Tom the Taxi Driver

Tom has started outlining his next book, an autobiographical look at being a new entrant to the taxi trade and how he’s learnt the ropes, plus all the juicy stories along the way! I look forward to reading it.

1st June 2025

🎤 A cabbie’s talk

Out of the blue a local residential home invited me to give a talk about being a cabbie. I’m still waiting to fix a date. I’ll report later how it went.

✈️ Holiday invitation

On my contact page I’ve received this:
‘I hope you are well and enjoying the sunshine!
I wanted to reach out as we would like to invite you to a press trip to the gorgeous region of Haute Savoie in the French Alps.
You will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the culture and learn about the heritage of the region while exploring places like Yvoire, the historic, medieval town in bloom, Evian’s Belle Epoque architecture, Menthon castle’s history and architecture. You will also enjoy visiting the relaxing Saint-Gervais Thermal centre and the famous Évian springs.’
What’s that to do with being London cabbie? Write your answers on the comments below.

📖 The Diary of a Bookseller

To save having to pay postage to Amazon I topped up an order with a recommend book. How I wish my memoir was this good – humorous, warm and informative. Quite brilliant.

📺 Canal Boat Diaries

I came across this antidote to living in London some time ago. Series 6 of Canal Boat Diaries features Robbie Cumming’s narrowboat, the Naughty Lass (Nautilus, get it!), as he navigates the canals and countryside of southern England. Bliss!

󠀿🎥 London’s youngest cabbie

Most start The Knowledge at middle age, Mo The Cabbie started at 18, and actually passed his Knowledge before he was 21. You can begin studying from age 18, but you can only receive your badge and start driving legally from 21. He’s recently started a TikTok channel which has gone viral, and is inspiring a new generation of potential London cabbies.

1st May 2025

⛪ Keeping up appearances

Whilst clearing out the attic I came across this receipt for my wedding suit.

✏️ Getting it down

I’m trying out the Cornell method of organising notes. Devised by Walter Pauk at Cornell University, the method is a ‘two-column’ notes style. The paper is divided into two columns: the note-taking column on the right is twice the size of the questions/keyword column, which is on the left. Four lines are left at the bottom of the page for the summary and one at the top for the page number and heading.

💬 Cabbie lingo

My post, Driving my droschky over The River, for reasons known only to Substack’s algorithms, has had over a thousand views and since posting, generated a couple of dozen new subscribers to my site – Unblogged London, and more likes than you could shake a stick at. Why some missives take off while others languish in cyberspace awaiting discovery I’ve yet to discover.

📖 What I’m Reading

Shakespeare. The Man who Pays the Rent – Judi Dench’s memoir. This delightful book has anecdotes galore, more remarkable is Judi’s ability to recount so much of her acting life.

❓ How popular?

I’ve recently received an email from FeedSpot informing me: ‘I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog Cabbie Blog has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 100 London Blogs on the web.’ All very nice including the badge now displayed on my sidebar. So I checked out the site above me at number 24 in FeedSpot’s popularity rating. The site, London Is Cool, is now defunct. So how is it more popular than many other London blogs? Stop press: Number 24 has been replaced by the excellent A London Inheritance.

🦊 Eating habits

Why do Havering’s foxes insist on consuming inedible piping? My neighbour’s fountain in their water feature was regularly sabotaged with foxes eating through the electricity feed. Now recently I’ve discovered a nibble in my hosepipe. There was a time when discarded McDonald’s take-aways were sufficient.

1st April 2025

📚 CabbieBlog News

Exactly this time last year, I announced that I wouldn’t be uploading daily postings for various reasons that I won’t reiterate again. Restricting uploads to just three days a week has given me time to write my first novel. Thanks for all your support by entering the competition. The winner who got the answer was Mark, one of our Colonial Cousins. He was out of the blocks with the correct answer within hours.

🦆 A new app

In January, I ticked off one from my bucket list. On a walk in a park and along our local river, I saw five foxes, a little egret, and a kingfisher. Spotting the colourful bird encouraged me to download the Merlin Bird app. So far, I’ve spotted 34 species. It’s not an obsession, but I can see how you could be drawn in.

📖 What I’m Reading

I’m working my way through the Bryant and May novels by the late Christopher Fowler. So far, I’ve reached number 9, The Memory of Blood, out of 23 books in the series.

📺 What I’m watching

I’ve just discovered Detectorists, Mackenzie Crook’s touching comedy about male relationships and men’s obsession with their hobbies. Working long hours on shifts, I missed it when it was first broadcast. It is now available on BBC iPlayer.

󠀿❓ What else

It’s nearly 13 years since a senior manager at TfL was generously wined and dined by the American company that now dominates London’s private hire. This has resulted in a serious decline in the number of licensed taxis and drivers, raising serious concerns about the future of the trade. Figures from Transport for London show that more drivers are leaving the industry and fewer new entrants are replacing them. As of the week ending 16 February 2025, the number of licensed taxi drivers fell to 16,816—a decrease of 20 compared to the previous week- and only 2 new taxi driver licences were issued. The number of licensed taxis (vehicles) also declined by 17, bringing the total to 14,470, with just 1 new vehicle licence granted. In comparison, 10 years ago, 25,538 cabbies pushed their vehicles around London’s streets. Now TfL are starting to become alarmed; with fewer entrants into the profession, it is only a matter of time before we turn into New York.

🚙 Gallows Corner

Gallows Corner near Romford is being improved with a new flyover; it promises to be a summer of disruption at this busy junction. It is named after a nearby execution spot that ably served the local community’s hanging needs from the 16th to 18th century. In 1932, a Metropolitan Police car collided with a cow at the junction. The animal was so badly injured it had to be destroyed. It was, in all probability, the last time the authorities had to make an execution at Gallows Corner. My thanks to the Londonist for this rather gruesome anecdote.