Tag Archives: Musings

A window on My World

March’s monthly musings

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🚓 What Cab News

As I wrote last week, a FoI request discovered the number of black cab drivers entering the the trade sat at just 185 new licensees in 2023. Shows a marked decrease in the number of new taxi drivers licensed over the past nine years in the capital.

🎧 What I’m Listening

Nick Ferrari officially took on the role of his LBC breakfast programme in 2004, running from 7 am to 10 am, with a format of news, political debate and discussion. For a phone-in show, after 20 years he still doesn’t mention the phone number to call the programme.

📖 What I’m Reading

Hedgelands by Christopher Hart appeals to the geek in me, this book is about the humble countryside hedge, and how it’s woven into our language, landscape and culture.

📺 What I’m watching

Spring must have arrived, the bluetits have been busy building their nest in our garden.

❓ What else

Check out Google Arts & Culture: TfL’s Cultural Archive, over 2,000 images and documents: historic documents, images and maps charting the history of public transport in London. Whether you want information about maps, posters, gardens, lost property, the famous moquette, and Johnson typeface.

📆 What date?

The 1st of April is just around the corner, a message will appear on CabbieBlog which isn’t a joke, far from it.

 

A window on My World

February’s monthly musings

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🚓 What Cab News

Now we have a cab licence suspension for 3 points on one’s DVLA licence for what TfL deem a ‘serious’ offence, not for a single speeding ticket, but being convicted, for instance, of the offence of ‘driving without reasonable consideration.’ If a driver receives 6 penalty points or more, they face licence revocation.

🎧 What I’m Listening

I am still listening to any previously broadcast WizAnn podcasts, great listening if you are a cabbie.

📖 What I’m Reading

I told a good friend that I’d never watched Secrets of the London Underground on Yesterday, and for Christmas, she bought me London Transport’s publication Hidden London by the same team.

📺 What I’m watching

ITV’s Trigger Point is worth watching if only Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio is the executive producer. Is it me? I’m finding the fictional London locations irritating. If it’s in London say it, especially when a geek like me sometimes knows the actual location.

❓ What else

My neighbour was burgled early one evening this month as we sat indoors unaware of the crime. Since then I think we’ve brought the demise of the polar bear closer, one click at a time, as we ordered the delivery of security items from Amazon, delivered by their polluting vehicles.

📆 What date?

Those of you who are more observant (or just geeks) will have noticed today’s post is falling on a Thursday and not on the last Tuesday or Friday of the month. The reason is simple: Today is a leap day (29th February), and in two more leap days CabbieBlog will be publishing its last post (29th February 2032).

 

A window on My World

January’s monthly musings

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🚓 What Cab News

The beginning of the year is known as The Kipper Season for reasons that have been lost in the mists of time. Traditionally it is one of the quietest times in London for the cab trade, a frustrating time trying to earn a living, and this year by all accounts is one of the worst.

🎧 What I’m Listening

Unlike many, I’ve been avidly reading about the Post Office scandal for over 10 years. Now available on BBC Sounds is R4’s The Great Post Office Trial. The podcast reveals just how deeply ingrained this scandal was. It’s about time those corrupt ‘The Great and The Good’ were brought to justice.

📖 What I’m Reading

Hidden in Full View by Samantha Ford, some time ago Samantha contacted me for her research in writing this book. She’s now sent me a copy, and as she’s been called the new Wilbur Smith I’m delighted with the opportunity to read the novel, and what a cracking story it is!

📺 What I’m watching

Channel 5 1928: The Year The Thames Flooded, on a January night heavy snowfall started melting as a storm surge pushed up the North Sea. 14 died and the Tate Gallery flooded. A lesson for today.

❓ What else

For years sitting on my hard drive has been a barely started, let alone finished, novel. After exchanging emails with Samantha Ford (see above) my writer’s block has cracked and I’m scribbling away daily. The flow will probably subside, but in case it doesn’t watch this space.

📆 What date?

The six-pip Time Signal was introduced on 5 February 1924 following the successful broadcast of the chimes of Big Ben to usher in the New Year.

 

A window on My World

December’s monthly musings

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🚓 What Cab News

From next January Uber is encouraging London cabbies to join their platform, despite this shameless company spending a decade trying, and failing, to destroy London’s black cab trade. This is the same company that has shown little regard for the well-being of its passengers. This is the company that makes a mockery of the UK tax system. This is a company that has no regard for women’s safety. This is a company that had exploited its drivers until it lost its case in court. This is also the company that has subsidised fares to the tune of billions in an attempt to bankrupt the centuries-old black cab trade. They need us to help grow their market share, and give them some kind of legitimacy. Oh! Did I mention our first court hearing suing them is in January?

🎧 What I’m Listening

London Particular (BBC Sounds) London is not one but many cities, a city of curious anomalies and dark secrets, of hidden portals to other dimensions, a city so vast and varied that the weird and the uncanny blend seamlessly with the ordinary, where the person sitting next to you on the bus, or walking beside you on the pavement, may, in fact, be a visitor from another time.

📖 What I’m Reading

Ten-Second Staircase by Christopher Fowler. I’m now on Book 4 of 20 of his Bryant and May mysteries by this quintessential author of London noir. Diagnosed with a tenacious form of cancer at the very start of lockdown, last year marked a sad premature end to the sparkiest of creative minds.

📺 What I’m watching

I’ve been watching BBC’s Planet Earth III, this beautifully filmed and meticulously researched series that has run for 20 years. What should been an uplifting programme, I’ve found depressing, 30 per cent of species have become extinct since David Attenborough started Series I. I hope my grandson’s generation does a better job than we have.

❓ What else

The Chicken and Frog Bookshop in Brentwood has shifted a few copies of my book. This great local retailer specialises in selling children’s books and teaching youngsters, which might say something about my magnum opus.

📆 What date?

100 years ago on 1st January 1924, the Met Office issued its first Shipping Forecast broadcast, at this time it was called Weather Shipping.

A window on My World

November’s monthly musings

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🚓 What Cab News

Tom Hutley has been working on a No Traffic Lights Challenge across London. Not counting pedestrian crossings, is it possible to get around all 22 boroughs featured on The Knowledge without using traffic lights? After many trials and changes in mapping the route he’s produced this YouTube video: Can you DRIVE across London without lights?

🎧 What I’m Listening

WizCast is a podcast by Dean Warrington, founder of WizAnn Knowledge School. Rujel and Sal completed with 12 appearances and both did it in around 2 years. From Rujel’s first appearance to his suburb appearance was 364 days. If you want to be a London cabbie, WizAnn School is a good place to start.

📖 What I’m Reading

I thought I’d check out the competition for my book, by buying second-hand, Mark Syme’s book, Knowledge Boy: How to Make a London Taxi Driver. I am trying to track down Mark to contribute to a London Grill.

📺 What I’m watching

Shakespeare: Rise of a Genius, I’ve been banging on here about the 400th anniversary of the publication in London of Shakespeare’s First Folio. The BBC has made this spellbinding drama-documentary demonstrating the Bard’s ability to relevant for us all today. It should be compulsory viewing for all year 9 school children.

❓ What else

Some typically ‘like’ nearly everything I have posted, presumably simply because they want to support my work and want me to feel good about uploading these regular missives. But when I choose the ‘like’ option, sometimes I’m really just saying, “I acknowledge and affirm your existence.” Why don’t they have a button just for that?

📆 What date?

Big Ben’s First Bong. On the 31st of December 1923, the chimes of Big Ben were broadcast on the radio for the first time by the BBC, I’ll be writing about that on my Substack platform.