After returning home and talking about Borough Market, we headed off to meet some colleagues for the fireworks at Battersea Park, where the lighting of the bonfire lead up to fireworks set to music (I think my bonfire picture looks a little sinister somehow). Yet again, there was a huge crowd and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Before the actual fireworks commenced there was a display of arial acrobatics with trapeze artists who were performing some kind of mid-air ballet set to music. The performers were all suspended from a huge crane which allowed the audience on the fields below to watch the spectacle. They also used dancing kites set to music and illuminated from below to add to the effect. Sadly, many of the crowd were only there for the explosions and starting jeering. I was not impressed by those that starting booing – I thought the show was a great attempt to try to do something a little more than just have a series of spectacular fireworks and the council and the performers deserved much credit. The fireworks themselves were, as the Battersea show always is, spectacular. I was trying to explain the origins of bonfire night to one of our group who comes from Italy and was not aware of the traditions. Sadly, I was unable to remember much of what I learnt last year:

Responding to papal denunciations and pressure from radical Protestants, Queen Elizabeth’s government severely penalised practising Catholics. Catholics hoped for greater toleration from James, whose Queen was herself a Catholic. Instead, James reconfirmed Elizabeth’s anti-Catholic legislation; he also ended England’s war with Spain, removing any hope of imposing Catholicism by force [source]

On this day…

2003: Another Rant on Phone and PDAs

Today we managed to eat at the Spanish Chorizo stall that I previously mentioned and had a good old look around Borough Market again. It really is full of some of the most fantastic food and I still wonder why on earth there aren’t more markets like that around the UK. Borough Market was, once again, heaving with a wide range of people. Some, clearly at the tourist end of the scale, just looking and, perhaps, picking up a bite to eat. Some, like us, were wandering in search of both the bit to eat and something to bring home and cook over the next few days. Others, clearly more local (many seemed to have come on bicycles), appeared to be doing their weekly grocery shop. The market thrilled me yet again – if you’re in London at the weekend it’s a must (and trust me, the queue for the Chorizo burgers really does indicate how great they are). If you’re looking for directions, Borough Market is just behind Southwalk Cathedral (and near London Bridge underground station) and near The Cutty Sark (that’s the picture – food stalls didn’t seem photogenic).

UPDATE: Julian just mailed me and pointed out that I am not really talking about The Cutty Sark at all (which is the big thing down Greenwich way) and my picture is of a replica of The Golden Hind. I knew this (I’ve even been to a wedding on board) so why I got it confused is a mystery. Thanks for pointing out my stupidity.

On this day…

2005: Regent Street Lights 2005
2003: Heavenly?
2003: Do I Hear Fi?
2003: Another Month Another Man
2003: Bring A Smile
2002: Fly Accipiter, Fly

As almost the rest of the world wants to talk about the US Election (what on earth have you done to the world now?) I want to talk about trains. Yesterday I mentioned my trip to Edinburgh and I noted that I travelled by train. I didn’t tell you of the sheer pleasure of travelling on a high-speed GNER train and I won’t have all those nay-sayers who want to moan about the service stop me. Clean, comfortable and (except for one brief 15-minute slow down as we criss-crossed track works) very high speed. An at-seat buffet trolly with things you’d like to eat and a well-stock buffet car (I skipped the sit-down lunch in the restaurant car despite the fact it looked good). Apparently, there was a wireless network (although I couldn’t find it) but, sensibly, there were power-points near my standard class seating to charge my lap-top and mobile ‘phone. All that and no waiting around at airports and ‘please turn off all electrical items’ until we are quite high. The last time I went to Scotland the journey was turbulent to say the least, but that’s another story.

On the way back yesterday afternoon the train was older and more crowded (as we hadn’t booked seats there was a little more of a scramble). Still, two comfortable seats, coffee served at your seat and a newspaper seemed like a good way to travel home (no roadworks or turbulence). We were in the Quiet Carriage which, in principal, is a nice idea. However, the quiet was lost on:

• a Japanese student with an annoying high-pitched ring-tone and a line in friends who wanted to hear the detail of his journey home
• the larger lady who turned off the ring on her ‘phone only to talk all the way from Newcastle (or was it York) to colleagues about how she’d turned her ringer off and – while she was heading back to the office to tell them about the meeting – it went very well, darling, sweetie.
• two women on a shopping trip from Newcastle who were so excited about their purchases they unpacked each one and cooed at each other all the way to London
• a man whose iPod was so loud I know he was listening to Keane
• a woman who (I think) was doing very badly at whatever game she was playing on her portable game-thing as it made lots of those baritone beeps that I associate with people failing to answer questions on Family Fortunes

All such activity made it almost impossible for anybody to hear the announcements from our train’s Customer Service Leader (whatever happened to The Guard?) that it was a quiet carriage and you should turn off all equipment that makes annoying sounds and hold mobile telephone conversations in the vestibules (which used to be the cold bits between carriages but seem to have been given a new lease of life).

On this day…

2003: Brookside Closed
2001: About Musak

TV News always looks exciting and glamorous: being a TV news anchor carries authority and power and doesn’t have to come with all the trapping of fame; a TV journalist has the travel, a sense of excitement and, sometimes, even the risk. The cameras and the lights: a heady mix of worthiness, weight and touch of showbiz! However, right now I am watching the talented people of Sky News trying to fill the hours covering the American elections with nothing much to say. It must be a horrible task – hours and hours to fill and nothing at all to say. Hopefully, tomorrow, there will be some facts that can be reported on. Right now 74 votes to Bush and 78 to Kerry. The future of our world could, easily, be in the hands of one of them.

On this day…

2003: In Mark Owen’s Time
2002: Give Us Our Daily Blog

Ah, so I am back and exhausted from my little holiday. You will see some pictures on the Flickr sidebar or at my Flickr pages. Of course while I have been enjoying some sunshine I see London hasn’t been that dry. [Wet London 20 by Timo Arnall]

Time now to tackle some of the 200 or so comment spam messages that have arrived in my in box.

In the meantime, is it really two years since I went to see Taboo.

On this day…

2005: Admonished By A Snack Food Wrapper
2004: 21 Dog Years: Doing Time At Amazon.Com
2002: Everything Taboo

According to The Independent [Source: BBC’s digital channels are ‘poor value’] ‘BBC4 makes too many programmes which “virtually no one watches”‘. I would say that’s a shame but I have hardly ever watched it. The only reason it is relevant is that last night I dreamt about all the BBC channel identities – those boxes with ‘BBC One’ etc. written in them – I have no idea why but in my dream they were all yellow and none of them had that annoying BBC Three character.

In a tenuous link, the BBC will, of course, be reporting the run-up and the outcome of the American elections next month. It may seem that we are somewhat powerless to do anything about it but The Guardian is giving everybody a chance to say something. The idea is that Guardian readers are matched to an American voter thus allowing them the chance to communicate on a personal basis and tell a real-life voter what the rest of the world thinks. I think it’s quite an interesting idea. What the voters of Clark County, Ohio may think when they get letters from us Brits is another things altogether. More at The Guardian.

Looking at my Flickr photo collection, I see that the first picture is of the water cooler in the office. This takes me back to the warm, balmy days of summer when it was so hot we thought we would melt in the office. Today, I am sitting here thinking I may have to buy a t-shirt in my lunch break to wear under my shirt as I am cold and it’s pouring with rain. Last week (and on Tuesday) I wrote about autumn. I am beginning to think we skipped straight to winter.

Speaking of photos (and linked to the BBC – so it makes sense to write it here) – memories of children’s television and this date seem to be linked. This day in 2002 I was talking about the show Rainbow and today Tom has posted a picture of Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grub. Sometimes, it would be nice to be eight years old again!

Finally for now, today’s phone lust: Orange SPV C500. Come on Palm – get your act together – I want a more compact ‘phone that the Treo by the time I am allowed to upgrade again.

On this day…

2002: Up Above The Streets And Houses
2002: Awww

Today’s linkage: Todd Grimshaw, the character at the centre of a controversial gay storyline in Coronation Street, is set to return to ITV screens as producers at Granada try to extract more “value” from their biggest brand [Media Guardian]. See also that first kiss.

On this day…

2002: Friday Night’s Gonna Be Alright

I spoke last Sunday about Sky One’s programme The Match. Now I haven’t watched any of it apart from that first episode at the actual game tonight. The celebrities were better than I thought they would be and I thought it was a shame that they lost (2-1). Jonathan Wilkes turned out to be something of a star really and scored the goal for the celebs. Poor old Gary Lucy didn’t do very well – apparently, they kept putting him on the bench all week and was up for the public vote several times. He did, however, survive to play part of the game. Perhaps it was one of the better reality TV shows. [Sky Showbiz Report: Celebs Narrowly Beaten In The Match]

On this day…

2005: Sky One’s The Match
2002: Mussels

Every year I talk about how nice autumn is (see, I did it here in 2003) and how much I like the season. If you have any doubts as to why I like the season then just go look at Flick’s autumn tag – it’s stunningly beautiful. Every autumn in the same with lots of work and me craving a holiday (see, I did that in 2002). This year is no different. But I have to admit – it was very cold this morning.

On this day…

2002: First VHS For Sale
2002: My Big Fat Greek Wedding