M25 Circumnavigation
Posted: Sat 1 June, 2013 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Customer Services, Cynicism, Driving, London, M1, M25, People, Politics, Sociable | Tags: #clamflange | 1 Comment »This weekend, I’ve driven round most of the M25. The only section I missed out was from M40 to M1 (which I do on a regular basis anyway, so no major loss) and by then I was sick of the road anyway.
It wasn’t just for fun, though. Yesterday was a drive from home (M1) to Chislehurst, in order to attend the wedding reception of Merialc. That particular run was OK, thankfully – even with the prevalence of roadworks etc. – until reaching the Dartford Crossing, which was as shafted as always, and took half an hour on its own.
Today I went round the other half, having decided to visit my parents who live off the M40. The roadworks on that section were far worse, although at least we were moving, if slowly.
It’s been a fun weekend (which I know means I need to either get a life, or get out more) but Lord above, the M25 does annoy me.
Weirdly, it’s not because of the generally shit quality of the road, the ongoing road works, or the tossbag drivers. What annoys me is that the M25 had the chance to be a great road, a great future-facing way to deal with all the possibilities relating to the increase of traffic round London for the next thirty to fifty years. And instead, it’s a lofting great white elephant. Why? Because no politicians or planners had the guts to stand up and say “Look, this is what we need, but let’s future-proof it, let’s make it all five carriageways each side, plan for a huge increase in traffic, and make it work properly”.
It could’ve been so good, and instead it’s just a bag of shit.
The Rebel Rebels
Posted: Mon 29 April, 2013 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Food, Gigs, London, Music, Photography, Public Transport, Sociable, Thoughts, Travel | 1 Comment »Over the weekend, I went down to London to see the Rebel Rebels perform their final show.
Conveniently (for me, at least) it was held at the Elixir Bar, just round the corner from Euston – ideal, and meant I didn’t even need to consider overnighting in London.
As it was, I met up with Merialc and Erzsebel beforehand, and went for a curry at the Erzsebel-recommended “Diwana Bhel Poori House“. (round the other corner from Euston) The food was excellent – although I can honestly say I have no idea what the hell I was eating – and made for a good start to the evening.
The evening itself was a fun time too – and while not being ‘official photographer‘, I still had the camera with me, and got some good shots. I’ve missed the Rebels’ previous shows for a number of reasons, so I’m glad I got to be there for the final one.
The journey home was OK too – albeit incredibly long, due to the train service stopping at every single station on the way. Being sober on the late train’s an experience in tolerance, not rising to any number of inane pisshead conversations and the like, but thankfully there was only one puker, so it could’ve been a lot worse all round.
A great evening all round, and it’s a pity that at the moment there aren’t more planned.
Ansel Adams, National Maritime Museum
Posted: Sat 6 April, 2013 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Creativity, Domestic, Photography, Reviews(ish), Sociable, Thoughts, Travel | 1 Comment »Yesterday involved a trip into London, meeting a friend, and going to see the exhibition of Ansel Adams’ work at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.
I’ve been a fan of Adams’ work for a long, long time, and have a couple of books of his work, but have never really seen any of the original work – so when the exhibition was announced, I knew it was something I wanted to go to.
I’m really pleased that I did go – so many of the photos in the exhibit are absolutely stunning. It sounds odd, but I was surprised by how many were actually really small. Logically I knew that they’re mainly taken on a 4″ x 5″ plate, but when you see the huge landscapes he’s taken, you always imagine them being epic in scale. And some of them are truly epic – prints 3 metres high, and absolutely stunning, including a triptych of photos that graced the foyer of an insurance company in San Francisco.
Honestly, I didn’t know some of the story of his work, of how ground-breaking and radical some of it was at the time, his influence and work on changing from the more ‘impressionist’ style of Pictorialism through to the more modern “Photorealism” and the f/64 movement (partly founded by Adams) for landscapes and so on, maximising the depth-of-field for the maximum detail throughout the frame.
It’s a stunning exhibition – there’s only a couple of prints I didn’t like, and so many that would love to have on my walls.
Catching Up, and Updates
Posted: Sat 22 December, 2012 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Getting Organised, Sociable, Time | Leave a comment »This year, I’ve actually sent out Christmas Cards – not something I always do, by any means. It’s also been a way of making sure people have new address details, as I know in some cases I’ve been utterly crap with keeping friends up to date on where I am. (And in some cases I know my addresses take up more than a page in their address books)
It’s been a good thing, too. I’ve caught up with a couple of friends whose situations had changed quite radically – one who’s now married, and one who’s now separated, as well as another who’s had a number of relatives with hospital-based issues and the like.
All told, it’s been a worthwhile exercise. I do feel slightly guilty for being a shit mate and not knowing these things already, but at least I know now, so it could be worse.
And now just to get on with the actual catching up…
Being Sociable
Posted: Sun 25 November, 2012 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: D4D™, Domestic, Getting Organised, People, Sociable | Tags: #fuckknuckle | 2 Comments »For the first time in way too long, last night I met up with a bundle of friends I haven’t seen in – we later worked out – two years. Not since Pixeldiva‘s wedding in fact.
This time it was in London, at the Founder’s Arms, meeting up with (in no particular order) Gordon, Kirstie, Lori , Topper, Amanda, Claire, Karen, Pete and even a brief appearance by Svetzi (originally mistaken by me for a homeless person)
Thoroughly enjoyable, very silly, and definitely to be done again much sooner than every two years.
What’s Next ?
Posted: Thu 21 June, 2012 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Depression, Domestic, Getting Organised, Resolutions, Sociable, Thoughts, Time, Work-related | 3 Comments »Looking back over the archives, it’s now five years (nearly 5 years 1 month, in fact) since I moved (with Herself) into the first house I’d owned, or been involved in owning. (And still the only house, actually) Which means that it’s eight years since I got together with Herself – and it’s also seven and a half years since I left Manchester, but that’s less relevant to this post.
Now, five years on, I’m back to being on my own, back in a rented place. It wasn’t entirely my choice, more a conclusion to plenty of events in the run-up, but it’s where things are, and I’m going to try and make the best of it.
The thing is, I don’t really feel like I’ve made any progress in those eight years. Sure, there’ve been lots of changes, and lots of stuff has happened, but when all’s said and done, have I progressed? No – indeed I’d say I’m in a worse situation than I was back then.
Back in 2004, I was working – admittedly at a job I didn’t much like – and doing OK. My finances were up-and-down, more so than they should’ve been, but I really only had debts of £1,000 at any one time – my bank overdraft, and that was it. The house was rented, and was OK. I didn’t drive (ah, OK, that’s progress) – but I didn’t need to, with a decent transport system at my door. Sure, longer travel was more of a pain, but I was used to that.
Now, I’m working – at a job I like, but don’t want to do Forever – and my finances are shit. I owe a significant amount of money, and know it’s going to take a long time to sort that out. That debt has been my own choice, to a degree, but I’m not happy about it, and I want to get rid of it. It’s just that sometimes that looks like a bit of an insurmountable task. The house is rented, and is OK. I do drive, and have a car, so yeah, that’s progress.
I don’t have any assets, realisable or not, and I don’t really have anything of merit going for me right now.
The job? It’s OK – even good – but it’s not really what I want to do any more. Except I don’t know what I do want to do, either.
And with everything else going on, I most certainly don’t feel like I’ve anything to offer anyone else. I don’t want anyone else either, so it’s not all bad, but it’s the feeling that’s just a bit grim right now. All I’m going to focus on for the foreseeable is getting myself sorted out, figuring out what I want to do/be, finding what (if anything) makes me happy, and all that jazz. It’s not reinvention time, but it is – I think – rediscovery time.
What’s going to come next? I honestly don’t know. This is either a new beginning that leads to something interesting, or it’s the beginning of the end. Who knows which way it’ll go? Not me, that’s for sure.
[Note : I’m just having a down day. Not great, not by a long chalk. But I’ll get through it, one way or t’other]
Mileage Tot-Up
Posted: Mon 19 July, 2010 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Driving, Sociable, Travel | 3 Comments »This month (as I’ve mentioned before) has been a bit of a hog when it comes to mileage done.
So far (and excluding the normal 350 miles per week for work/commuting) it’s involved…
- Down to Berkshire to drop off Hound – 300 mile round trip
- Odds and Sods for party organisation, ferrying stuff and the like – 50ish miles
- Across to Peterborough to collect Herself’s brother for the party weekend – 75 miles
- Down to Berkshire to collect Hound – 300 mile round trip
- Down to London to deliver Herself etc. for her break – 200 mile round trip
- Down to London to collect Herself etc. from her break – 200 mile round trip
- Up to Manchester and back – 600 mile round trip
That’s just over 1,700 miles this month. If you include the work commute, we go up to just over 3,100 miles.
I don’t mind the driving, it’s not resented or anything – for the most part it’s actually enjoyable (except for a small dollop of aquaplaning on the A1, but the less said about that the better) but it does amaze me on occasion just what kind of mileage I do knock up over time – although this July has been pretty excessive, even by my standards.
I probably need to check when the car’s due for its next service, don’t I?