Weekend 554.1

Settling, unpacking, and re-playing KH3. I’m a completionist and there’s one very (very) difficult trophy left. The Limestone Library is about 1/3 restored. I’ve pulled a couple of books from the shelves that I want to revisit. The first is The Art of Makoto Shinkai. This was gift from my Mum. The others are little booklets re-telling the history of Southampton.

(1) Urban Dictionary: Completionist

(2) Why Honda Shifters Are So Good, An Anthropological and Technical Exploration (Road and Track)

(3) 1 for 730+ (Transport for London)

(4) How did Elizabeth I die? (RMG)

(4A) This is from the Limestone Roof Photo Archives

Makoto Shinkai

Weekend 539.0

(1) A Clean, Well-Lighted Place (The Catholic Thing)

(2) UK rail union aims to shut network in 3 days of strikes (Reuters)

“The Rail Delivery Group, which represents companies operating train services, urged the RMT to call off the strikes, saying the industry was suffering with passenger numbers at around only 75% of pre-coronavirus pandemic levels.

(2a) The Proud City: A Plan for London (YouTube)

(3) Hawley and Grassley Receive Evidence from Whistleblower Showing DHS Intent to Weaponize Social Media to Control Information (The Last Refuge)

(4) April 11, 1963 – General Edwin Walker (YouTube)

Weekend 535.0 (Waiting for the gift of sound and vision)

(1) TfL Launches Limited Edition Elizabeth Line Oyster Cards (Londonist)

I tried to find one this AM ten days before the line opening. I tried Green Park on the Piccadilly, Bond Street on the Jubilee, and Paddington on the Bakerloo.

Update: The Oyster Cards were being dispensed from Charing Cross.

https://twitter.com/geofftech/status/1525217688989097984

(1a) Update 2: Success! I was at Charing Cross this morning (very early).

Elizabeth Line Oyster Card

(2) London Tube Colors: Hex, RGB, CMYK & Pantone (London On My Mind)

(3) RideLondon FreeCycle

(4) A-HA The Movie (YouTube)

Weekend 533.0

I was in Portsmouth on Saturday for Pompey versus Gills. Portsmouth is owned by former Walt Disney chief executive Michael Eisner¹. Gillingham is in a League One relegation battle that also involves the Morcambe Shrimps. It was a quick trip and I will still groggy from Paris in mid-week.

On that subject…

Travelling across the channel via the Eurostar was not easy (ticket gates, security and passport control). The service is fine once you depart BUT Gare du Nord was utter chaos and the departure lounge at St Pancras International is claustrophobic inducing.

Related
Long Lines at Gare du Nord as Eurostar Hit by IT Issues (Yahoo News)
2021/2022 Football Campaign
St John’s Cathedral
Paris Windows (Sasha Ward)

(1) Video Game Lofi: Kingdom Hearts album now streaming, physical pre-orders open (Game Freaks 365)

Listened to it on Spotify this AM and it’s good.

¹No politics this weekend.

London Station Group (Collect ‘Em All)

There are 18 railway stations served by the National Rail network in central London. My goal is to explore and photograph each. Here’s a quick list / summary to date of those I’ve visited (and travelled to/from). My favorite station in the LSG is Euston whilst my favorite destination station (not terminal) is Harlow Town. Harlow Town (1959) was featured in British Rail Architecture 1948-97 (pgs. 76-81) by David Lawrence and was described in Architectural Review as the “first and most convincing fulfilment of the promise of better railway architecture in Britain.”

Station Destination
BlackfriarsBrighton
Victoria Canterbury East / Dover / Portsmouth & Southsea
Liverpool StreetHarlow Town, Norwich
King’s CrossBury St Edmunds / Ely / Cambridge / York / Durham / Lincoln / Sunderland, Newcastle¹
St Pancras International Paris / Ramsgate
WaterlooSouthampton / Salisbury
EustonLancaster / Hereford / Stoke / Coventry
Paddington Bournemouth / Plymouth / Oxford / Penzance / Bath Spa / Exeter

Related
(1) The Central line to Harlow? It could happen… (Secret London)

¹Inboud rerouted after cancellation