Birthday so far
Jan. 16th, 2008 02:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
suzyscottdotcomI’m having a good, if quiet, time of it today so far. So, time for a ten-pointer.
1. The post came, and I’ve had a fair handful of cards. Thanks to Paul H & Matt, Jayne A & Jim, my family (and the animals!)
2. Thanks to everyone who has sent online wishes and text messages – including Jenni A, who sent me a lovely online greeting!
3. Caroline came home for lunch, and cooked for me too!
4. Speaking of which, she has started to vary her diet plan – half of the hardcore intense diet, and a bit of another. She’s still losing weight and feeling good about it, but I really can’t believe it was partly thanks to me buying her a salad when we were out in London a few Wednesdays ago!
5. Health – well, of course, better than this time last year, when my head felt like it was about to explode (combination of coming off the Androcur, and building work outside going on into the night).
6. Further to my post at the weekend, I’ve since found out (via the SEC Journal 642) that the Brighton & Hove Scania OmniDekka double deckers from the Metro25 (fleet 901-918) are about to be swapped with the shorter-wheelbase, slightly older examples from the Coaster route 12 (fleet 661-669). ‘… the idea of the swap came after a meeting with night drivers at Lewes Road who were explaining the difficulties caused during busy nights by the restricted standing capacity on the 901 batch, imposed for overall weight reasons on the longer buses. Meanwhile, the company had been looking for ways to increase the seating capacity on services 12/12A/13 with the many extra CountyCard [local brand name for concession bus pass] holders using the route. The swap will thus put a more appropriate capacity on the respective services. The three newest vehicles in each batch (664-666 and 916-918) are to be done imminently, with the rest to follow in due course’. – indeed, 664 and 917 have already been swapped, and the B&H website reports more have followed. While the buses of the south coast will not normally be a focus of this diary, occasional snippets related to visits down south can be expected.
7. Back to Hertfordshire, and a wide variety of services are up for tender, with the new contracts due to start on 30th March. Services in this locality include 54/97/99 (Sunday services in the Hitchin area – which were reduced at the end of 2007), 89 (Hitchin – Henlow), 90/91 (Hitchin – The Mordens), 315 (Welwyn Garden City – Kimpton), 331 (Hertford – Royston), 351 (Hertford – Bishops Stortford), 354 (Buntingford – Harlow), 383/384 (Hertford – Stevenage), 388 (Hertford – Welwyn Garden City), 395 (Hertford – Ware evening service), 607-609 (Hatfield local services), 655 (Borehamwood – Hatfield), C1 (Cuffley – Chesnhunt), S4/S5 (St Albans – Cottonmill). Further afield, and more services around Hemel Hempstead are (according to local press) under threat because funding to Herts CC from Dacorum BC may be cut.
8. When C went back to work this afteroon, she left her PowerBook open on an interview on GateWorld.net earlier on. I’m sure you can guess what that refers to – and I’ve had a quick browse through the website. That may well help answer all the questions that pop up during the series…
9. We’re going out this evening… keep watching!
10. Did I make it? Yes!
Now going for another coffee and maybe have a few words online, before going for a bath.
1. The post came, and I’ve had a fair handful of cards. Thanks to Paul H & Matt, Jayne A & Jim, my family (and the animals!)
2. Thanks to everyone who has sent online wishes and text messages – including Jenni A, who sent me a lovely online greeting!
3. Caroline came home for lunch, and cooked for me too!
4. Speaking of which, she has started to vary her diet plan – half of the hardcore intense diet, and a bit of another. She’s still losing weight and feeling good about it, but I really can’t believe it was partly thanks to me buying her a salad when we were out in London a few Wednesdays ago!
5. Health – well, of course, better than this time last year, when my head felt like it was about to explode (combination of coming off the Androcur, and building work outside going on into the night).
6. Further to my post at the weekend, I’ve since found out (via the SEC Journal 642) that the Brighton & Hove Scania OmniDekka double deckers from the Metro25 (fleet 901-918) are about to be swapped with the shorter-wheelbase, slightly older examples from the Coaster route 12 (fleet 661-669). ‘… the idea of the swap came after a meeting with night drivers at Lewes Road who were explaining the difficulties caused during busy nights by the restricted standing capacity on the 901 batch, imposed for overall weight reasons on the longer buses. Meanwhile, the company had been looking for ways to increase the seating capacity on services 12/12A/13 with the many extra CountyCard [local brand name for concession bus pass] holders using the route. The swap will thus put a more appropriate capacity on the respective services. The three newest vehicles in each batch (664-666 and 916-918) are to be done imminently, with the rest to follow in due course’. – indeed, 664 and 917 have already been swapped, and the B&H website reports more have followed. While the buses of the south coast will not normally be a focus of this diary, occasional snippets related to visits down south can be expected.
7. Back to Hertfordshire, and a wide variety of services are up for tender, with the new contracts due to start on 30th March. Services in this locality include 54/97/99 (Sunday services in the Hitchin area – which were reduced at the end of 2007), 89 (Hitchin – Henlow), 90/91 (Hitchin – The Mordens), 315 (Welwyn Garden City – Kimpton), 331 (Hertford – Royston), 351 (Hertford – Bishops Stortford), 354 (Buntingford – Harlow), 383/384 (Hertford – Stevenage), 388 (Hertford – Welwyn Garden City), 395 (Hertford – Ware evening service), 607-609 (Hatfield local services), 655 (Borehamwood – Hatfield), C1 (Cuffley – Chesnhunt), S4/S5 (St Albans – Cottonmill). Further afield, and more services around Hemel Hempstead are (according to local press) under threat because funding to Herts CC from Dacorum BC may be cut.
8. When C went back to work this afteroon, she left her PowerBook open on an interview on GateWorld.net earlier on. I’m sure you can guess what that refers to – and I’ve had a quick browse through the website. That may well help answer all the questions that pop up during the series…
9. We’re going out this evening… keep watching!
10. Did I make it? Yes!
Now going for another coffee and maybe have a few words online, before going for a bath.
