Well as Christmas approaches Myself and the Worrier are no longer in work. Mine was expected, if earlier than expected and the Worrier lost a warehouse job. Still that customs job will hopefully be there in Feb. So long buses and school kids.

An added note to the bus accident. When the Worrier hit the barracks, she hit the armoury and they had guns trained on her from the other side of the wall (inside.). Scary no???

Went to see The Children. There is some excellent images. it's not a perfect film, but it really packs a punch and though is nasty it is something I would give the thumbs up to.  One of the better British horror films for sure.

Moo.

Tags: bus, film, work
Current Location: home
Current Mood: calm

I picked up the winter vomiting flu bug. Yesterday I was strapped to the toilet, today my behind is twitchy but not as bad.

I know too much information. Still it's sad when being sick makes you feel better and the first time I can fart without the fear of touching cloth is a moment of joy.

Another step in good health was achieved, no splatter and semi-solid stools. Still they look a bit yellowish.

Feeling better which means back on the buses tomorrow, I've had today and yesterday off and can't afford more, well I couldn't really afford these two days really.

The Worrier is still fretting over the appeal but at least she is keeping herself busy or reading to keep the mind occupied.

Moo.

Tags: bus, ill, work
Current Location: home
Current Mood: peaceful

The Cornerhouse in Manchester has whittled The Darkness Over Britain down. It was a double bill of TV stuff. The Incredible Robert Baldick, a Terry Nation pilot for serial that never happened. It was part of the TV Playhouse. A sort of early Victorian psychic detective, Robert Hardy played the lead and he was not the one over acting the most, very ripe at times. The other was Blink, from last years Dr. Who. It looked good on the big screen, but I thought lost some of it's impact. Excellent tale.

Then went to the Plaza in Stockport, £6 for a double bill of horror. The Ghoul, it was the TYburn version from the 70's (They're playing the wrong Ghoul went the cry.) A stately horror film, It looks good but I wish more was going on. We never really engaged with the characters. the second was hammer's Hound of the Baskervilles. A better film, and it looked great.

Plus they had the organ there.



As you can see it also changes colour.




It's a lovely building and Paul H. thought the building was great too as did The Worrier.




Ok here are a few pics from the Festival of Fantastic Films.#



here is all the fun of the Festival, Mr. Higson just can't take any more. The Worrier is such I charmer, you can see why I married her.




As you can see Sheila Keith is eying up Darrell's Monster Munch (They are vegetarian even though are beef flavour.), the T-shirt was not shiney but you can't hide an old thesp. that easily. The Monster Munch were a birthday present.

By the way The Worrier was sacked after the bus crash, but the case has gone to appeal. We wait for next Thursday.

On that HM Customs job I went for, I gotr an e-mail saying I'd past the test and was on the Merit list for 12 months, so if any jobs come up, I may have a chance. Nothing moves slower than the government.

Moo.

Tags: bus, darkness over britain, festival of fantastic film, job, stockport plaza, worrier
Current Location: home
Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: the worrier

Yesterday I was doing buses thinking it was quite dull on the route even though part of it was through Salford. Going past Man. United old training ground The Cliff (There isn't one, not even a Richards.) and place names like Butt Hill (with Butt Hill Convenience.) were as good as it got. Some kick managed to head but a window, oh dear and some old lady going bald had dyed her hair and got a comb-over. It was a real brillo pad, or shredded wheat job that grew fro the line of the left ear. Get a wig cheapskate or were it bald and proud like another old lady I saw.

So boredom set in when I got a phone call, Nadia had crashed her bus, she was ok, cuts and bruises, but it had hit wall, when the phone went dead. Prestwich does not have the strongest signal.

I was then phoned back after moving to a stronger signal area. I manages to speak to her. The breaks had failed. The bus had hit a car, gone through a railing and hit a wall. It was the TA Medical training centre so lots of army medics and paramedics were on the scene.

Nobody was hurt badly, Nadia had cuts to both hands and on her neck, she even had glass in her underwear. The bady had a few minor cuts and some passengers suffered whip-lash.

She is ok, and although her knuckles are bruised and needs a day off, she will be back tomorrow, Wednesday.

She did make the Manchester Evening News today, (I know it's only just noon and editions are already out.


The picture is bigger than this but LJ won't let it go bigger, boo hiss. Dunno why.

Moo.

Tags: boredom, bus, job, manchester evening news
Current Location: home
Current Mood: calm
Current Music: quiet

Well I've been doing more buses and have even more to do come next week.

The only problem the routes were long and the new buses are cramped so the back of my calves were painful by the end of the week, worries of thrombosis are not far from my mind. My grand father suffered with it and my mum (Though her's was due to Hormone replacement Therapy.) and in the end it killed them both, my Granddad was in his seventies and over weight, so I am in a better position. But still.

last week she was driving with her mentor when she heard a loud bang, he shout 'STOP!' Nadia thought, 'Oh god, what have I hit?'  It turned out he'd just seen the post office held up and the masked raider had fired his shotgun in the air. He got of the bus to help the police, Nadia thought, right if anyone come nears my bus the get shut and I'm off pronto.

The Worrier was driving on own on Tuesday for the first time and guess who was driving my bus to work Tuesday??


Yep. Nadia. I went and hid upstairs so I wouldn't criticize her. She actually drove the bus well. later a van hit her from behind with his wing-mirror only. How I'm not sure, she under took him, but she was in a bus lane, so that's allowed. But how did he miss a double decker bus?? She said she could see him getting closer and thought there is no where to go, and so it happened. Luckily no damage was done, his wing mirror cover popped off but he put it back on.




When I went out Monday I wore a pair of pants I haven't worn since last time I did this job. Since then I've lost weight. I also forgot to put a belt on. It's hard trying to look dignified stood at a bus stop in uniform (Big GMPTE coat.) with your trousers falling down, luckily me cheeky view was hidden by my big work coat.

I actually woke her up Tuesday when I burnt my toast, the toaster stuck and set of the fire alarm at 6 in the morning, twice. My neighbors love me. The flat smelt of burnt toast until the next day. Oh dear.

I found in Torkington a walled garden put there by the Secret Garden group, oh 'eck. Actually it was nice.

I also saw a golden retriever magic marker eyebrows, two little lads were running with it. Their mum just gave one of those looked.

Well I'm no longer on 192's going from Manchester to Hazel Grove via Stockport, after a long day The theme to Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 seemed really apt going into Hazel Grove on a windy dark night. I'll miss the lovely smell from McVities's factory, the other day it was Jammy Dodgers with a lovely baking and jam smell.

Well at least i won't see anymore bike smashes on the motorway, hopefully it was not too bad, but going over the motorway near Stockport i saw the aftermath of a car hitting a biker, the bike looked ok and the ambulance was already there, so as I say hopefully it was ok.

So I am 98s to Prestwich, I was worried it was all the way to Bury, but a lot of half hour trips help the legs and keep some of the boredom away.

Moo.

Tags: bus, work, worrier
Current Location: Home

Well as September rolls through we're having an Indian Summer. It's really nice but too hot on the buses at times.

Doing number 8's from Manchester to Bolton through Salford. Some of the things you hear are odd.

A loud voice just stated on one bus, 'I saw a nipple today.' and that was it.

A girl talking about being kicked out by her mum.
My mum's just found out that she's had another little brat..
So I asked her where did you find me? Under a gooseberry bush?

And some bloke was saying
Lies were just coming out of my mouth and I don't know why I was saying it.

I was also listening to my mp3 player at times. Listening to the Theme from Shaft going into Bolton just seemed wrong. Although listening to John Cooper Clarke's Chicken Town going through Salford worked and The Damned doing Grimly Fiendish while being held up in traffic caused by the Labour Conference in Manchester was spot on.

I'm sure I scribbled a list down of the music on one trip because it seemed so apt, now it's gone. Just like the  dodo.

The Worrier is now driving paying punters around with a mentor, soon she will be on her own. Scary.

Moo.

Tags: bus, job, music, the things people say
Current Location: home
Current Mood: good
Current Music: radiohead

I am a Labour voter so this is not some point scoring party piece.

Manchester is the third largest city in England. By closing the centre down you are not doing us a favour. The city  makes money from retail and other things that big cities do. Not being able to get in and out harms this.

We don't need you to tell people we are here they already know.

Manchester was already being shut down by Thursday afternoon. Yesterday I was almost late for work. The traffic jams along Oxford Rd and the other way past the courts and Salford Central station were ridiculous.

Guess what it's also fresher week, we have the biggest university population so the transport system will be screwed for weeks and now they do this. On top of it we also have several major sporting events in the city.

It costs enough to police a small seaside town, how much more will this cost??

Go to Blackpool they could use the late season money and your not shutting down a major city. They need the tourism we don't.

Why don't you try this idiocy in London? See what happens then.

Me I'm off to Nottingham, but I'm dreading working on the buses next Tuesday onwards.

Moo.

Tags: bus, labour, rant
Current Location: home
Current Mood: aggravated
Current Music: radio 5

Off to Fantasy Con in a bit. Can't wait. the 3 days in Nottingham will be the closest I've had to a holiday.

I've been timing buses from Bolton to Manchester, what fun. But I'm now free until Tuesday. Hooray.

Been taking your soup advice Moods. I had Woodland Mushroom soup, very nice.

Moo.

Tags: bus, fantasycon, job
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: excited
Current Music: radio 5

I saw the Worrier driving a dragon, this is one of the big, 3-axles, 6 wheeler, double decker buses from magic bus (Stagecoach cheap fleet.), called a dragon because they were acquired from the far east and africa. A lot of the old Magic buses have seen better days.

Today I'm doing a college bus should be ok. The crew is mainly same as last year and the new people fit in well, so the work mate side is fine. Anyway i will be doing timings so won't be on the van much until Christmas.

Still to hear from the HM Customs. Ho hum.

Trying to write the review for Jason and The Argonauts is proving slightly more difficult than first thought, the plot at the beginning has kept much of the Greek legand so is over complicated coincedences with gods sticking their oar in. At least it means I can hit the word count easy peasy.

Got The League of Extra-ordinary Gentleman, not sure how much i like it. It seems contrived more than ever.

Plus the last part of Mody Dick from Marvel Illustrated is mine, the last part sold out really quickly so I've been hunting this one down like Captain Ahab.

Moo.

Tags: bus, film, work, worrier
Current Location: home
Current Mood: fine
Current Music: the wind howling round the door

Well started work again and two days running I was soaked. not working this weekend so the weather is fine. I aim to go out later so expect it to rain then. Buses are great, honest.

Well Moods, you were right about me not worrying about the test. I had the interview and it went ok, I won't know the out come for almost three weeks. Fingers crossed.

Watched Ghosts of Mars, I really like this SF Precinct 13 style magubins. I know it a mess and seems to have been responsible for such greats as Resident Evil but still it's mindless fun.

The Worrier is now a fully qualified bus driver and has been out driving one round Manchester. Should be fun if I end up working on one of her buses.

Hope to go and see Hellboy 2 later today. Should be good fun. I enjoyed the first one and Ron Perlman is always fun. I wonder who gets beaten up most him or Bruce Campbell in his films.



Just listening to football on radio. Oh dear Scotland. Don't do a Costa Rica.

Moo.

Tags: bus, film, job
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: okay
Current Music: Radio