White Christmas here in Toronto

Don't need to dream of a white Christmas - it snowed overnight and the street is covered with fresh snow. Happy Christmas to all.

More train trouble down under

Melbourne sees part of its train privatisation unravel. The Age reports.

French drivers get the hard word from le patron - "drive like the Brits"

The Times reports that France is finally facing up to its disastrous road safety record. About 8,000 dead every year.
Put it in perspective - nobody died on Britain's railways in the previous story.

Diary of disasters on the rails

The Independent gives rail travellers some christmas cheer:

3 October: Train runs away and collides with another at Chichester
8 October: Train splits apart at Radford Junction, Notts, after short circuit causes uncoupling
9 November: Tunnel collapses on main line at Falkirk
10 November: Freight train derailed after running on to missing track near Rotherham
11 November: Chemical train derails in Warrington siding
12 November: Electric train signalled over line with no wires in Radlett, Herts
12 November: Out-of-gauge crane knocks down bridge, North Yorkshire
13 November: Main line loco runs out of control, Edinburgh
24 November: Train derails at 100mph on broken track in Ealing, west London
1 December: Express ruptures fuel tank hitting debris, Ealing

Billy Joe Shaver

Went to see Billy Joe Shaver Wednesday night in a club in west Toronto - dynamite performance from old Texas country singer/songwriter (Honky Tonk Heroes etc). "Why have I written so many songs? Because I'm so damn old!" Could work the audience like a charm - drinking Evian water - "I wasn't drinking this twenty years ago, I just noticed it spells naive backwards, It's us that's naive drinking this stuff."
Probably been telling the same gag for ten years but he brought the house down with tight band and aw shucks humour. Roars of applause before he'd played a note.

Government bails out Connex

Ouch! The taxpayer coughs up again. More of your cash to run a broken down railway.

Unusual homes

If you are looking for a different type of house go here and for a rotating house go here.

Archives

These are playing up at Blogger - suggest you use search which is working OK as I have kludged it.