Nicki.

How are you?

And did you manage to find your dream job?

I am ok, thanks. Getting back up to speed with fluting now I have my LTCL programme approved


Not yet, although I do have a job, so a step in the right direction. I am surprised that people have remembered

I might be a special exception... I feel like we grew up together on this forum, so perhaps I remember more when I do still see you post. In fact, I think I still have your email address somewhere, although I probably wouldn't presume to use it anymore!

Sometimes I wonder what happened to the other old forumite teenagers (now all well into their twenties, I guess)!

Nicki, you were very prolific - you still have nearly twice as many posts as I do!

I know! I remember stressing about my GCSEs on here.

How are you doing? Are you sorted job-wise now?

Nice to see you posting again, Nicki. All the best with your LTCL. If it's as expensive as the LRSM I expect you had to wait for a job to be able to afford it!

Good to see you both back on the forum, Nicki/DawnF.

LTCL, Nicki... You'll have to inform us of your progress!

I did a double-take whan I saw the number.

Welcome back nicki-flute.

Welcome back Nicki !
Nicki is third in all time list of posters , behind Barry and Car Expert.

I was just pondering what I'm going to be practising later on today. My thoughts went like this:

"Today. Today. Today I am going to nail F sharp minor. Oh, no, that sounds wrong in so many ways. Today I'm going to sort out my scales and arpeggio of F sharp minor."

I have a day off work today, and had booked my annual boiler service. Yesterday I got a call from the engineer saying he had to cancel the appointment "Never mind", I thought "I can do some Christmas shopping in my time off instead". Some hours later I noticed a missed call from the same number (but no message), later still I got a text message reminding me about the engineer's visit.

I called this morning to try and clarify whether the visit is on or off - I've been assured that it is on. What are the odds on the engineer actually turning up?

And also the name of sleeping Beauty .... Now not that many people know that ....

Well as you know I am often down in your area visiting daughter !!

Actually the difficult arpeggio is F#( Gflat) Major being all on black notes (also E flat minor)

Try playing it on a recorder, as Maizie will be.

One colleague have gone home and the other has left on holiday so I am all alone on the Helpdesk.

It is a bit embarrassing really.

LTCL progress...hmm, we will see! Who knows how close I am to the standard.

Does that mean the quality of responses will have gone up by two thirds?!

Nicki, I have a job. I spend my days making chocolate. I am still contemplating doing a PhD sometime, but the job is fairly secure, well paid etcetc, if a little hard going and frustrating on occasions. I'm doing a fair bit of travelling, which can be fun (if a nice hotel is involved) but is also very exhausting.

Your flute teacher?

Nicki & Misti - you must both be about the same age as me!

Just found out that my birthday this year is the Monday when we return from this year's fieldtrip to the lake District (sooooooooo excited!!) which means numerous hours of travel on my Birthday!!! and if for any reason that doesn't happen, a 5-6 human geography lecture! At least I'll be with friends!

Can anyone tell me which crowd sings "Swing Low Sweet Chariot"?Is it football or rugger, and which team / country? I know I heard it sung by supporters at a televised match but can't remember who it was. I need to motivate a boy pupil!!

The supporters of the England Rugby team.

Complete version here:-

http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/swinglow.html

Might be other songs of interest within the general scoutsongs site

I discovered my boss left his pass at home when he asked to borrow mine!

Many thanks - great! He will now no doubt be motivated to learn the version I have given him from one of the Piano Adventure Book Series.

I think Misti is a bit older than me.

My Mum is staying with us for a few days. I was magically transported back about 50 years tonight when I prepared her hot water bottle for her. She of course did that for me all those years ago...

Had a moment like that a couple of weeks ago we were at Mr corenfa's dad's house for the weekend, and they were going out on Saturday night while Mr c. and I stayed in. As they were about to depart, he asked - "Will you be back late? What time should we expect you?" and then fell over laughing saying "This is the reverse of how it was 15 years ago".

It's a bit vicious outside. There's huge chunks of metal flying around on the main road and my coat just got blown off my body. Luckily my coat went into a bus shelter and I didn't lose my house keys or anything.

WOW ! , hope its calmed down a bit now !

Goodbye, London bendy buses

Agreed! These were an open invitation to fare dodging if you got in either of the two rear doors. TfL reckons they will gain 7.4 million pounds in extra revenue, not sure what this is compared to (latest year or the year of maximum use of bendy buses).

I have never cycled in London, not even on a Boris bike, but I would have scared out of my life with these leviathans careering around narrow streets.

Oh dear. I wonder where they will be going now.

I have a horrible feeling they will be heading north to a city near here.

SB

Actually? http://www.lbc.co.uk/londons-bendy-buses-t...-to-malta-48368

Oh well, that's a relief, although I don't know what the Maltese have done to deserve them.

Will TFL bring back the Routemasters or are they not PC, too dangerous or something?

We have some ultra quiet busses in Newcastle, which run on LPG and batteries, (a but like an over grown Prius). I am sure they are very eco friendly, but I'm surprised nobody has been run over by one yet as you cannot hear them coming.

SB

TfL still run a few Routemasters on routes 9 and 15 during the day.

But what we do have coming soon is the Borismaster/New Bus for London - the first few are entering service on route 38 in the new year : here's a picture of one.

Hmmm. Not bad I suppose - but I'd rather they just continued running the old Routemasters (which were FAB). I know there was all this fuss about the 'danger' of the old hop on/hop off open backs, and the news that Boris was seeking designs for a new one which 'would meet today's standards of safety'...bah! At the moment I have had enough of political correctness and 'elf and safety and such. I wonder what the statistics are regarding the number of people who were seriously hurt jumping on/off a Routemaster? I travelled on them daily for 11 years when I was at school and never so much as saw a single person get hurt.

They do look rather nice

I think it's as much about accessibility as anything else. The old Routemasters are still running on selected "heritage" routes, so can't have been outlawed for health and safety reasons, but all the new buses have wheelchair ramps, space for wheelchairs etc which can only be a good thing. Let's not condemn all progress as bad.

And my dad who was a London Bus Driver (new Cross Garage) and said they were the best busses ever invented. I too went to school on them - and loved them - even the smell when you got on, and as for the excitement of the stairs and the race to get the front seat on the top deck - those were the days!

In Bordeaux they have had to put bells on the trams so that pedestrians can hear them coming

And on the subject of fraud...
You used to be able to board the Bordeaux buses through any door (front, middle or back) and validate your ticket in a machine just inside any of the doors. In an attempt to reduce the number of people who didn't pay, the only machine is now beside the front door and you have to board through the front door but...
a) the drivers believe it is their job to drive buses, not to check tickets so they refuse to look and see if people are validating them
b) in the peak hour it takes too much time for everyone to board through the front door so the drivers open all the doors and tell people to board from all the doors. (The buses are designed with the wheel-chair/push-chair/bulky luggage space in the middle so you ought to board through the middle door if you fall into any of these categories and if push-chairs/bulkly luggage don't, they block up the front door so then other people have to use the middle door)

Result, I always used to validate my ticket. Now there are times when I can't because if I have to get on through the middle or back door, there is no machine to validate it with!

mmm hot apple pie


(this could go in the 'happy' thread too)

When I was small, I used to ride on route 53 as a special treat (it went right into Central London from not all that far from where I lived then). That was a New Cross route then, wonder if your dad ever drove the little b-c?

Oh, YES - I remember those things too!

The last time I was in the front seat on the top deck of a bus I was absolutely terrified! It was only a city bus and not going fast but I felt so scared! It had to go round a tight left hand bend (90 degrees) and I was so horrified by swinging round that I bolted down the stairs and got off at the next stop!


I'm such a wimp.

I hate writing feedback. Even worse is that this time it is for my manager.
I wonder how far I'd get with proposing that I won't ask for any feedback, if nobody asks me for any. Would suit me fine...!

Right, all feedbacks done
Now I just "need" to write my annual review

London bendy buses are coming to York too apparently

You can have them. You are welcome to them.