Batchelor had gone out in the thong to feed the pigeons a pieA 58-year-old man who fed pigeons wearing only a skimpy thong which was back to front has been fined £150. Neighbours spotted David Batchelor in his street in Perth in the underwear which left his genitals partly exposed"
Well, more tales from the road.... can't remember too much of last weeks shenanigans to be fair, picked up Paddy McGuinness he of Max & Paddy and Phoenix Nights fame. I took him to Bafta where he's on the panel judging this year's TV entertainment gong........ nice enough chap, although my mate at Sky has told me he was a little bit xenophobic when he was on Soccer AM a while back..... anyway -speak as you find!
Picked up a group of girls in Mortimer St who were many sheets to the wind on Friday night.... I won't share with you some of the pearls of wisdom and in depth descriptions of anatomies they were spouting, I'll leave that to your imagination.....
Quick note to anyone new to the "hailing a hackney carriage game" if the "TAXI" sign is not lit/extinguished/off/not shining bright, this means said taxi is already carrying person(s) and cannot be engaged in your transportation....... this was sadly lost on the 3 blokes who, whilst I'm stationary on Oxford St with lady in back, kept remonstrating with me, I point several times to the rear compartment, but to no avail. Eventually I slide front passenger window down enough to talk "Can you, hic, go to St hic Johns Wood hic mate?" no say's I, I've got someone in the back..... "oh, hic, shorry mate"
Managed to do ok from 1 short and 2 long eve's last week, have been out today for the first trial of an "early" day. Left home about 6.15am and finished up around 3.45pm - was ok, happy enough with the winnings of the day. A few assorted city jobs this morning, a poor woman from Charing Cross who was in plaster from a ski-ing injury picked up a couple of weeks ago, proceeded to take her to Ava Maria Lane, via an assortment of embankment/Aldwych and back on embankment owing to the blinking traffic!! (that don't teach that at the PCO).....
Had my 1st trip to the House of Lords....... it's like Fort Knox in there! anyhow, I'm off now. My band (I'm sure we all call it "My" Band! but it's reasonably democratic) has plenty of plans afoot for new songs and a new marketing push..... web site needs a revamp, so anyone who knows a cheap web design/someone who needs a gerbil - no guinea pig, let me know.......
Anyone who wants to see what we're like can make their way to either
So, week 3 for anyone keeping count.... out on Wednesday feeling pretty awake (from the 9-5) so off we go with a Queen Victoria St to Royal Opera House, which then changes to a Somerset House and on to Queenstown Road, nice so far. On the way the silver shadow develops a knocking sound which I hope will pass....... it doesn't and get progressively worse as the evening draws - bit cheesed as I was hoping for a long evening in the saddle.... but as I didn't fancy the idea of waiting in nowhere junction for the breakdown at some silly time at night, I decided to get home and take it back to the garage next morning.
So, Thurs I did just that, took it in and following a sharp intake of breath, I'm told "you'll need another cab mate", but that's the beauty of rental, 10mins later I'm on my way back to the office in Hong Kong livery!
Went out Thurs from work and did a couple of hours, eventually heading for a gig at The Roundhouse Camden, so according to the law of sod, I end up at Westminster Pier at 6.45 when I'm due to meet a mate there at 7....... anyway, no prob's, using all my shortcut/back double tricks, I make it by about 7.20.... but what a gig, Mr Newton Faulkner, eagerly anticipated and not disappointed where we, a true entertainer, with just a small band, drummer and bass player who joined him sporadically for numbers.... but he was awesome, here's a clip of the night we saw him (you tube via someones mobile phone) but at least gives you a flavour.
He finished the night with a cover, just on the acoustic, of Bohemian Rhapsody - amazing and did it great justice - Freddy would be smiling up there!
So, to Friday, and the first long day in the saddle, went out at about 12, headed for Canary Wharf as suggested by others and managed to trap (apparently that's the term for getting a fare, but that's the first and last time you'll hear it from me !?!) a job to the Wolseley in Piccadilly, then some more around the west end, headed out to Kensington where I needed to get some more change (oh the joys) can't recall a lot of the others in the afternoon but ended up meeting a couple of fellow new tadpoles in the pond at around 9 at the Astral, had a great chicken curry, they no about portions there! anyway a chinwag on various jobs of the day and off I go about 10 for the last session of the night. Got a few jobs around West End, then headed back to London ?Bridge, the rank at the station was empty, so headed back on to Borough High St and got flagged by a couple of lads, "Chiswick and then Kew Bridge?" erm.... it's midnight and I'm really not sure about you boys..... oh well, in for a penny.... they jump in, quite clearly having had a skinful "Do you want some money mate?" they say, "No, as long as you've got it lads, I'll trust you" , "yeah, no worries mate....." - we'll see So off we go with me not sure for at least half the journey. But as my mother says "never judge a book by it's cover" and she was right, they were fine and I finished the night with a £35 job - It being 1.15am, I decided that was a wrap and went home.
Ventured out yesterday afternoon, but to be honest it was pretty quiet, even though it was raining ("everyone wants a cab in the rain" hmmmm?) I think what didn't help was the fact that it was International Womens Day and all the sisters were marching thru town..... I and several female passengers were at pains to understand what the point was.... but I am now reliably informed that....
"It is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women"
Had to make another refusal as well, I'm just turning into Queensway when a guy approaches me "Kings Rd, pls" seemed pleasant enough, then I catch sight of the Budweiser he's sipping - "Not with that I'm afraid", "Well, I need to finish it" he says... so we agree to disagree on how he'll get down to Chelsea....
I finished up about 6, all in all a good week and enough to cover the adventures of the week to come...... I'm off to watch some more of Heroes "Season" 1!
So the end of week 2! went out each night wed-fri from the 9-5 and enjoyed again, every fare a different tale..... a few notables from this week
American couple in tux etc from Rochester Row to Natural History Museum on Wed, headed for some posh bash no doubt.......
Some French guy on the pull last night, pick him up in Ladbroke Gardens "Sutherland Ave pls" so off we go, quite straight forward Ken Park Rd/Westbourne Park etc etc, then on the way he says "after we pick my friend up, we go to Dorchester?" - no problem with me.... so eventually we find 115 Sutherland Ave (which is a bugger as there's parking in the middle of the road!!) and then off to the Dorchester. I had to laugh on the way as he does loads of wooing etc, and then a phrase which shows he up to date with modern web social networking "Are you on Facebook", well it made me chuckle.
Took another group of togged up City folk from Fenchurch St to the Whitbread Brewery for a bash.......
Met up with my ex-cop who is in his first week for a coffee at the Astral last night, but when we got there it has echoes of the war!!! there they were mid power cut, desperately providing sustenance to fellow licensed boys in need for watering.... unfortunately for Mr D (my ex-cop, although he still is a cop!) they were not able to provide a hot coffee for which he was hankering!
Lastly had my first refusal last night, had parked in the rank in Glasshouse St for a necessary WC break and sandwich, when an Irish fella comes to the passenger side front window. He brandishes his phone, so I drop the window enough to take it and read the message about meeting a friend in St Martins Lane "come on mate, I'll give you £15" no I said, I'm having a break, more remonstrations follow, and I re-iterate that I'm not up for it (a) sandwich half finished b) didn't like the look of him, maybe he was kosher, but better safe that etc... I did try and direct him the few hundred yards straight across Leicester Sq, which would have been as quick as a cab ride and cheaper.....
Anyway, that's all for now, eldest has come down with pox that the youngest had a couple of weeks ago, so my birthday celeb's will have to be low key this year.....
Quick note to anyone new to the "hailing a hackney carriage game" if the "TAXI" sign is not lit/extinguished/off/not shining bright, this means said taxi is already carrying person(s) and cannot be engaged in your transportation....... this was sadly lost on the 3 blokes who, whilst I'm stationary on Oxford St with lady in back, kept remonstrating with me, I point several times to the rear compartment, but to no avail. Eventually I slide front passenger window down enough to talk "Can you, hic, go to St hic Johns Wood hic mate?" no say's I, I've got someone in the back..... "oh, hic, shorry mate"
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