Blog oh haze-blog!

Bonjour, today is my last day of office work after nearly 20yrs and it feels very strange.... tomorrow onwards I'm officially a cabby!!

More tales follow of my days in the saddle......

As I'm in shipping (albeit for an hour!) it was interesting to discover that the Danish guy I took from Portman Sq to Portland Place was a good friend of the CEO of Maersk Line - the biggest shipping line in the world!!

Met someone for lunch near the office in London Bridge and saw The Hoosiers and Robyn recording a BBC programme in Borough Market..... you can watch it here Hoosiers were playing their new one which is earily like "Love Cats" by The Cure.

Had the best job yet last week, got flagged in Gresham St to wait in Goldsmiths Lane for someone, eventually after 2 people reassuring me that someone was coming, 2 Spanish guys arrive, imagine my glee - engine off meter on, up to £10 before we select drive, and they only went to Blackfriars!

Great example of making sure you establish the exact destination when it has an almost identical soundalike alternative. This one being a young lady going from Roland Gardens to the O2 centre - Greenwich says I, thinking I'll make this home afterwards..... no Finchley Rd she says.....

A good start the other day, 2 jobs which involved taking customer from point A to point B, waiting and then a return to Point A....... they were

Southwark St - Spa Rd
NSPCC - Hatton Garden (for wedding ring to be adjusted/altered)

A couple tip on whats good, I've always been lucky with Grays Inn, dropped off and then got another on straight out - so worth hanging around for minute or two.

The Connaught Hotel now has no loo facility, think there used to be one in the basement before but no more!

Well that's it for now, more soon

More tales of the unexpected....

The length between posts are getting longer, but at least this will be a bumper edition..... I've taken to jotting down memorable journeys while I'm out, otherwise they all become one!

Took a lady from London Bridge one morning, she asked me to take her to Deutsche Bank on London Wall, then she says "and once you've dropped me off, can you run me over and kill me - cos I don't want to go!" I think I'd be with her if I hadn't made the choice to do the knowledge.....



My first possible chucker (he/she who looks like they will vomit!) from Victoria to Brixton, she kept hiccuping all the way, and wasn't interested in my suggestions to open the window "I'll be fine" she kept saying, she was quite clearly trollied - fortunately she kept it all in and was last seen meandering up Tulse Hill.


Met up with some new boys at the Astral cafe, one of which was Headlong, check out his blog as well. Swapped stories of fun customers and the best toilet breaks in town!

Got another celeb the other Friday, was almost finished for the night and heading east along Tooley St, hailed by a gent and his partner was Paula Wilcox - she of Man About The House and more recently, as she was eager to point out, Emmerdale (she plays Hilary Potts) they were going home to Albert Bridge Rd, then changed their minds en route to the City Inn Westminster. Very nice couple....

A good example of when it goes slightly awry...... took a lady from Seymour St to Waterloo, so I was doing my best to avoid traffic - but importantly didn't say this at the outset, a cardinal sin as I'm learning - so went down thru Berkeley Square/Piccadilly Duke St St James/Pall Mall/ etc down to Gt George..... as I'm waiting in the traffic (the first major lot) just before Parliament Sq, I ask which entrance she wants.... then she says "well we've come the long way, so the taxi rank pls"... I apologise etc and then feel quite uncomfortable until we get there - meter finishes on £13,20, I say let's call it a tenner, she says oh no, lets say £11 and we leave each other on a good note.

Got some more but I'll add them to the next post - am full time from 1st May, so looking forward to a full stretch...........

Beachcomber

It's been a while since the last one, been a bit snowed under at work handing over to my lucky successor.... and also Tiscali have continued to work at snail's pace in re-connecting our broadband!!

Been out over the last few weeks and mostly it's been ok, had a great encounter on Friday night with a guy who I picked up outside the Hilton Olympia in Kensington.

Me "Where to sir?"
He "Soho"

So of we trundle, I then decide to narrow the destination down....

Me "Where in Soho sir? do you have a venue"
He (sounded like) "Beach, I need beach"
Me "You need a club called Beach?"
He "No I need a beach, I want a beach for pleasure. I want to pay, I don't want a club. you know a house I can go to?"
Me (errr this isn't in the information pack?!?) "I know the area (I don't in that sense if my wife or mother are reading this), I can take you"

So I decide Brewer St is favourite, aiming for the variety of "Massage" signs that are evident.

He gets a bit impatient around Vigo St, obviously he's been away from home for some time and is anxious to release his frustration! We arrive at Brewer St - although not too early (boom boom) and he jumps out and duly pays the fare.

I see another couple waving on the other side of the road and take them up sharpish on their request to go to Old Church St!! Let's hope he left for Naples the next day with a little less baggage than he came with....

The evening finished very conviently for me, as I live SE and needed to end up at Millwall FC for the annual re-setting of the meter to take in the recent increase (around 4%). I get flagged on Fulham Rd nr Chelsea's ground, and get a fare to Eltham, we agree £40 and it comes to £45, so everyones happy. Off I go to Zampa Rd and in 30mins am re-tariffed and away to bed.

Went out Sat around 1pm and a slowish afternoon which improves from around 4.30ish.... I did a few jobs out of London Bridge, one down to Long Lane SE1 and then an nteresting job for anyone doing the knowledge, from Long Lane SE1 and they asked for the other Long Lane nr West Smithfield......

I'm sure I picked up a high class (although with a touch of mutton about her) call girl, she was going from the Crown Plaza in Buckingham Gate to a private members club (no pun intended, those were her exact words) in John Adam St.....

Hey ho, just over 2 weeks to go before the final plunge in full time cabbing......