Author Archives: theqbitblogger

Sir John Hall, miner extraordinaire and Shopping Centre creator many years invited us to take the train to Newcastle and buy his soccer club. We met his partner Mr Freddie Shepherd who when we asked some pointed questions like economic viability told us ‘ son you can’t put lipstick on a pig ‘ The dealContinue reading “Own Goals Ownership”

Driving takes it toll at the best of times, traffic jams, red lights that blind, pollution, frustration et al. Add to that the Toll. Indeed the bells Toll for everyone, none more so than France from where I’ve just returned. The problem is that the Government don’t own the roads , built by the peopleContinue reading “Driving takes its Toll”

I flew by Concorde last Friday, that famous twice the speed of sound supersonic jet. Last seen flying in 2003 I remember flying on it when a tad slimmer and arriving in New York one hour before I left London. The experience was indeed unique. Around 6pm most evenings you could hear it bang asContinue reading “Concorde. The new era.”

Road Transport in the UK consumes circa 36 million tons of fuel per annum. That amounts to just over one trillion gallons of the stuff or in CO2 emissions over 10 trillion kilograms. Whichever way you look at it the numbers are big. Getting around, movement of goods and people is big , perhaps theContinue reading “Totally Confueled”

Just imagine 100 Christmas Trees, 100 candles on a cake, the century makers are growing in number. Indeed the number for the week is 15.125, the number of Britons living in Britain who have reached 100 years old. We became healthier and stronger despite climate change , despite war, petrol queues, lack of toilet rollContinue reading “Number of the Week”

Arriving at Carluccios this morning at 8.00am ( photo above ) I was unable to order a cooked breakfast. The kitchen was closed , lack of staff. I left empty handed after coffee and jumped into a black cab. The driver started driving me north instead of east and had no idea where my destinationContinue reading “Ghost Town 7”

Three news items highlight again life’s lessons never learned. Let’s go again to the white or black board. First a plumber in London has just sold his plumbing business and pocketed £100m. Leaving school at 15 without qualifications Charlie Mullins was sufficiently savvy to recognise he was not an academic but went off to getContinue reading “Lessons Never Learned.”

Oh to reminisce. My hero or at least one of them has passed away. My claim to fame is I cleaned Jimmy Greaves’ boots at Chelsea during my days there. I also helped carry him off the pitch on his last match for Chelsea when he scored all 4 goals to beat Nottingham Forest. ThatContinue reading “The Grief of Greaves”

Van Gogh drew in November 1882 this pencilled drawing entitled’ Worn Out ‘ at the age of 29 at a time when male life expectancy was 39. Vincent made it to 37. Recently found the drawing is now on Public display in Amsterdam. The Cambridge dictionary defines Worn Out as extreme fatigue or of noContinue reading “Worn Out”

A 1% increase in interest and inflation rate will add £25 billion per annum to the UK Government debt repay. Underlying debt is now 100% of GDP. M3 is the number for Money supply not just the motorway to Basingstoke. On a graph it’s at an all time peak. The last two peaks reached, lowerContinue reading “Number of the Week”