Sunday, January 25, 2009

The 99.



Some photos of the 99 bus which as of yesterday now runs from Woolwich to Bexleyheath via Plumstead, Upper Belvedere, Erith and Slade Green. It used to terminate at Erith, but the bus company and Transport for London in their wisdom have decided to extend it to its' original destination of Bexleyheath Broadway. The top photo above shows a double decker bus stopped outside of the Londis corner shop in Manor Road, Erith, heading towards Slade Green. The shot below is of another 99 bus on its' way towards Woolwich via Erith Town Centre. The bottom three shows two buses having recently passed each other whilst on service. You can see more photos on my Flickr site here.

I was sitting on the aforementioned 99 bus on my way back from Plumstead and my daily Dad visit, when I overheard a conversation going on behind me. A very greasy looking Chavette was telling one of her brood mates that she was sick of having children - after all at the age of 22, six kids was enough for anyone (!) I would not mind, but she really was no oil painting - it looked like her face had caught fire and someone had then put it out with a shovel, and her clothes were well over due for a dip in a vat of industrial degreaser. Travelling in public really does open one's eyes to the pitiable state of a significant portion of the local population. I often complain about my dislike of travelling, and I think having to interact with other people probably forms the core of it.

Why all this bus related information, I hear you ask? Well, I happen to use local public transport on a daily basis, and the 99 bus is a bit of a life line for me. The extension of the service is great for me, as I can pick up a bus heading either for Bexleyheath or Plumstead / Woolwich from literally my doorstep now. Nice. The only downside is that I now get double deckers passing with the upper deck at a level with my bedroom window, and if I am not careful, people will be peering in.

Captain Tweed at Twickenham

A great victory for Captain Tweed (as seen above - click for a larger version). GC's night club has indeed met its' much anticipated demise. Before Christmas, I took the photo below, showing the shoddy and unlicenced conversion of the former print works - photos which have been viewed by visitors to my site from the News Shopper website.

GC nightclub - Erith   243.jpg

The large vinyl banner and the sign written panels to each side of the entrance to the dilapidated and underhand establishment set up illegally in the scruffy Fraser Road former warehouse have been quietly removed this week, leaving little clue to the nefarious affairs that had gone on there until the authorities and News Shopper were informed. A bit of common sense has prevailed, and clubbers have been well and truly clubbed.

In March it will be the 25th anniversary of the launch of influential offshore radio station Laser 558 - a station that literally changed the way radio was run in the UK. I remember spending many hours whilst in the sixth form common room at school retuning the communal radio away from Laser and back onto Radio Caroline - not that a strategy of this type ever lasted for long. I found the following short video online that you may find interesting.



2 comments:

  1. I always thought a 99 was an Ice cream with a flake in it ? It was sold to me when
    I was young by a nice Italian man called Toni from his van.

    I have always wondered why fat and ugly, spotty and greasy looking women
    have so many children and how they find the men to inseminate them ?
    The answer has to be alcohol or drugs, right ?
    I guess Blair's children will continue to breed like rats for many years to come.

    Doh, GC's night club has closed and I've just got my 1970's white suite back from
    the dry cleaners !!

    Laser 558 came on the air Thursday May 24th 1984 at 0500.......NOT IN MARCH !!!!
    This is the main problem with the internet generation, too much mis-information which
    is screwing up history, young people have to learn history by reading books and not Wikipedia.
    Death to the internet Numpty's who like second life and on-line gaming, get out and enjoy
    life in the real world for f**k's sake !!

    The very nice (but sometimes very right-wing) Mr. Walker.

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  2. OI MR.WALKER WIND YA NECK IN!!!
    ;-))

    When the erstwhile Mr.Pewty becomes our benevolent World Dictator I'm sure you will get the position of "Minister of Chav Control".
    Comes with a empty Olympic sized swimming pool.
    With a Combine Harvester sitting in it.
    And some heavy duty waterproofs…!
    LOL!


    Do you know I find the 99 bus route changing quite…exciting.
    Let me explain the 99 is "my" bus route it used to run past my house (nearly) when I lived with my Parents, I used to get it to and from school then work and it's never changed. My Dad was a bus driver for abit in the 80's and he said it was known as "The Old Man's Route". When I moved back to London in the late-90's I happen to again move near where it ran and for the past 18 months or so get it to work so I have abit of a strange affection for the 99.
    Mind you I'm not as sad to take PICTURES OF BUSES AND POST THEM ON MY BLOG ON-LINE!!
    AHAHA!
    #Ahem#
    Mind you since "Red Ken's" no longer Mayor the route has gone from exemplarily to $hite. Used to be smooth and every 10 min's or so but there's times where I can wait upward to 30 to get in (or home).
    Well update since the route change in the first two WORKING Day's I had to wait 50 minutes and 25 minutes for something that's supposed to be every 12.
    GGRRR!
    Anyway I am excited that I can now get to Bexleyheath without a hike up a HUGE hill and the bus stops right outside ReV-Co Towers AND Pewty Acres.
    Lets hope the reliability improves…
    Got to say the pict of you looking from the East (?) Wing of Pewty Acres

    As for GC's Nightclub lets see what happens but it does look like the people running an unlicenced, unapproved nightclub MAY have learnt not to mess with Captian Tweed on the case.
    #chortles#

    GAWD, Lazer558…now that’s a Blast From The Past!

    ReplyDelete