Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[Machka]

Google is your friend (maps, in satellite view - i was bored, and curious)

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/468922

Excellent, thanks!

I suppose the two extra tall chimneys were the clue.

I can only assume the exterior is down to some mamby-pamby poncy architect who had a bad Friday & some spare money in the budget he had to get rid of. Or burn even.

Incinerators should be square, or rectangular, & really really ugly, spaceshippy is just wrong.

I was involved in constructing a few back in the 80's, during that era when they liked to come up with poncy names for regular things. They called them WRU's - Waste Reduction Units in the same way as the Besam Door Company described themselves as "Entrance Solution Consultants".

This is what a WRU - sorry, incinerator - should look like. Proper ugly.  

Click to see full-size image.

David/Doobs beat me to both answers.  I would have had to google the answer for both anyway.  I'd seen the dome many times in the past and assumed that it was part of the Fawley refinery.

Earlier this year I had a planning application come through the door.  Can't find it right now but it was related to a new Waste Recycling Center I beleve.  The council were asking for votes of the exterior design of the building!

It basically said, "Look, you're getting this building whether you like it or not.  Do you want it painted blue, green or brown?"

Edit:

Ah, I found the application - http://www.southamptonbiomasspower.com/

It's actually a biomass power station.  And the colour options are Marine, Wave or High-Tech.

[Mohican]

This is how i had the Virgin/First bidding process explained to me-
Child A and Child B both want to buy the same pet hamster. They both have £10 to spend.

Child A offers £3 for the hamster, knowing that they'll need the other £7 for food, toys, a cage and water - Everything to help the hamster survive.


Child B offers £10, so gets the hamster.

The hamster then dies of starvation."

[gouty]

This is how i had the Virgin/First bidding process explained to me-
Child A and Child B both want to buy the same pet hamster. They both have £10 to spend.

Child A offers £3 for the hamster, knowing that they'll need the other £7 for food, toys, a cage and water - Everything to help the hamster survive.


Child B offers £10, so gets the hamster.

The hamster then dies of starvation."

That's a good analogy but the truth will be that the passengers end up paying the extra £750m.

The same thing happens in my business with betting shop tv rights. 2 production companies each own half the racecourse rights. We have to take both services. Then when a course comes up they bid the shit out of each other and just charge the customers (betting shops) more money.

I know that no one gives a damn about us poor bookmakers but surely the government should care about commuters. One guy I know earns 37k a year yet pays 8k for his season ticket on the train. Branson got it right. "if you win a tender by £1 you have done well. If you win by £1m or even £50m you have still done ok. However if you win the tender by £750m you have made an error"

[MANTIS01]

Was mooching around in t'North this weekend and stopped in Harrogate on t'way back. Took afternoon tea in Betty's which I think you've mentioned before Tikay? My first visit there and thought it was the bee's knees. Live pianist, range of exotic teas, silver tea service and china cups, cultured chatter from all around. Yeah, liked that a lot. Why aren't these dotted along every high street instead of McDonalds? For some reason the whole Victorian ambiance made me imagine I was in the saloon aboard The Titanic. Very civilsed, social and polite. Even got an authentic sinking feeling when the bill arrived as well.

[smashedagain]

Was mooching around in t'North this weekend and stopped in Harrogate on t'way back. Took afternoon tea in Betty's which I think you've mentioned before Tikay? My first visit there and thought it was the bee's knees. Live pianist, range of exotic teas, silver tea service and china cups, cultured chatter from all around. Yeah, liked that a lot. Why aren't these dotted along every high street instead of McDonalds? For some reason the whole Victorian ambiance made me imagine I was in the saloon aboard The Titanic. Very civilsed, social and polite. Even got an authentic sinking feeling when the bill arrived as well.

Lol ..... Last line just brilliant

[david3103]

Was mooching around in t'North this weekend and stopped in Harrogate on t'way back. Took afternoon tea in Betty's which I think you've mentioned before Tikay? My first visit there and thought it was the bee's knees. Live pianist, range of exotic teas, silver tea service and china cups, cultured chatter from all around. Yeah, liked that a lot. Why aren't these dotted along every high street instead of McDonalds? For some reason the whole Victorian ambiance made me imagine I was in the saloon aboard The Titanic. Very civilsed, social and polite. Even got an authentic sinking feeling when the bill arrived as well.

Betty's is a Yorkshire experience, best kept in Yorkshire.

+1 in appreciation of last line and the quality set up in the anti-penultimate sentence too

[tikay]

This is how i had the Virgin/First bidding process explained to me-
Child A and Child B both want to buy the same pet hamster. They both have £10 to spend.

Child A offers £3 for the hamster, knowing that they'll need the other £7 for food, toys, a cage and water - Everything to help the hamster survive.


Child B offers £10, so gets the hamster.

The hamster then dies of starvation."

That's a good analogy but the truth will be that the passengers end up paying the extra £750m.

The same thing happens in my business with betting shop tv rights. 2 production companies each own half the racecourse rights. We have to take both services. Then when a course comes up they bid the shit out of each other and just charge the customers (betting shops) more money.

I know that no one gives a damn about us poor bookmakers but surely the government should care about commuters. One guy I know earns 37k a year yet pays 8k for his season ticket on the train. Branson got it right. "if you win a tender by £1 you have done well. If you win by £1m or even £50m you have still done ok. However if you win the tender by £750m you have made an error"

Even I have to admit that Branson got that right, though if the boot had been on the other foot he'd maybe have been a little more circumspect, & tried justify it. If he's not moaning about First Group, he's moaning about BA!

[tikay]

Open goal time

Thoughts on Virgin losing the West coast to First Group?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19264614

I was just reading that, elsewhere.

To be honest, & it pains me to say it, but it is insanity, or so it seems from where we stand.  

I imagine there is some logic somewhere, but I can't think what it is, so I'm not going to diss it to death, but it's quite odd.

"First", of course, handed back a previous Franchise, which I would have thought barred them for life from even bidding.

The whole Franchise system just seems like a nonsense to me, in this case, Nationalisation worked better, or, if privatising, at least leave the TOC's alone to get on with it. First will now spend fortunes to re-livery the EXACT same rolling stock.

Your right its totally crazy it all boils down to the highest bidder even tho they have handed back past franchises. imo virgin have done a great job in turning round a difficult route.When gner pipped virgin for the east coast mainline with a crazy bid which everyone new they couldnt afford it.I will give first group 2 years until they hand it back to the government.I was dead against privatisation when it was introduced but a hell of alot has improved since the br days unfortunately alot of private companys have made alot of money out of it and put nothing back in.Since privatisation i have worked for 5 different companys some good some bad but in the end it doesnt seem to matter how they do the franchise just seems to go to the highest bidder.The relivery is a running joke as if they repaint our shiity old trains again they wont fit thro the tunnels

Fine post Mr Stumpy.

The ROSCO's are almost the nut example of "wtf"?  Angel, Porterbrook & HSBC Rail are all owned by Banks or City Institutions, & all made absolute fortunes by Leasing out Rolling stock to the TOC's.

How are all the Team Dobbs boys these days, & NPF? Thought I might see a few of you in Vegas this year, but maybe you saw me coming, & swerved me.

Guess we'll not see any or many or even any of you at the SPT Grand Final next month, as you have UKIPT coming to Town up in Newcastle.  Hope it goes well for you boys.  

[tikay]

Was mooching around in t'North this weekend and stopped in Harrogate on t'way back. Took afternoon tea in Betty's which I think you've mentioned before Tikay? My first visit there and thought it was the bee's knees. Live pianist, range of exotic teas, silver tea service and china cups, cultured chatter from all around. Yeah, liked that a lot. Why aren't these dotted along every high street instead of McDonalds? For some reason the whole Victorian ambiance made me imagine I was in the saloon aboard The Titanic. Very civilsed, social and polite. Even got an authentic sinking feeling when the bill arrived as well.

You write with great originality Mr MANTIS. It is quite often bollox, but beautifully written bollox. We are blessed on blonde right now to have a goodly number of folks who take the time & trouble to write well.

Betty's is just SO Harrogate, it absolutely belongs there, & I'd go there just for the Betty's experience, it is different class to anything in the UK except, perhaps, Afternoon Tea at a posh hotel such as Luton Hoo, or The Ritz.

I think Harrogate may be one of my favourite Towns in the UK, right up there with Cheltenham, Bath, Durham, Edinburgh, & Kyle of Lochalsh, (OK, they are not all "Towns"), they all have that sort of "character", you'd know you were there even if you were blindfold.

The only problem I have with Betty's is the queues - I can't be doing with queues, so I try to go early morning if I can.   

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

Was mooching around in t'North this weekend and stopped in Harrogate on t'way back. Took afternoon tea in Betty's which I think you've mentioned before Tikay? My first visit there and thought it was the bee's knees. Live pianist, range of exotic teas, silver tea service and china cups, cultured chatter from all around. Yeah, liked that a lot. Why aren't these dotted along every high street instead of McDonalds? For some reason the whole Victorian ambiance made me imagine I was in the saloon aboard The Titanic. Very civilsed, social and polite. Even got an authentic sinking feeling when the bill arrived as well.

Betty's is a Yorkshire experience, best kept in Yorkshire.

+1 in appreciation of last line and the quality set up in the anti-penultimate sentence too

I agree with that David, less is more sometimes, & that applies to Betty's.

There are actually six of them, all in Yorkshire, & they vow never to open one outside Yorkshire. Quite right too. It'd be like a DTD Cardroom in London, or Liverpool, it just would not be right. It's about the people, the locals, the regulars.

They have a great Wiki page actually, see.....


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bettys_and_Taylors_of_Harrogate

[Karabiner]

Was mooching around in t'North this weekend and stopped in Harrogate on t'way back. Took afternoon tea in Betty's which I think you've mentioned before Tikay? My first visit there and thought it was the bee's knees. Live pianist, range of exotic teas, silver tea service and china cups, cultured chatter from all around. Yeah, liked that a lot. Why aren't these dotted along every high street instead of McDonalds? For some reason the whole Victorian ambiance made me imagine I was in the saloon aboard The Titanic. Very civilsed, social and polite. Even got an authentic sinking feeling when the bill arrived as well.

That is such a great post and the timing is uncanny..

I've just read a tweet within the last twenty minutes by one of the world's winning-most poker-players of the last decade or so which posed the question "Why don't McDonalds deliver"?

Great punch-line too.

[SuuPRlim]

Was mooching around in t'North this weekend and stopped in Harrogate on t'way back. Took afternoon tea in Betty's which I think you've mentioned before Tikay? My first visit there and thought it was the bee's knees. Live pianist, range of exotic teas, silver tea service and china cups, cultured chatter from all around. Yeah, liked that a lot. Why aren't these dotted along every high street instead of McDonalds? For some reason the whole Victorian ambiance made me imagine I was in the saloon aboard The Titanic. Very civilsed, social and polite. Even got an authentic sinking feeling when the bill arrived as well.

You write with great originality Mr MANTIS. It is quite often bollox, but beautifully written bollox. We are blessed on blonde right now to have a goodly number of folks who take the time & trouble to write well.

Betty's is just SO Harrogate, it absolutely belongs there, & I'd go there just for the Betty's experience, it is different class to anything in the UK except, perhaps, Afternoon Tea at a posh hotel such as Luton Hoo, or The Ritz.

I think Harrogate may be one of my favourite Towns in the UK, right up there with Cheltenham, Bath, Durham, Edinburgh, & Kyle of Lochalsh, (OK, they are not all "Towns"), they all have that sort of "character", you'd know you were there even if you were blindfold.

The only problem I have with Betty's is the queues - I can't be doing with queues, so I try to go early morning if I can.   

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

I was born/raised in Harrogate, Betty's is amazing, service, quality, atmosphere, like going back to a better time!

I like HArrogate a lot, I have only been back about 6 or 7 times in the 5 years since I left home, doesn't feel like home anymore which is a shame, but as far as places to live go I think it's right up there.

Cool memories from those pics though.

[tikay]

Was mooching around in t'North this weekend and stopped in Harrogate on t'way back. Took afternoon tea in Betty's which I think you've mentioned before Tikay? My first visit there and thought it was the bee's knees. Live pianist, range of exotic teas, silver tea service and china cups, cultured chatter from all around. Yeah, liked that a lot. Why aren't these dotted along every high street instead of McDonalds? For some reason the whole Victorian ambiance made me imagine I was in the saloon aboard The Titanic. Very civilsed, social and polite. Even got an authentic sinking feeling when the bill arrived as well.

You write with great originality Mr MANTIS. It is quite often bollox, but beautifully written bollox. We are blessed on blonde right now to have a goodly number of folks who take the time & trouble to write well.

Betty's is just SO Harrogate, it absolutely belongs there, & I'd go there just for the Betty's experience, it is different class to anything in the UK except, perhaps, Afternoon Tea at a posh hotel such as Luton Hoo, or The Ritz.

I think Harrogate may be one of my favourite Towns in the UK, right up there with Cheltenham, Bath, Durham, Edinburgh, & Kyle of Lochalsh, (OK, they are not all "Towns"), they all have that sort of "character", you'd know you were there even if you were blindfold.

The only problem I have with Betty's is the queues - I can't be doing with queues, so I try to go early morning if I can.   

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

I was born/raised in Harrogate, Betty's is amazing, service, quality, atmosphere, like going back to a better time!

I like HArrogate a lot, I have only been back about 6 or 7 times in the 5 years since I left home, doesn't feel like home anymore which is a shame, but as far as places to live go I think it's right up there.

Cool memories from those pics though.

You ever stay in The Old Swan, Dave? Absolutely wonderful, I imagine it has not changed a bit since 1930. It began life as the wonderfully named Harrogate Hydropathic Company.....!

It was good enough for Agatha Christie to run away to, too. That'll do for me, I love staying there when I have half an excuse.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Swan_Hotel


There is a grand Chinese Restaurant in the old "Public Baths" building too, (might have been a Pumping Station, can't recall), it is a magnificent setting, might even be "Listed" building.

There's a grand chippie opposite Montpelier Terrace, too, owned by a Greek family.

Love Harrogate.

[Doobs]

Was mooching around in t'North this weekend and stopped in Harrogate on t'way back. Took afternoon tea in Betty's which I think you've mentioned before Tikay? My first visit there and thought it was the bee's knees. Live pianist, range of exotic teas, silver tea service and china cups, cultured chatter from all around. Yeah, liked that a lot. Why aren't these dotted along every high street instead of McDonalds? For some reason the whole Victorian ambiance made me imagine I was in the saloon aboard The Titanic. Very civilsed, social and polite. Even got an authentic sinking feeling when the bill arrived as well.

You write with great originality Mr MANTIS. It is quite often bollox, but beautifully written bollox. We are blessed on blonde right now to have a goodly number of folks who take the time & trouble to write well.

Betty's is just SO Harrogate, it absolutely belongs there, & I'd go there just for the Betty's experience, it is different class to anything in the UK except, perhaps, Afternoon Tea at a posh hotel such as Luton Hoo, or The Ritz.

I think Harrogate may be one of my favourite Towns in the UK, right up there with Cheltenham, Bath, Durham, Edinburgh, & Kyle of Lochalsh, (OK, they are not all "Towns"), they all have that sort of "character", you'd know you were there even if you were blindfold.

The only problem I have with Betty's is the queues - I can't be doing with queues, so I try to go early morning if I can.   

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

I was born/raised in Harrogate, Betty's is amazing, service, quality, atmosphere, like going back to a better time!

I like HArrogate a lot, I have only been back about 6 or 7 times in the 5 years since I left home, doesn't feel like home anymore which is a shame, but as far as places to live go I think it's right up there.

Cool memories from those pics though.

You ever stay in The Old Swan, Dave? Absolutely wonderful, I imagine it has not changed a bit since 1930. It began life as the wonderfully named Harrogate Hydropathic Company.....!

It was good enough for Agatha Christie to run away to, too. That'll do for me, I love staying there when I have half an excuse.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Swan_Hotel


There is a grand Chinese Restaurant in the old "Public Baths" building too, (might have been a Pumping Station, can't recall), it is a magnificent setting, might even be "Listed" building.

There's a grand chippie opposite Montpelier Terrace, too, owned by a Greek family.

Love Harrogate.

Am in Harrogate now.  We could have all done afternoon tea at Betty's with a bit more notice. 

[Marky147]

I'm up in Snaith all week for a course so might try and pop to York for a look at those Betty's if I get a chance. Not big on Tea myself, but I love Coffee and Cakes