Very sorry to hear that Alessando "Alex" Zanardi, former F1 driver and Paralympian, has died. Here he is, captured by my analogue camera as he signed autographs just outside the F1 paddock at Silverstone after Qualifying, on 10 July 1999; he was a Williams F1 team driver that year.

Forever in our thoughts Remembering Ayrton Senna today, and every day 💛💚

Remembering Roland Ratzenberger Forever in our thoughts ❤️🤍

Do you come here

Just spent an hour I couldn't afford, cleaning out and descaling my coffee machine. But not doing so would ultimately cause more work and damage; and the facility to make myself nice lattes at home is not to be underestimated...

This article on _dependency and skill fade_ by Howard Oakley, and its final sentence which I've quoted below, I found to be very powerful: eclecticlight.co/2026/03/15/l... "Like morphine, AI has great powers, but overused it can so readily become both addictive and destructive."

#OnThisDay 60 years ago British Rail closed the Somerset & Dorset Railway, more than 100 miles long connecting Bath, Burnham-on-Sea and Bridgwater with Bournemouth. In September 1960 a service waits to depart Bath Green Park: John Wiltshire (Peter Brabham) buff.ly/xZoVlPw

Okay, this is quite outstanding from Bedford Council.

5 years ago today. www.squarewheels.org.uk/rfg/

I have (at last) scanned (in 32 tiles) an old OS Landranger map for @maps.sabre-roads.org.uk (against the day when it is out of ©opyright). Now I'd like to stitch the scans together. But the recommended application, Hugin, seems not to be available on a Mac any more. Any ideas, SABRE or others?

I love this tool: antirender.com Sometimes AI can come useful

ok today in Marketing class we're going to learn about re-branding

On my Mac I often use Cmd-R to reload browser page. Oops! If current app is Finder instead of browser, though, this will "Rotate Right" if the current item is an image file. Not very helpful! I just made it harmless: Settings > Keyboard > Shortcuts... > + Finder app, map "Quick Look" to Cmd-R

We've spent ten years being proved right about all the things the loudest, biggest voices in the UK media insisted, often obnoxiously, we were wrong about. The real kicker is that there's no consolation whatsoever in being correct. Brexit, Putin, Johnson, Truss, Trump, Twitter, Netanyahu etc etc...

Ribblehead viaduct at sunset featuring Avanti… It’s very very very cold here! But worth braving the cold for a photo I think

Early this morning I drove the Met Line’s one-day-per-year “Chesham via Watford” service. Think I managed (via careful use of the PA) to persuade all RKY/CHM pax to board my train which displayed Watford. A pity LU wouldn’t retrofit “via Watford” destinations to the S stock, which I suggested.

Another map site that we've become aware of, and really like is bustimes.org. It's literally a live map of all buses in Ireland and Great Britain, their location, their route, timetable, and how close they are to being on time. Have a look, and see if you agree! buff.ly/GwWlf8W

Happy New Year! And a new year means that another year's mapping drops out of copyright, with OS, OSI and OSNI maps with a copyright date of 1975 now being available to us. As usual, the first is a new OS Route Planning Map for you all to enjoy. buff.ly/SeTLZJl

Good plan. I hope some enforcement is carried out too. The alley beside Aldgate station (close to where I saw this during 10-minute turnaround + stepping-back this morning) resembles an open sewer.

Which words have given you happiness this year? I’d love to hear them. (And if you fancy some distraction over the holidays, do give my word game Two Words a try. twowords2.page.link/play)

👀 New railtour alert! 📅 Saturday 17 January 2026: HDL ‘Remembering Rosemary’ railtour to Windsor via London Waterloo All the details, and our online booking-form, are on our website: www.hastingsdiesels.co.uk/windsor

Just a quick plug for @tubemapper.bsky.social new 2026 Calendar, which I have a copy of and is as excellent as always! Grab your copy from the link here if you want it on your wall for the new year! tubemapper.com/buy-tube-map...

Two go-arounds for this Eurowings A319 from Hamburg just now, I heard it and wondered why it was painting a line that it was already following!

Just having a tidy up of some old #EcoSchools stuff and came across this little gem from over 10 years ago. Not sure where it originated but the message is more relevant than ever. 🌳🌍👍 #EnvironmentalEducation #trees #nature #conservation #wildlife #ClimateChange

It'd be cool if the "increasing the cost of motoring hurts poor people" people cared anything like as much about cost to people who rely on public transport - who are disproportionately likely to be poor and disabled, and who consistently face far greater increases in cost.

Optimistic defibrillator locations, an occasional series...

#OnThisDay 49 years ago York Road Curve connecting the East Coast Mainline and the 'City Widened Lines' towards Farringdon closed, when services were diverted over the Great Northern & City at Finsbury Park. Image from when Robin Morel (shadowy figure) very kindly gave me a tour.

@stuartackland.bsky.social A bit random, but does this 1998 recording bring back memories?

"I DON'T NEED YOU TO FUCKING REWRITE WHAT I'VE JUST WRITTEN!"

I've been sent a photo showing a new style of clock on a national rail station. Apparently people are getting very excited by the design. While I agree that *time* is the commodity that the railways are selling, I think it's a bit much to be making such a song & dance about the design of a clock.

Don't judge me, but today after getting home from a long shift at work I was tidying up, and I hand-washed the cycling-shorts that have been on the floor since... ...since I last used them, which I see was on 15 August. Awful that I haven't missed them for that long too. But shows I've been busy!

We think road numbers are beautiful. Not everyone agrees, but we defy you not to be amazed by this incredbile visualisation of all Great Britain's classified roads. #roadnumbers www.roads.org.uk/blog/colouri...

Jessie's Seat, aka The Chilworth Chicken, has been accidentally destroyed: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... A topiary chicken beside the Down line of the Redhill to Guildford Line, approaching Chilworth. A memorial to Guard Henry Wicks who was killed there in 1892. youtu.be/bxVu99xCP5Q?...

#OnThisDay 13 years ago, the A60 Stock farewell railtour covered the entire Metropolitan line, including Watford, Amersham, Aldgate, Uxbridge, Chesham and the Watford curve. The final revenue service was three days before on the 26th. Image: bowroaduk buff.ly/no6J7O6

A London grumble: the A312 Parkway is a hideous yet sometimes-useful piece of road I use rather a lot. There are signs about it being closed, but located just where you can't afford to take your eyes off the 3-into-2 forced merge. one.network has nothing about a closure. Nor does TfL website. 1/3

iOS 26 review: unsure about the new glassy display, annoyed my clock has changed to something retro-80s (not in the good way) but already using the 'screen unknown callers' option to great effect! If you're neurodivergent and have a lot going on right now, don't update to '26 yet

I recently spoke in Parliament about the impact of pavement parking—a concern I hear often from constituents with disabilities, sight loss or mobility aids. It makes everyday journeys harder and more dangerous. Councils need proper powers to act. Everyone deserves safe, accessible streets

In October 2018 the People's Vote march attracted *several times* the number of protesters to the thugs' march which happened yesterday. Particularly noticeable the total, utter absence of violence or any vestige of unsafety. The only police we saw all day were these 4 seeking to reopen Park Lane.

Appalled by the violent scenes of police being attacked at the Tommy Robinson rally today. Those responsible should face the full force of the law. These far right thugs do not speak for Britain.

Word of the day is ‘tamalou’: a French name for an older person who no longer greets their friends with ‘how was your holiday?, but with ‘t’as mal où ?’, ‘where does it hurt?’. There follows an enthusiastic account of aches and pains and doctor’s appointments.

I was listening in on internal radio to the Jubilee Line incident channel. Faulty train in tunnel near Westminster. Seems to have been there for about 5 hours. Gapped. Load-shed. But steadfastly nobody wanted to risk even coupling-up another train to push it onto juice, far less perform a pushout.

Reminiscing to myself about bus-driver training, in December 2000, at Oxford Bus. And in particular my wonderful instructor, Peter Kilduff (RIP), who knew to throw this promising but over-eager kid in at the deep end...

While my train was at Chesham this morning, I took a little walk along the public footpath that runs beside (and then crosses over) the branch line. I walked far enough to see signal A1000, which usually displays Yellow to trains — but as my train was occupying the single line there, it shows Red.

So, what do we have for this week's #MapMonday? Well, the next batch of 15 maps from the #OrdnanceSurvey One Inch Popular Edition, adding sheets revised in 1936 to our already large collection. buff.ly/3TyUjFi

Mmm, Glenfield Tunnel! I drove all the way to Leicester in 2017 on purpose to visit it. :) I love the facility of having old maps at our disposal.

I post something along these lines each year, and unapologetically so. It goes to prove that, whatever your A-level grades, two things should be a given: 1) Life will always throw up challenges and, 2) You'll always find your path in the end. Never lose hope. Have a train.

More Helsinki wanderings: www.merseytart.com/2025/08/rush...