The bus station at Slough, so I am told, has been made famous coz it appears/ed in the opening credits of The Office. I didn't watch The Office..............it was on during the hospitality phase of my life, ie I didn't have a life and therefore watching TV was not something I got to do that often. Anyway, I digress, the bus station, Brunel Bus Station, was built in the 70's, so had all those lovely 70's design features.............concrete, so when the local council in its wisdom decided that it needed regenerate Slough (John Betjeman had a point!), a new bus station was planned.
Now, the design looked good..............modern and sleek and it promised light and air (things the old bus station sadly lacked) as well as things like a cafe, shop, toilets and waiting rooms......you know, the kinda thing that keeps the unhappy public slightly less unhappy while they are waiting for their overpriced, over crowded and late bus home!
Anyway, about six months and a few late, the new bus station finally opened yesterday, Saturday 28th May 2011. Yes, it was a little behind schedule, two winters with snow (shock horror) delayed things a bit apparently, and there is still a lot to do, but yesterday, the public, and more importantly, the buses, started to use it. So, I made my marathon bus trip over to Slough (home to High Wycombe and then High Wycombe to Slough) by bus to see the bus station.......oh and meet hubby after work. Now remember when I said the design looked good, and all that it was supposed to contain............well actual thing does look good, it is very sleek and modern, but nice looking, light and airy and....................................................
And here we get stuck!! No cafe or shop, the space is there, but no-one has so far leapt at the chance to pay £30,000 a year rent. Also no toilets or waiting rooms which I foresee causing one or two negative comments in the local press. I have to say that no toilets in a bus station is slightly strange, but no doubt the blokes will solve this and quite soon there will be a corner that will start stinking to high heaven.................as for us ladies, that'll be cross ya legs! There are also no waiting rooms. Ok, it is a bus station not a train station and so waiting rooms are not really necessary, however, somewhere to wait for the bus out of the rain would be nice. I just mention this as our island does tend to be a bit wet on occasions. The sleek wavy roof does not appear to offer much in the way of cover and while it is nice and airy, comparisons to a wind tunnel spring to mind!!
Now, I also got to see the inside bit, the bit were the general public may not tread, the bit that the bus company use. The facilities for the bus drivers in the old bus station were............a bit old and tired to be polite. I only went in there a couple of times and generally ended up waiting in the corridor outside the paying in room while hubby deposited his cash. Unfortunately this was right next to the gents, so the smell was...................... I also saw the canteen and it was dark and tired. The new facilities for the bus drivers are very nice. Their canteen is on the first floor, overlooking the train station (they can all indulge in a bit of train spotting on their breaks), and hubby assures me the gents are a vast improvement on the old ones. I cannot confirm this, as I have visited neither, though I can confirm the smell was lacking. Hubby is also pleased because his locker is bigger than his old one, meaning he can get more crap, er sorry essential bus driving items, in it.
So in summary, from a passenger point of view, not impressed; from a bus drivers point of view re their facilities, very nice.
Sunday, 29 May 2011
Saturday, 28 May 2011
Night shifts followed by the weekend off!
Well, here I am, on the middle of my three weekends off, which conveniently come back to back!!
We work an eight week shift pattern of earlies (7am - 4pm), middles (10am - 7pm), lates (3pm - 12am), nights (10am - 7am) and spares (sort of 1.30 - 10.30pm, but they can and do change), and during that eight weeks we get three full weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) off. Apart from one random Sunday, we work the rest and for some reason the weekends off all come together. I think most of us would prefer if they alternated, but they don't! The reason being is that we do four night shift in a row )Monday through Thursday) and these have to be preceded by two days off - the first weekend. At the end of our night shifts (baring in mind, we finish at 7am on our first day off), we have three days off - the second weekend, and then following the four nights, we do five lates (Monday through Friday), and then we have to have two days off as we have just worked five days - the third weekend!!!
So, as I have just finished my four night stint, so am now on my middle, or second, weekend. Next week is the five lates - yuk!!! Anyway, my night shifts were pretty quiet...............the Monday through Thursday ones usually are, especially at the moment as most of the students have either finished or are in the middle of exams, and the summer language students (with their 'mug me' language school corporate branding), have yet to arrive. I say my nights were pretty quiet, but my colleagues who actually had to leave the station had to deal with two serious fights on consecutive nights. Well kept them on their toes anyway.
The highlights of my visitors over the four days were.............in no particular order: The gentleman who got confused by the sign over the door. He thought it said Thames Water and not Thames Valley Police when he came in to report that the drains down the road had backed up and there was sewer water all over the road, then got the arse when I first explained that he should talk to Thames Water as they would ask lots of questions, and then when I phoned them for him, got the arse because I asked him lots of questions on their behalf! The poor girl who had her bag nicked containing her mobile phone, wallet and house keys and whose house mate had gone to London for the night. She couldn't get a locksmith to opening the door for her as she had no way of paying and no way to contact to her housemate. She eventually managed to get hold of her housemate but had to sit in the police station for an hour while he got the train back from London - still better than being sat on the door step in the dark. The taxi driver who wanted to report that while he was parked up (ie not moving) a cyclist, riding on the wrong side of the road with no lights (and call me cynical, but I believe that alcohol may be playing a part here), had crashed into him, then had got up and cycled off. There was no damage to his car, but he wanted to make a report just in case the cyclist reported him. 'What for?' I did ask - reckless parking (I didn't add this). And finally the chap who decided at 3am that he wanted to get into the police station because the people walking home from the clubs were all out to break his legs, so decided to try and kick the door in!!! At this point I was forced to use the radio (don't like it as everyone can hear you, but better than the tannoy, which you also can hear) and ask if there was anyone about as someone was trying to break into the police station. Aren't they supposed to try and break out?!!
So, now I am enjoying my weekend off and I have been bribed by hubby to let him watch the football tonight..............good food and an even better bottle of wine!
We work an eight week shift pattern of earlies (7am - 4pm), middles (10am - 7pm), lates (3pm - 12am), nights (10am - 7am) and spares (sort of 1.30 - 10.30pm, but they can and do change), and during that eight weeks we get three full weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) off. Apart from one random Sunday, we work the rest and for some reason the weekends off all come together. I think most of us would prefer if they alternated, but they don't! The reason being is that we do four night shift in a row )Monday through Thursday) and these have to be preceded by two days off - the first weekend. At the end of our night shifts (baring in mind, we finish at 7am on our first day off), we have three days off - the second weekend, and then following the four nights, we do five lates (Monday through Friday), and then we have to have two days off as we have just worked five days - the third weekend!!!
So, as I have just finished my four night stint, so am now on my middle, or second, weekend. Next week is the five lates - yuk!!! Anyway, my night shifts were pretty quiet...............the Monday through Thursday ones usually are, especially at the moment as most of the students have either finished or are in the middle of exams, and the summer language students (with their 'mug me' language school corporate branding), have yet to arrive. I say my nights were pretty quiet, but my colleagues who actually had to leave the station had to deal with two serious fights on consecutive nights. Well kept them on their toes anyway.
The highlights of my visitors over the four days were.............in no particular order: The gentleman who got confused by the sign over the door. He thought it said Thames Water and not Thames Valley Police when he came in to report that the drains down the road had backed up and there was sewer water all over the road, then got the arse when I first explained that he should talk to Thames Water as they would ask lots of questions, and then when I phoned them for him, got the arse because I asked him lots of questions on their behalf! The poor girl who had her bag nicked containing her mobile phone, wallet and house keys and whose house mate had gone to London for the night. She couldn't get a locksmith to opening the door for her as she had no way of paying and no way to contact to her housemate. She eventually managed to get hold of her housemate but had to sit in the police station for an hour while he got the train back from London - still better than being sat on the door step in the dark. The taxi driver who wanted to report that while he was parked up (ie not moving) a cyclist, riding on the wrong side of the road with no lights (and call me cynical, but I believe that alcohol may be playing a part here), had crashed into him, then had got up and cycled off. There was no damage to his car, but he wanted to make a report just in case the cyclist reported him. 'What for?' I did ask - reckless parking (I didn't add this). And finally the chap who decided at 3am that he wanted to get into the police station because the people walking home from the clubs were all out to break his legs, so decided to try and kick the door in!!! At this point I was forced to use the radio (don't like it as everyone can hear you, but better than the tannoy, which you also can hear) and ask if there was anyone about as someone was trying to break into the police station. Aren't they supposed to try and break out?!!
So, now I am enjoying my weekend off and I have been bribed by hubby to let him watch the football tonight..............good food and an even better bottle of wine!
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Never again...............well until the next time!
On Friday night hubby and I went out for the evening to say goodbye to some friends who are moving back home after working in this neck of the woods for the past three or four years. Not that home is miles away......Lincolnshire, but no more meeting up for a coffee or a pint.
Anyway, we met in Marlow for a quick drink before going to Zizzi's for a meal and a few more drinks. All was fine until coffee, when tradition with these friends dictates that we have to have a sambuca...........two sambuca's later, we were in the pub next door where you can get four Jager bombs for a tenner.......bargain!!!
I am sure that at this point you can tell it was going to get messy and it certainly did, as we ended up in another pub with a late licence drinking another drink whose name escapes me, but I am sure had Jagermeister, red bull and malibu in, however I did manage to make it home with my keys, purse and phone!!!
Saturday morning was not so good. To say we both felt rough would be an understatement. When I first woke up about 7ish, I felt fine................but with hindsight, I was probably still drunk. Then the pain kicked in................I finally managed to crawl inside the nurofen bottle and after a glass of the magic cure (full fat coke), I started to feel better! Both hubby and I uttered those usual words that people utter when they have had a glass or few too many....... 'I'm never drinking again!' Ha ha, until the next time!!
Anyway, we met in Marlow for a quick drink before going to Zizzi's for a meal and a few more drinks. All was fine until coffee, when tradition with these friends dictates that we have to have a sambuca...........two sambuca's later, we were in the pub next door where you can get four Jager bombs for a tenner.......bargain!!!
I am sure that at this point you can tell it was going to get messy and it certainly did, as we ended up in another pub with a late licence drinking another drink whose name escapes me, but I am sure had Jagermeister, red bull and malibu in, however I did manage to make it home with my keys, purse and phone!!!
Saturday morning was not so good. To say we both felt rough would be an understatement. When I first woke up about 7ish, I felt fine................but with hindsight, I was probably still drunk. Then the pain kicked in................I finally managed to crawl inside the nurofen bottle and after a glass of the magic cure (full fat coke), I started to feel better! Both hubby and I uttered those usual words that people utter when they have had a glass or few too many....... 'I'm never drinking again!' Ha ha, until the next time!!
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Complaints, investigations blah blah etc!
When I worked in hospitality if a customer complained, the usual way to resolve it was give something for free or take money off their bill. Occasionally a customer would complain about a member of staff and sometimes a formal meeting was required - the dreaded disciplinary....... but more often than not when this happened it was due to internal staff issues, or failure by the staff member in some way to carry out their duty correctly.
Working for the police means that when someone complains about you it has to be investigated, no giving the customer their money back here!! We have a whole department that used to be called Complaints and Discipline and is now known as PSD (Professional Standards Department)! While it is irritating, I understand that we need to be completely transparent and every complaint has to be responded too correctly. I had a complaint recently because I was unable to tell a father how long his (adult) son was going to be in custody. (I know, I left my crystal ball at home that day!). Luckily, when I was notified about the complaint, I remembered the person in question - often our complaints take so long to come through, you have no chance in actually remembering the incident. I wasn't worried, actually I was mad as I had chatted with this chap a fair bit and thought we had got on fine, but that is the way it goes and it was decided that his complaint was not valid. I won't say what I really think coz it is not very polite!!!!
As for hubby, bus drivers joke that they get disciplined for everything. They can certainly get booked for everything......being late, being early, not in the correct uniform, reversing without an inspector, not issuing the correct tickets, farting in the bus (I'm joking here), and being booked would appear to lead to a disciplinary. Not that hubby has been booked for anything yet! He did manage to break a headlight by trying to get his bus a close to the curb to let a buggy off, which was made impossible by the illegally parked car, but luckily in his disciplinary his boss was quite sympathetic, understanding that he was actually trying to do the best for the customer. But obviously the bus industry is rather over fond of disciplinaries, so much so that the amount of respect that the staff have for this process is that when they are up for a disciplinary they say they are going for 'tea and biscuits' with the boss!!
The age old saying is that the customer is always right.................bollocks is he hell, but in this cash strapped society organisations are always looking for scape goats, and in my case, our 'customers' have to be given an answer, we cannot just fob them off!!!
Working for the police means that when someone complains about you it has to be investigated, no giving the customer their money back here!! We have a whole department that used to be called Complaints and Discipline and is now known as PSD (Professional Standards Department)! While it is irritating, I understand that we need to be completely transparent and every complaint has to be responded too correctly. I had a complaint recently because I was unable to tell a father how long his (adult) son was going to be in custody. (I know, I left my crystal ball at home that day!). Luckily, when I was notified about the complaint, I remembered the person in question - often our complaints take so long to come through, you have no chance in actually remembering the incident. I wasn't worried, actually I was mad as I had chatted with this chap a fair bit and thought we had got on fine, but that is the way it goes and it was decided that his complaint was not valid. I won't say what I really think coz it is not very polite!!!!
As for hubby, bus drivers joke that they get disciplined for everything. They can certainly get booked for everything......being late, being early, not in the correct uniform, reversing without an inspector, not issuing the correct tickets, farting in the bus (I'm joking here), and being booked would appear to lead to a disciplinary. Not that hubby has been booked for anything yet! He did manage to break a headlight by trying to get his bus a close to the curb to let a buggy off, which was made impossible by the illegally parked car, but luckily in his disciplinary his boss was quite sympathetic, understanding that he was actually trying to do the best for the customer. But obviously the bus industry is rather over fond of disciplinaries, so much so that the amount of respect that the staff have for this process is that when they are up for a disciplinary they say they are going for 'tea and biscuits' with the boss!!
The age old saying is that the customer is always right.................bollocks is he hell, but in this cash strapped society organisations are always looking for scape goats, and in my case, our 'customers' have to be given an answer, we cannot just fob them off!!!
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
T'was one of 'em days today!!!!
Well the good news was that when I got into work, my email was working. Yippee!!! Ok, not normally something that we celebrate greatly, but I have had no access to work email since Friday, after some fool decided to cut through an electricity cable at HQ, so causing most of our essential systems to crash. I guess no power effects things like computers! Anyway, 80 minutes later the ones we really needed (like the one that all the 'jobs' go on) were up a running again, but I have to say that 1. I don't think I have ever heard the radio so quiet (not sure if that went down too, or just as we had no idea was was going on, nothing could go out over the radio) and 2. I am glad I don't work in the PEC or the control room. Cannot have been fun trying to run a police force by pencil and paper!!!!!
So email was finally back (not considered essential to the running of life, so they had to prioritise getting things fixed), and surprisingly I had very few emails to read - though I guess as over 50% of the force also had no email, not really a huge surprise. Anyway, we email a lot, so communication was back!!
After that is all went rather rapidly down hill. Morning was ok, not too busy, but about midday and all hell broke loose!! Nothing mega problematic, but first one then the other of us would get something to deal with that was not simple, took time. And then at the same time, loads of other people would come in all at the same time. So while one person was tied up with something, the other would get hammered, and vice versa, and so it continued for about four hours. I didn't get to eat my lunch until about half four (normally I would have it between 12 and 2), and at one point I must have had about half a dozen half completed tasks on my desk or scattered around the office!!!!
It's times like these that you love the stupid questions like - 'Where is the court, the directions said opposite the police station' - yeah the directions didn't lie, it is the building opposite with court written on it in fuck off big letters; and -'When I reported my purse/phone/will to live lost several weeks ago, and you said that you would call me it it/they were handed in, well I thought I would just check' - As we said at the time we took the report (ie whole point of taking the fucking thing!), we will be in contact if your items come in. Grrrrr, but we smile sweetly even though we were about to drop to floor limp with hunger pangs and our bladders were starting to feel like we had consumed the entire contents of the Thames, and assist our lovely customers with a cheerful joy. Ok, being slightly sarcastic here, but we do try to be helpful.
And can I just point out for like the four billionth time we are the police, not the council, the parking shop, directory enquiries, or the bus company so we cannot help you with you council tax, your parking ticket, the phone number for Tesco or what time the next bus goes to Timbuktu!!!!!!!!!
God I was glad to go home, but I do love my job, and today was certainly not boring!!!! :)
So email was finally back (not considered essential to the running of life, so they had to prioritise getting things fixed), and surprisingly I had very few emails to read - though I guess as over 50% of the force also had no email, not really a huge surprise. Anyway, we email a lot, so communication was back!!
After that is all went rather rapidly down hill. Morning was ok, not too busy, but about midday and all hell broke loose!! Nothing mega problematic, but first one then the other of us would get something to deal with that was not simple, took time. And then at the same time, loads of other people would come in all at the same time. So while one person was tied up with something, the other would get hammered, and vice versa, and so it continued for about four hours. I didn't get to eat my lunch until about half four (normally I would have it between 12 and 2), and at one point I must have had about half a dozen half completed tasks on my desk or scattered around the office!!!!
It's times like these that you love the stupid questions like - 'Where is the court, the directions said opposite the police station' - yeah the directions didn't lie, it is the building opposite with court written on it in fuck off big letters; and -'When I reported my purse/phone/will to live lost several weeks ago, and you said that you would call me it it/they were handed in, well I thought I would just check' - As we said at the time we took the report (ie whole point of taking the fucking thing!), we will be in contact if your items come in. Grrrrr, but we smile sweetly even though we were about to drop to floor limp with hunger pangs and our bladders were starting to feel like we had consumed the entire contents of the Thames, and assist our lovely customers with a cheerful joy. Ok, being slightly sarcastic here, but we do try to be helpful.
And can I just point out for like the four billionth time we are the police, not the council, the parking shop, directory enquiries, or the bus company so we cannot help you with you council tax, your parking ticket, the phone number for Tesco or what time the next bus goes to Timbuktu!!!!!!!!!
God I was glad to go home, but I do love my job, and today was certainly not boring!!!! :)
Friday, 6 May 2011
And the result was NO!
Yeap, it was a resounding no for changing the way we vote!
The slightly more surprising thing is that the Liberal Democrats appear to be bearing the brunt of the country's dissatisfaction with the cuts we are facing. That, or the fact that despite being in the coalition they appear to be deeply divided!
Unfortunately the Labour party have made the most gains.........................have people really got such short memories, after all, who got us into this bloody mess in the first place? After all, if the Labour party had won the last general election, they have already said that they would have made cuts too.
Now we just wait to see if Scotland goes for Independence!!
The slightly more surprising thing is that the Liberal Democrats appear to be bearing the brunt of the country's dissatisfaction with the cuts we are facing. That, or the fact that despite being in the coalition they appear to be deeply divided!
Unfortunately the Labour party have made the most gains.........................have people really got such short memories, after all, who got us into this bloody mess in the first place? After all, if the Labour party had won the last general election, they have already said that they would have made cuts too.
Now we just wait to see if Scotland goes for Independence!!
Thursday, 5 May 2011
The deed is done!
Well, after all the considerations, in the end the decision was not too hard....................yes, I voted no!! As I said before, both sides had persuasive points, though I felt neither side had particularly strong points that led me to say 'that is what I believe is right'..............so, let us stick with what we have got. It has served us well for god knows how many years, and I am sure it will continue to do.
(I actually had three votes on this one, as I have a proxy vote for the olds who live abroad, but I was very good and asked them what they wanted and voted how they requested).
(I actually had three votes on this one, as I have a proxy vote for the olds who live abroad, but I was very good and asked them what they wanted and voted how they requested).
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Bank Holidays are over!
Last weekend was Easter, so those people that work Monday to Friday (not me!), had Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday off. Actually I did have the whole weekend off, as Easter weekend marked the end of my sick leave, and the day I was due back to work (Easter Monday) was a rest day in my duty pattern!!
This weekend was also a long weekend for the Monday to Friday people, as Monday was the May Day bank holiday and Prince William decided to marry his girlfriend on the Friday, we got an extra bank holiday. I was back to work by then (Thursday was my first day), so I worked Thursday, Friday (double bubble), Saturday and Sunday and yet again Monday was a rest day in my duty pattern.
Hubby (also not a Monday to Friday person), has a tendency to get bank holidays off, as buses, if they run, run on a Sunday service, so there aren't so many, so they don't need so many drivers!! This meant for hubby he had Good Friday off, worked Saturday, off Easter Sunday and Monday, then this weekend, had the wedding and Saturday off, worked Sunday and then had May day off. Bit weird, but that is the way they do things!!!
So today sees then end of the double bank holidays and we are all back to normal. Shame, I like the double time and lieu days :)
I have been back at work for four days and all appears well. A few niggles and twinges, but I supposed that is to be expected. Surprisingly I had a twinge the other day which was like the pain I had before the gall stones were removed. It didn't last and I wonder if it is like when people have a limb amputated they can still feel it? Anyway, I feel much better than before.
This weekend was also a long weekend for the Monday to Friday people, as Monday was the May Day bank holiday and Prince William decided to marry his girlfriend on the Friday, we got an extra bank holiday. I was back to work by then (Thursday was my first day), so I worked Thursday, Friday (double bubble), Saturday and Sunday and yet again Monday was a rest day in my duty pattern.
Hubby (also not a Monday to Friday person), has a tendency to get bank holidays off, as buses, if they run, run on a Sunday service, so there aren't so many, so they don't need so many drivers!! This meant for hubby he had Good Friday off, worked Saturday, off Easter Sunday and Monday, then this weekend, had the wedding and Saturday off, worked Sunday and then had May day off. Bit weird, but that is the way they do things!!!
So today sees then end of the double bank holidays and we are all back to normal. Shame, I like the double time and lieu days :)
I have been back at work for four days and all appears well. A few niggles and twinges, but I supposed that is to be expected. Surprisingly I had a twinge the other day which was like the pain I had before the gall stones were removed. It didn't last and I wonder if it is like when people have a limb amputated they can still feel it? Anyway, I feel much better than before.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)