Some details of the emergency service operating through Worcester Park because of the landslip have been posted here but to make your life a little bit easier I've reproduced them below: ---------------------------------------------- Train services between Epsom and Raynes Park are being disrupted due to emergency engineering works at Worcester Park.
To help deal with the greatest of passengers using services on this route, the levels of disruption at different times of the day will be as follows:
Morning peak (until 09:30)
The normal service between London Waterloo, Epsom and Dorking / Guildford is suspended and the following special service will operate: - a half hourly service will run between London Waterloo and Epsom, calling at all usual stations; - a normal service between will run London and Chessington South, with a number of additional services operating in the London bound direction only; - services between London and Guildford via Leatherhead will be diverted and not call at stations between Motspur Park and Bookham. Services from London will call additionally at Surbiton and Effingham Junction and services to London will call at all stations between Guildford and Surbiton via Oxshott and also at Raynes Park.
Daytime and evening (between 09:30 and 15:30 and from 19:00 until end of service)
As morning peak, although the additional services from Chessington South to London Waterloo will not run.
Evening peak (between 15:30 and 19:00)
As morning peak, although additional services will run from London to Chessington South only.
In addition to the above, replacement bus services will run between Malden Manor and Leatherhead and between Leatherhead and Effingham Junction, calling at all stations.
South West Trains passengers may travel on Southern services. Customers wishing to travel between Dorking and Epsom should use Southern services.
London Underground are accepting South West Trains passengers between London Victoria and London Waterloo.
This disruption is expected to continue until Monday 17 December.
Gave up on any idea of a train from Worcester Park this morning and jumped straight on a 213 for New Malden and got there before 7.20 in time for the 7.25, with traffic being lighter than I expected. The number of people who got on the bus outside the Worcester Park make me suspect that there were no trains of any shape or size this morning. The whole journey took me an hour and 20 instead of yesterday's hour and 50. My "Nanook of the North" commuting outfit came in useful as the outside temperature was registering -4.6 when I left.
Last night I came back via New Malden and got a 213 to WP, which was reasonably swift. The fact that the slip road off the A3 is closed for the roadworks seems to have helped ease the traffic.
If you have any good alternative routes can you post them and give an indication of time vs a normal day as they may be helpful to people wh oare struggling. The ones I've heard of so far (thankyou for the various contributions!) are: - 213/151 bus to Cheam station, - 213 bus to New Malden station, - 213/151 bus to North Cheam then 93 to Morden, - 213 bus then walk to Malden Manor (trains every half an hour), - Walk along path by Green Lane school to Motspur Park (ditto), - Wait at Worcester Park and just hope...........
On the bright side I've got a day off tomorrow...........
It took an hour and 50 to get into work this morning instead of the usual hour. Aiming for the 7.12 I got to the station and a delightfully empty train with only a smattering of passengers pulled in at 7.17, then stood there for several minutes before departing without opening its doors......... back towards Stoneleigh! Working on the theory that they were using it to test the work they'd done overnight and that it would be back in due time I persevered, and I was right...... it did return........ 30 minutes later.......
The now frozen hordes piled aboard and endured a slow commute to Waterloo (no heating of course) and for me it was a swift trip through the drain to Bank.
My "Plan B" was either going to be bus to New Malden and then train from there (discounted because of the traffic) or bus to North Cheam then Morden and in on the Northern Line......... so when I heard at Bank that the Northern Line was suspended in both directions from Morden to Stockwell I was just about glad I stuck with "Plan A".
London Waterloo, Clapham Junction, Wimbledon, Raynes Park, Worcester Park, Stoneleigh, Epsom, Leatherhead & Guildford / Dorking
TOC/s Affected:
South West Trains
Description:
Train services between Raynes Park and Epsom are being disrupted due to emergency engineering works at Worcester Park.
London Waterloo to/from Dorking services are currently suspended.
London Waterloo to/from Guildford via Epsom services are being diverted via Cobham. They will run non-stop between Raynes Park and Effingham Junction.
Buses are replacing trains between Raynes Park and Epsom in both directions, calling at all planned interim stations.
This disruption will contimue until at least the end of service today, Monday 10 December
Easements:
Southern are accepting South West Trains passengers. London Underground are accepting South West Trains passengers between London Victoria and London Waterloo.
Christmas is approaching, as I'm sure you've noticed, so our days and weekends are taken up with the assorted fairs, fetes, plays and pantos that come with the season.
Saturday dawned with the assorted young Brinksters bouncing around the house with the anticipation of the Cheam Common Junior School Christmas Fete. They insisted on being there from the moment the doors opened and many games were played, some prizes were won and Brinkster Junior came away from a toy stall with a £1 treasure that has kept him engrossed ever since (result!!). Brinkster Minor, aged 3, homed in upon the Munal's selection of delicacies and then proceeded to work his way through all of them with great relish, to our pleasure and surprise. We didn't get to try the Laser Quest thing but apparently it was very good judging from the responses and the queues.
From there Miss Brinkster and Brinkster Junior (still clutching his treasured toy) went to the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon to see The BFG, which was very good fun and well staged. For the celeb-hunters amongst you I spotted Martin Marquez (Of The Bill, Hotel Babylon, and many more) and the Children's Laureate Michael Rosen in the audience.
Back to Worcester Park and I was called into action as the household face-painter (they'd resisted the temptation at the fete) so by tea time there was a tiger and a monkey rampaging through Brinkster Central leaving carnage in their wake.
Sunday found us at Kew Gardens by 9.30 in the cold to engage in a few more Christmassy activities, by which I don't mean forcing prospective young Jewish parents to sleep in unsuitable accomodation but some of the more Victorian activities. First stop was the Rotary club stand by the Princess of Wales Conservatory which had brewed up a batch of mulled wine to chase away the morning chills (the kids had lemonade) and then on to the Snow Dome, which was actually foam disguised as snow but could just as easily be shoved in faces without the disadvantage of being too cold. Then on to the Plant-omime with my guest spot as the Genie in Alladin, a quick trip to see Santa and finally a horse and carriage ride before heading back to the car. We collapsed at home and the spent the remainder of the afternoon watching movies!
Kew has free open evenings on the 14th and 15th so do head over as most of the stuff is on and if you're trying to get in the Christmas mood it's a good way to do it.
After the Hamptons proposal being knocked back on Monday it seems to have been a quiet-ish week in Worcester Park. Rather than post something completely inane (well, more inane than usual) I thought I'd introduce to you the "BCB Wall Breaker". In my professional travels I come across some fabulous (and some not-so fabulous) gadgets and at an exhibition this week the must-have boys toy rapid entry equipment was this. You fill up a normal water cooler plastic bottle, stick it in this thing and bring it up to 200psi and 'boom', bring the house down! There is a video demo of this thing in action but I can imagine it came to life when a couple of bored techies were sat around (probably watching Braniac) and saying to each other "Hey, if you can use water pressure to power a vehicle maybe you could blow a hole in a wall with it!".
I can't think of a single occasion where I'd find one of these useful but I still get the overwhelming urge to want one anyway....... It's rare that I find something so cool and yet bizarre/ridiculous all at once.
Any WP news anyone or can you top that for a pointless/niche gadget?
It was the important Hamptons planning meeting last night and the Council have rejected St James proposal. With so much money on the line I assume there will be an appeal but it's good news for now. For more details go to The Hamptons Blog.
It seems like Sutton Police are experimenting with Segway personal transport for officers. If you're in need of a chuckle it's a good read but I can't quite picture a police Segway in hot pursuit uphill on Central Road.....
The defunct "Rosy Miller's" coffee shop up near "Model Road and Rail" is reopening under the name of "Rendezvous" sometime this week. The sign says "coffee shop and more"*, by which they hopefully means cakes, buns, tea, etc but the open-ended invitation does nothing to help dispel the reputation of that end of Central Road for providing "unusual services".
On a different note Mrs Brinkster has been led to believe that the new "Ciaran" barbers is an offshoot of the hair salon by the station. Apparent confirmation of this would appear to be in the fonts they use for their signs:
Friday night's Worcester Park Traders Association Christmas evening was a tad damp, as those who were out in out can testify. I think the adult-eye view might be to say that it was a washout but as "Christmas is for the kids" I thought I'd hand over to a guest blogger for the first time. Please welcome the blogging debut of the 7-year old Brinkster Junior to give his reflections on the evening's activities:
"I liked the games best, because they're so fun and because I won a gun and a Christmas present. I played a dart game and a one where I had to throw footballs and I liked the football game best.
I went on a spinning teacup ride, the big wheel and a turning-round duck ride and they were fun because they made me feel excited. All of the rides were exciting so it's hard to choose a favourite. I had a really great time."
Didn't mention the rain once. Mission accomplished I'd say!
For those who read the previous post earlier this week James May did say to me today that conversations are ongoing between himself and Clarkson regarding the potential... ermmm.... 'initation' of Oliver to these shores when he/it arrives next week. The problem is that they don't exactly when he/it is arriving, which is making planning very difficult and that they may just resort to lurking at the docks and playing on Hammond's, not entirely unjustified, paranoia.
If by some outrageous fluke you happen to know somone who works at the relevant docks could you see if they could find out.....
The big day has arrived, though somewhat damply, and the collective loins of Worcester Park are being girded to enjoy The Worcester Park Traders Association Christmas evening on Central Road, so I'm sure various members of the Brinkster Clan will mark the event by coming home clutching all kinds of cheaply made, though delightfully illuminated, frippery. If you're going to be there I'm sure you'll have a good time and if the weather holds out I might be able to get some good photos, although the weather forecast itself isn't looking too great and if needed we'll plaster ourselves in stormproof clothing and make the best of it.... and I can't think of a more frightening white knuckle ride than the big wheel they've had outside Costcutter previously in howling gale and torrential rain.
For those still wondering whether Bikehut's failed plans for the old M&S were actually serious I can point you in the direction of Sutton's planning web site which divulged the following back in June: Application A2007/57860/ADV Area/Ward:A02NONSUCH Location:177 Central Road Worcester Park KT4 8DR Proposal:Display of illuminated fascia signs and an illuminated pole mounted forecourt sign. Applicant:Halford Ltd.
They did mean it. Shame nothing ever came of it.
On a personal note I'd like to thank the person who parked the mini with the "chequered flag" roof in Brinkley Road last night which I spotted on the way up to Costcutter. Much of my early childhood was spent in the passenger seat of my mother's British Racing Green mini, which also sported a chequered roof, and one of my great delights was being able to press the big rubber button by the handbrake to start the engine. [sigh]
For those of you needing reassurance please report to the police unit outside The Munal restaurant between the hours of 1pm and 7pm today. We regret that reassurances cannot be made outside of these hours....... What is a "Police Reassurance Unit"? What do they want to reassure me about?? Ironically I won't be able to see for myself as I won't be back in Worcester Park until late....... because I'm out with the Police (I'll ask them but I'll bet they won't know either)
From my occasional perusals of Google Blogsearch I've spotted another new Worcester Park blog. In TheHamptonsBlog an anonymous resident appears to be marshalling opposition to the proposed fifth phase of the development, and gives the next meeting date of the Development Control Committee (DCC) as 3rd December 2007 in the Europa Gallery at the Sutton Civic Centre from 7.30pm.
"The Residents Association has met with councillors and other local groups and will make a statement to the DCC on 3 December. This will be part of a co-ordinated approach to show DCC members that the entire Worcester Park community is united in its concerns over the impact on local services and amenities is there is further development of the Hamptons"
I've got a prior appointment but good luck to them!
----------------------------- 20six has been down again since last night. This entry and the previous one were posted over at http://brinkleyroad.blogspot.com/ earlier while waiting for 20six to come up again, which it did at 3pm.
For any Top Gear fans amongst you I was speaking to Richard Hammond yesterday and he says that Oliver should arrive from Africa next week "as long as those other buggers don't get their hands on him". If you don't know who Oliver is you haven't been watching the new series closely enough (or you could have a life...... the other option)
If you haven't found it yet worcesterpark now has his own gallery of our fair hamlet here. I'd be fascinated to know what the ladies of Broadway Bargains made of him wandering around the shop taking photos!
As it's there I'll instantly make use of it to show you the two new barbers in town. In the photos below you'll find "Ciaran" and "Kim's". Let's watch them duke it out and see if there's a winner/loser or whether they can learn to get along:
Happy Thanksgiving to those of colonial ancestry!! I'm out with the expats tomorrow...
OK, as I promised (Mrs Brinkster) I now have the details to hand of Cheam Common Junior school's Christmas Fete.
Saturday 8th December 2007 12.00 to 3.00 Inflatable Laser Quest arena Grand draw (1st prize is a PSP) Krispy Kreme doughnuts Father Christmas Carol Singing etc, etc
AND (Best of all)
Food cooked and served by The Munal (which at the time of writing is leading the eateries poll with 19% of the vote)
The laser quest thing will be something like this
Perhaps the rest of you could play a game of hunt the Brinkster???
After my prediction of a lacklustre English performance last night I though I'd give you a different perspective on last night's event's.
Holland's RTL news this morning jubilantly led with the story"Hiddink toch naar EK met Rusland" explaining that Guus Hiddink, well-known Dutch coach, will be taking Russia to the European Championship and gushingly continues: "Hij profiteerde tijdens de laatste speelronde in groep E van een sensationele nederlaag op Wembley van concurrent Engeland tegen Kroatië, dat al was geplaatst (2-3)." For those without a grasp of the language of the low countries that means, as we all know, that the reason for Hiddink's success is because of England's total failure last night and that by inference because Russia went through then it's indirectly good news for Holland.
Glad to see that ethnocentrism is alive and well in Europe but it will give myself and friends of the Brinkster clan free reign in plying our trade on Central Road to watch the Holland games uninterrupted. Dedicated readers will remember the Oranje's last foray to the Cazbar during the World Cup!! If any local bars would like to apply for the position of "Official Hostelry of Brinkster's European Cup Campaign 2008" to stave off the financial ruin of there being no England games then please do let me know.
Apologies to anyone who has tried to get to my blog in the last 28 hours but my useless blog provider decided to disappear up its own tailpipe with no warning. Grrrrr
Now that I'm back I can tell you that the 'other' barbers in the old Digital Village shop will be opening on Saturday under the name of "Kims" (according to the posters in the window).
The Epsom Guardian has posted an article about charity scam clothing collections, which is a subject I rant on about when a flyer for one of those drops through my door.
Those of you who commute into London may have experience of running the gauntlet of people trying to press free newspapers or leaflets in your hand. For the last couple of days there's been a guy at my station handing out leaflets for "Erotica 07" (which I'm not going to I'd like to point out) and although I could think of many ways to describe said leaflet-giver but I'll settle for "rotund" and "hirsute", which snuffed out any possible glimmer of interest in attending the event even if I'd wanted to. Brrrrr.........
I'm going to go and find somewhere warm to go and watch the England team put on their traditionally lacklustre performance.....
