Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Car auctions










Just back from my lightning trip to Manchester. Thank God for Ryanair!
Over and back in the one day, cheap as chips too.
I had time to waste so I planned to visit a car auction room first of all.
British car auctions are the biggest in the land and they have a campus at Belle vue.
I hired a car and my trusty sat nav found the way in a short hop, though the traffic was heavy. I will wait until later on before making the same journey again.

I am sure car auctions are the same all over the world. Today was the turn of light commercial vehicles, many being sold by finance houses, some with no reserve.
There was also Minestry of defence cars and vans for sale.

There was 10 taxis under the hammer.

Peugeot E7 2.0 120XS taxi MPV 7 seats Mar 2009 This was i showroom condition.
£19,100
Some guys plans gone badly wrong there, she had all the bells and whistles.

Merc M8 2.1 111 CDI SE Dsl 8 seats Jun 2008 £17,200

Peugeot eurobus2.0HDI sept 2005 £3700

Voyager Euroshuttle 2.0 HDI 12 MPV Apr 2004 6 seats £4650

Peugeot E7 Jun 2006 £9000

All of the above had air con and high spec and were on sale by Lloyds TSB

ALSO AT THE AUCTION THERE WAS THAT Massarati with personalised number plate, very new. Another persons grand plans came crashing down.
It must have been in an earlier sale as it is not in the next one!
I wonder what it sold for, in reality very few people can afford a car like that now.

As a people watcher I had great fun watching the chancers and dealers operating.
It is like a circus of the World as they look under the wheels. Casting an eye allong the sides, then later on the scruffiest guy in the place can be seen with a plastic bag stuffed with money paying for 15 lots at a time.

Talking of clowns the Worlds first clown in space took off today. He owns the Circ de solei and he paid something like $35 mill US dollars for the spin.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From Roys blog

Irish Taxi Council

61 North Strand Rd, Dublin 3.

Protest Action Thursday 01/10/09

The Irish Taxi Council is a fully constituted, democratically elected and officially recognised non profit representative body of 22 Taxi associations from around the 26 Counties. Members of the Irish Taxi Council will be having a protest on Thursday next the 1st of Oct. Drivers will be coming to Dublin from every part of the Country to highlight and express their anger at the lack of action by this Government to address our problems. Every day our situation grows worse, families are breaking up and our friends and colleagues are taking their own lives as a final solution that no one should ever have to take. The families of our friends and colleagues should not have to endure this pain and suffering and should not be mourning the loss of their loved ones and the Taxi industry should not be mourning the loss of such good people. The genuine people of the Taxi industry will not tolerate this situation any further. We urge all drivers to seek help when the burden seems too much. Talk to your family, a trusted friend, Aware or the Samaritans. Please seek help.

In the mean time the people responsible for our situation do nothing! We have talked to anyone and everyone and no one cares. The Regulator has told us she will not meet any representative body until after the present process is finished. The Commissioner says that the process will not finish until “later on this year”, WE HAVE WAITED LONG ENOUGH. The Commissioners proposals do NOT address the main problems in the industry and only address the hidden criticisms of her office contained in the Goodbody report ie, enforcement, wheelchair accessibility and fast tracking of standards. The Commissioner has taken no notice of our concerns and does not address the biggest problems we have in the industry,

1. Illegal operators operating in unlicensed areas and putting our customers’ safety in peril!

2. Double jobbers (taking the food off full time drivers tables and giving two fingers to the Irish citizens taking it on the chin for this Governments greed and mistakes)!

3. Making every SPSV driver sit a test before 2012 when the previous Commissioner said (2004, witnessed) ”he only wanted people that had entered the business post the 2003 Taxi Regulation act to do so”. Now they want to get rid of our best drivers and replace them with who knows?

4. Criminal and fraudulent access to the industry through the fleet rental providers who do not care in the least about the industry!

5. Making the industry wait for TEN MONTHS for NO CHANGES to address our problems!

6. Increasing the cost of the SPSV Driver License fee to €250.00 while reducing the life of the license to 3 years without any consultation.

If you are a full time Taxi driver support your colleagues on Thursday and send this Government and its Minister who has been elected by the people of this Country, but, refuses to meet a legally constituted and democratically elected industry representative body, the message it deserves:

THE IRISH TAXI INDUSTRY HAS HAD ENOUGH! WE ARE NOT TAKING ANY MORE!

The Joint Taxi Council of Ireland (NTDU, ITDF, NPHTA and SIPTU) were sent a letter on the 24/09/09 by the Irish Taxi Council asking for, in the interest of unity in the industry, the support of their members for this protest. We would ask all concerned drivers that have an interest in their futures to join us in supporting this action.

It is intended that drivers will arrive at Kildare St at 8 a.m. on Thursday to request that the Minister for Transport, Minister Noel Dempsey TD, (an elected official and servant of the Citizens of the Republic of Ireland) tell us what he intends to do to address this urgent situation. Failing a response from Minister Dempsey we will seek the response of An Taoiseach Mr. Brian Cowan (an elected official, leader of the Government and servant of the Citizens of the Republic of Ireland).

The protest will finish at an undetermined time.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Drink driving


The Garda tries to hold the bus lane

Air Sea rescue helicopter

Building site abandoned at Clare Hall. All building work over here is stopped.

You know taxi driving is always different every day, morning, afternoon and evening you never know what is going to happen next.
Mostly nothing happens and if something does happen out of the blue?
Well lets hope its a good happening.

Guinness is now officially 250 years old and it was celebrated in style in Dublin yesterday.
There were concerts performed at different venues and broadcast to pubs via satellite. All thought up by Satchi and Satchi.
Some pubs gave a free drink at 17.59 to remember the day that Arthur Guinness signed the lease for St.Jame's gate where the brewery is.
Others sold pints of the dark brew at € 2.50 marking 250 years.
My local had the concert on the TV turned down and he only gave away a few pints at 6 pm. He just didn't enter the spirit of the event click here

But it was a mamoth event with dancing in the streets, should have worked.

They (The wise ones) made a big change to the traffic flow here in Dublin at the beginning of the month.
College Green is now a bus lane and closed to cars morning and evening.
It has made a huge difference for taxis and buses,but the cars and vans are having a problem.
For a few days the Garda just cautioned them, then they turned them away form the area.
Then they wrote tickets by the score.

Today I was watching the guy shown in the photo above turn cars away every 2 minutes. Then on the other side I saw a woman driving along while talking on the phone. I think she drove through a red light as well,in the bus lane. She was so engrossed in conversation that she didn't notice the garda motorbike driving right at her window.
It took the third blast of the siren to get her attention to stop.
That could be a very expensive call.

1 Talking on a mobile phone while driving.
2 driving in a bus lane.
3 going through a red light.
4 driving without due care and attention.

She was not a pretty young thing and he wrote her a big bunch of tickets.

These tickets were not raffel tickets.

I picked up an Australian girl on Griffeth Ave,I thought she was English.
What an insult that was.(sorry)
This girl I have had in my taxi more than once, she has a wine business here and she told me something which I will share with you.

In Australia the government decided to tackle drunk driving head on.
If you drink and drive there you are in big trouble and if you kill someone you would likely go to prison and loose your licence for life.
The drink driving advertisements are very hard hitting.

That one "Haunted"is Australian.

Now listen to this, if you work in a bar you have a permit to sell alcohol and if you serve a person who is drunk, you may loose your permit,you will be fined, your premises can be fined and if that person that you sold drink to injures another person your place might have to pay damages.

On top of that all school children around the age of 15/16 are taken away for the day where they are shown videos about dangerous driving.
This includes viewing bodies of accident victims.

I might have told you that when I was starting to drive I was brought on a grand tour of Mr.Traynors scrap yard near Moy, I was shown the bent steering wheels,the hair and blood on the windscreens. How your knees travel through the dashboard only to be broken by the bracket which holds the steering colum in place.
Then I was shown a baby's knitted shoe and the blood on the roof of the car,
"all these people had one thing in common, all in a rush. Now lives are destroyed, sometime you will think of what you saw today and show down, at least I hope so"
Said Mr.Traynor
I was back there a few years ago and there was a lovely TVR there being scrapped.
Very little damage done. The driver had lost control of the car and it hit the ditch and rolled over, the driver got thrown out the passinger window and was crushed, he was not wearing a seat belt.
When I spoke to the lads they said that the car must be broken up. The owners wife or children would be shocked if they ever saw that car again, I could buy the wheels the engine or gearbox even the wings and doors the rest was to be crushed.
That year Armagh won the football final.

Oh to get back to my lady from Australia.
She is very strict on herself and has five days alcohol free every week!
"You should do this for the sake of your body"

Australian girls, nurses, physios and teachers jump into the front seat don't ask me why.
The rest sit in the back, don't ask me why.

Then .
Last night in Fairview I saw a car with no lights on, I flashed my lights at him,but he drove on. I was caught at the lights behind him and 3 sets of lights further on there he was stopped by an unmarked police car.
I picked up a passenger around the wooden bridge and headed back into town, as we passed him he was being breathalised. my passinger got out and as I headed past the car a third time. Now the driver had been arrested and his car was being driven back to the station.

One way of looking at it is that he will be using taxis for a few years so it will be good for business.

I am off to Manchester on Wednesday, to see a cousin of mine who is ill.
His family were very good to me when I was younger and staying at home was not an option.
I had a mad 2 days looking for my passport!
I have it now.

Look after your health

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Sad News

Last night I read in the Evening Herald that 3 taxi drivers who knew each other had all committed suicide. This is known as a "Cluster"
3 young men who had been at school together.
They all had mortgages, car loans and family's to take care of.
The final one returned from the second ones funeral and killed himself.
Sick and tired of working 50 to 60 hours a week with less and less money coming in.

Today put the number of the Samaritans on your mobile phone.In Ireland it is
1850 60 90 90 you never know when the end of the road may come you or for anyone else so save it now.

Please contact MABS for advice on money.

But think of the ones at home, Your kids asking for daddy your wife without a partner, killing yourself will make things far worse.

Put your family first.

We must change what is happening in our industry, lobby your elected representatives don't let them forget us.

My thoughts and prayers to the families.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Cliff comes to town





New offices in Hatch st.

Well another week over and Kerry are the GAA football champions again.

A busy week and the weekends matches helped. But you know when the traffic is gridlocked you cannot do much work. But it was a good week overall.

I brought a man from Japan to Blanchardstown last week.
Or should I have said. I brought a Japanese man from his hotel to Blanchardstown.
The former would be a world record taxi fare.
He told me that he was visiting a factory which was celebrating 20 years in business.
He told me about coming to Ireland 22 years ago and they hired a car to search for a location for the new factory. They hired the car in Dublin and drove to Shannon and it took them 7 hours. "No motorway".
It was a culture shock for them at the time, but he was very happy to see all the good changes which have taken place up to the present time.
They looked in Cork and Galway before setteling on Blanchardstown.
He then managed the company for 10 years. The company has now been in operation for 20 years. So he had a birthday cake.
It is good that any company would stay here that long.
Often when the concessions of tax are over the companies pull out and go to cheaper countries,like Dell leaving Limerick to go to Poland. In 10 years time they will be off to somewhere else with better tax advantages.

One of the new headlines in the oapers was the fate of the Capital Bars group.
They owe the AIB bank he more than € 25 Million.
A few years ago the O'Dwyer brothers split the company and put the properties into one company and asked the bars in the other new the company to pay rent which they are finding hard to do, business is down 20%.
The George and Cafe en Scene and Howl the Moon are now under examinership.
The hotels, Grafton Capitol,Trinity Capitol and the Dragon pub have been put into provisional liquidation.
Perhaps this will herald the end of the €6 pint.

Business is tough now,clothes for example are often manufactured in the worst conditions that you can imagine by children and adults, they are little more than slaves,this is done to give the bosses bigger profits. I would like to see "a fair deal label" this would show the buyer that no child labour was used in its production.

Just a thought.

Next week the Flyers Cafe may close, this place serves the Kesh, which is the holding area for thousands of taxis who visit thee airport every day.
Drivers pay €400 for the "pass" which allows them to pick up at the airport.
It is really anawful place.
The toilets there are soaking in urine and the new toilets have been badly designed so that any spillage gathers in a corner of the floor.You can imagine even a good toilet which is seldom cleaned would be like when it would be used by 2,000 + people every day.

Watch this space I feel a strike coming on.

I had a girl in the car today talking about her fathers funeral. He died on a round the world cruise snorkeling in the West Indies,a lot of fuss bringing the body home etc. I would like to think my folks would have the sense to creamate and bring me home in a nice jar. The cost of bringing a body home must really expensive to say the least.

Though people get into a panic when something like that happens.

Do you ever go on the FBI most wanted sites? or the Interpol one?
Or the Garda one?
The Garda are worried about a Romanian girl who is missing for 19 months.
She vanished around 6th Jan 2008 on Brabazon St A silver Ford Mondeo with a 01 LH number was seen near the scene.
Still if the Garda are serious about finding her they would at least put her on the website.
The crimestoppers site is not any better.

A few years ago I met a Russian guy who told me that I should take care about who I was picking up. When I asked him why he told me that there are bad people in the city.
"No really, tonight I was in a bar in Temple bar and I saw a guy from my home town in Russia. There was a time when young girls would disappear and they would be found dead a few weeks later. Police started to close in on that very guy, then one day he vanished and the killing stopped. So now he is in Dublin today, he may be in your taxi later tonight, so becareful."
I asked him if he would report it to the police, as he was a dangerous person.
"If I went to the police I would be detained and deported, that would be the easy option for them".
No matter what I said he would not budge about reporting him.
Now a few years later I realise he was right, that is exactly what they would do.

Monday brings Cliff Richards and the Shadows 50 years tour.
The Point venue will be bring back all these old has beens, Its not entertainment its a dinosaur show.
It was not sold out.

Have a guess what this advertisment is selling.

Now you get the idea you might as well have another one.

Try this one

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Off to see the president


This is where our president lives, not bad eh?


Workers take a break at the Westmorland St.end of Trinity college.


This car is a beautiful TVR one of only 300 ever made. I was helping a guy in a wheelchair at the filling station blow up a soft wheel at the time.
Then good luck came I picked up a bright young sound engineer all the way to Coolock.
Good Karma !

Oh yes a bad crash with the Luas and a bus on O'Connell St. today, more than 20 injured.

This week brought the death of a cyclist on the Quays run over by an articulated lorry.
I see trucks and cyclists duelling on the streets every day, there can be only one winner.
Our champion boxer Darren Sutherland who won an Olympic medal in the Beijing Olympics died by suicide. One commentator said "If he was in the room and you turned off the light his smile would brighten up the whole room"

Look after your mental health.

I was heading up to Lidl on the Malahide Rd when she waved me down.

Some people are silent this woman was on auto pilot. She was going up to Donaghmede shopping center to get a new phone, she needed to have it for medical reasons.
Her husband was dying from Cancer, they gave him 3 months bit that was nearly 3 years ago, he doesn't know he is dying, so he has no worries.

What she related to me next shocked me in no small measure.

I was walking along said she and next thing I started gasping for breath and I had a terrible pain.
So I called for an ambulance, the ambulance man was very abrupt when he came.
"Yer only havin' a panic attack mam, just breathe slowly"
Anyhow when she got to the hospital she asked for oxygen and was ignored for 4 hours.
Then after an X ray she was told it was a chest infection.
No matter how much she pleaded with them they insisted they were right.

When she got home he pulled her husbands Oxygen machine into her bedroom and was gasping for air all night,praying for morning.
Then her phone started ringing and through the pain and her being semi concious it took a long time to awnser it.
"Hello its the hospital here, could you come in there was a mix up with your X ray. there's an ambulance on the way for you,if you could be ready for it when it gets there?"

They were really nice this time, I had a collapsed lung, they put in a tube and after a while I could breathe again. They said the tube would stay in for 3 days.

Then on the second day they took it out. That evening the lung collapsed again.
This time they put in the tube the wrong way, even though I told them it did not feel right they wanted to send me home again. Then after another x ray the found that it was wrong and fixed it.

So a few days later I got a call from the hospital again asking me to come in straight away, when I got there I was brought into the room of a specialist.
He looked very grave and he said that there had been a mix up with my scan and I had a shadow on my lung, but not to worry as it was cureable with radiation treatment.

What she told me next nearly made me stop the car.

He was describing 2 different things, when someone in your family gets cancer you learn all about pretty damn quick and this gobshite knew nothing.
Listen mister I am only 7 stone I couldn't undertake radiation treatment at my weight, if I do have a shadow I put it there so its my problem.

Let me look at the scan though.
He turned the computer screen to me and I looked at it for 20 seconds.
Who is Mary Mulhall?
What do you mean ? says the doctor.
Look at the name on the scan? That is not my name' anyhow I had 3 X rays and never a scan.

Get you fucking act together says I and I walked out.

That makes 4 mistakes so I am going to see about suing them, its an absolute disgrace,and the treatment the doctor was offering was wrong as well.
She said that she hopes to get enough to bury her partner as his days are definitely numbered.

You know my head was nearly spinning as I drove back to the Malahide Rd.

I compare her to a woman I picked up in Donnybrook the other day, she was walking on the grass well in from the road and I nearly didn't see her.
"Chester Beattie library, I am very late, Its behind Dublin Castle, and hurry"
So I got her there in double quick time . The cost € 8.90
"Just make it €9.00"
The other lady with the dying husband and the collapsed ling gave me a € 6 tip.
The logic of it it all escapes me. If I was really late I would at least double the fare not rub the drivers face in the dirt by giving him a lousy 10 cent tip.

I just think of Kismet she might have slipped and fallen on dog shit 10 seconds after getting out of the car,well I hope she did.

The other lady? I hope she wins the Lotto.

This old world never ceases to amaze me.

One thing I am happy about is that I can paint and fix things around the house.
Today I repaired the flue for the central heating boiler, then I took the air out of the fuel lines and got it working again. I am still using oil, the price goes up and down but now its down. I think gas is great but it is another bill through the door.
When I don't use oil there is no bill.

Tradesmen around the house are bad news, a "Carpenter" hung a door and left a gap of 1 1/2 inches under the door. He tried to excuse it in a few ways, then he said it couldn't be changed.
Right you buy a new door and start again.He was under contract to deliver, I was not paying. I got a piece of wood which fitted the gap and after taking the door off its hinges he screwed it on.

I won't tell you about the electrician who couldn't wire a new light switch!
He was out too, though I feel the electrician should be arrested as he could kill someone.

Or the plumber who cut the oil pipe and was surprised when diesel came spilling out.
Where is your can to catch the oil? said I.
A blank look like a goat looking at thunder. not a clue.

Something for some taxi drivers.

Something for the Brazillians..

Sunday, September 13, 2009

"Free"bicycles


The new bikes arrived.

This taxi is advertising the new Head stores which are spring up selling "legal hash"

What a weekend of good weather that was.
Summertime and the livin is easy.

The mood of the people has lifted and the house painting is nearly finished.

Warning! a new scam has come to my notice.
A regular customer told me about it and she has 2 uncles who drive taxis.
Punter gets into the taxi and says
"Driver I only have a €50 note, do you have the change?"
So when you reach your destination he pulls out his €50 note.
As the driver counts out the change and the customer grabs the change and runs off with his €50 and your change.
He has become good at it. So take the €50 before you pull out any change.

Had a guy in the taxi going to Heuston station.
He had drink taken and was loud, good natured enough though.
When we got there there was €9 something on the meter.
"Well all you'r going to get is €6"
No matter what I said did not matter, he was adament.
I called the security guard down but he wouldn't budge.
Cars were backed up now and people were blowing horns.
"What can you do?" says he.
"I will call the Garda" said I "And we will have to wait a month for them to come"
He was right there and a few drivers had jumped from their cars and were heading over to see what the delay was.
Only then did the station security man interviene and took the €5 note from his hand and gave him €2 back from my hand.

That guy should have a tatto on his forehead DO NOT GIVE ALCHOL TO THIS IDIOT.

There are a lot of mentally ill people going around, its a pity most of them are getting into my taxi.

A lot of people are saying No to Lisbon.

Things like Obama and Cowan, which has the bigger pay packet? Your right Cowan.
They are overpaid and totally at odds with common sense.
One shortcoming after another is being exposed.
This NAMA thing where they are going to take on toxic debts of the banks at our expense to help out the banks. While the same banks are evicting people from homes which the banks cannot then sell again.

makes the old blood boil.

Take care of your health.




Here is a lucky guy.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Taxi? There's more to life

I found the 9/11 video I was looking for when I posted on 9/11.
Go back to the last posting and see it.



This old guy I often thought should be called "The silver fox"
When I am as old as him I want to dance that well.


I have carried this link on my blog for ages, now I wonder whether the taxi dancer male or female!


This pair turn up all the time, they are so fluid in movement and move so well, so I asked an expert.He said that Andre mouves too stiffly.
Compare him to the "Silver Fox".
No matter what is said about them I think it is such a great performance.

I thought the Taxi Tango was a taxi driver. Perhaps this clip explains what they mean,when you dance you turn on the meter.



What had this to do with tango? I doin't know.

Something for the Irish Italians.



Remember you don't have to go to a dance hall as long as long as you blindfold the band.


Hows about Tango in the white House?




What I mean to say is
there has to be more to life than all this work.

Alex and Alison had fun today.

It could be you tomorrow.
Night classes are begining now.
Everything from Salsa through Tango to Computers!!!!
Lets live a little today.

I hope you enjoyed this little distraction.

Rememberance

Today I would like to remember all those who died on this day in New York when the twin towers were destroyed.

Just a moment of reflection.

I hope that the future will be better for all who survived.

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

I will hold a draw for the T shirt. Send me your e mail address into the comment box and 2 lucky people will be sent a shirt!!Collectors item on Ebay 2020
I
Been there done that and here is the T shirt


The president of Ireland Mary McElise speaks to Jonnie Walker


The Lord Mayor of Dublin in the rain.


Even Elvis came



View throught the rear view mirror




Heading off to Leopardstown.


Paddy Drac with plenty of sun block came too.


a new conductor for the Garda band

Ambrosia who are our main sponsors






A good day was had by all.

Saturday, September 05, 2009

GAA WEEKEND


Dublin is getting hundreds of "free" bicycles on the 13th

Theese are blades for windmills, they have been sitting on dublin docks for many weeks. What is the story? Someone will have to do something very fast as they are going to get a hefty bill for storage.
Nevertheless they are things of great beauty and a wonderful feat of engineering too.

DON'T FORGET MONDAY FOR THE SPECIAL CHILDRENS OUTING TO LEOPARDSTOWN
See what the London drivers are doing here

Its a gaa weekend look here
And the Electric Picnic is going full blast. The weather has not been too bad for them.
My son had a ticket but we managed to sell it before the date.
Concerts are not selling out any more owing to the recession so the ticket touts are out of pocket.

The brother of a mate of mine was beaten up and had his taxi taken from him in Tallagh a few weeks ago, the car was found burned out in Coolock later. He had left 2 mobile phones in the car and so he was stranded for quite a while. He didn't need to be kept in hospital though but it looked like he might need a skin graft to fix up his face, where he was stamped on,but he is Lucky as he is already ugly and not at all vain.
They got the suspects quick enough as they had mentioned that they had been held for questioning at a different garda station earlier, they were unhappy they were about that, now for sure the new charges will stick.
This loutish yob behaviour is getting worse all the time,it makes night work harder to say the least and girls can be far worse than boys.

London taxi drivers protest as a schitsofrenic man who strangled his wife was allowed to take the knowledge.It has also come to light that he recieved a caution for assaulting a woman three months ago.
Standards slipping.


As all the good taxi storys start,"I had a guy in the car the other day"
And he had a guitar, a good bit of banter but he wouldn't for some reason give me his name. I tried to get it from him by saying "You wouldn't be Neil Young would you? I suppose you are too young to be him"
He told me he had been on the Mooney show the other day, and he spoke of arranging a tour here soon.He has a CD coming out soon called "800 voices"
Anyhow when we arrived at his destination he cut me short as I was telling him that the Floridita bar has live Cuban music at night, guess he will never know that.
So if you want to listen to what Danny Ellis had to say and sing about go to the Mooney link and listen to the Wednesday show. He was detainee of the Artaine boys home. He has also been awarded the best new lyricist 2009.

Well I hope that video about texting woke up some people, it has become a hit in the USA as well after it was show on CNN.
I see people texting every day and talking non stop, safety it essms takes a back seat.
For me it was a jolt of reality for sure.

Just on the subject of safety,
How would you feel if you were haunted by something you once did?
Its very clever video as you have to watch the forwards and backwards through time.

Slow down, arrive alive.

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Setteling into Autumn



An old Citroen DS, beautiful smooth car on the road

Click on the photo to see it better. It is sections of propellers which have been at Dublin Docks for a few years, I know I have shown them to you before.

You do notice the coldness in the air and the trees changing, just the slight fading of the green leaves,not turning brown yet.

Tuesday was Laytown races day.
Imagine horse racing on the beach.
Tuesday also Mohamed Alli become a free man of Ennis,he has come to claim his Irish roots.
What a showman, go see the movie "When we were Kings"
It is also 30 years lince Louis Mountbatten was killed when his boast was blown up by the IRA.


The schools are back now nearly all the kids are out in their uniforms and the traffic is up a good 25%.
Business is also up a little.
I went through College Green today, the new bus lane is working fine for us,but the ordinary cars are being fined, no mercy at all.
As I was going through they pulled in 3 cars and a van, they are processing them fast,they must be on a bonus.

Everyone, buy a taxi now,its the best way forward.

Every time I sit down to add a piece to the blog I often hit a blank.

One thing I have on my mind is my income tax,loads of taxi drivers have had audits carried out.
Bank statements examined and questions asked.
Ray a friend of mine had one and the inspector said "Where do you account for your cash work?"
I was held up at knife point and with a syringe, I only do radio work said Ray.
Yes it can be a dangerous job too.

We must have a tax Clarence cert to carry on, so its onwards and upwards.

I wonder where Bertie Ahern's tax Clarence cert is?

I had a guy hail me in Baggott St. today. I flashed the lights and he waved. I had my left indicator on to pull over when a guy shot up on the inside lane and the punter got in,more fool him.
I hope the punter knew where he was going as the driver was one of the "You show,Me go" brigade.

There is no basic manners among drivers any more.

Roy was having a bit of a rant about prostitution and trafficking, I have carried 3 links on this blog to sites which give you an insight into the "slave"trade.

The stolen child W.B.Yeats
"To and fro we leap
And chase the frothy bubbles,
While the world is full of troubles
And is anxious in its sleep.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters of the wild
With a fairy hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Link here

Problem is that they are taken by fiends not faeries.

I had a Mona Lisa (movie) moment last weekend and I am making little headway in resolving it.
What chance would a non Irish national have?.
Still if we taxi drivers share information we could curb the spread of trafficking.

Ring Store St.Garda station ask for Insp Lordin,operation Quest 01 666 8000.

I thought 666 was the number of the devil,
but all Dublin Garda stations are 666


This video should be shown to people who are caught texting in traffic.
No one causes an accident on purpose we know that.

Texting while driving

WARNING ITS GRAPHIC.
BEST NOT TO LOOK IF YOU HAVE LOST SOMEONE RECENTLY

I had to re find this, there are follow up pieces too.