#travel news a47

[mi6-rogue]

21-Year-Old Driver Jailed For Killing Police Staff Member

A driver has been jailed for six years for killing a Leicestershire Police staff member in a vehicle collision on the A47. On Saturday, 3 July 2021, Local Support Team Officer (LSTO) Darcy Elizabeth Reid was travelling citybound in her Nissan Micra along the A47 Hinckley Road, close to Braunstone Park, Leicester, when she was […] The post 21-Year-Old Driver Jailed For Killing Police Staff Member appeared first on Emergency Services News. https://emergency-services.news/21-year-old-driver-jailed-for-killing-police-staff-member/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr mi6rogue.com/donate

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/travel/art-review-at-frieze-new-york-islands-of-daring/

Art Review: At Frieze New York, Islands of Daring

Getting into this year’s Frieze Art Fair on Randalls Island will cost you $57, plus the round trip on the ferry. But that’s nothing compared to what it cost nearly 200 galleries to exhibit there. And so dealers have made the reasonable decision to bring a little of everything that sells — which may account for the conservative vibe. That said, there are many islands of daring, including special sections focused on solo presentations, small galleries, the influential gallery JAM and virtual reality. We sampled them all — along with the mainland fairs that are part of Frieze Week. Our art critics Martha Schwendener and Will Heinrich pick a handful of the best booths under Frieze New York’s big tent.

Booth C2

Bridget Donahue and LC Queisser

One of the strongest single-artist booths is a joint presentation by Bridget Donahue Gallery and LC Queisser, who represent the artist Lisa Alvarado in New York and the Republic of Georgia, respectively. Ms. Alvarado made her acrylic-on-canvas pieces, each painted with a thrilling zigzag pattern, as backdrops for performances by the Natural Information Society, in which she plays the harmonium. If the fair’s not too loud, you’ll be able to hear the band’s hypnotic music, too. WILL HEINRICH

Two exceptional but very different displays are on view in the fair’s midsection. At Casey Kaplan gallery, Matthew Ronay’s carved wooden sculptures, pieced together into abstract, evocative organic configurations in various coral hues, are placed on plinths and feel like an oasis amid the fair’s chaos. (Mr. Ronay also has an exhibition on view at Kaplan’s Chelsea location.) Martine Gutierrez continues her rampage as the Indigenous Woman, a transgender alternative-fashionista at Ryan Lee. In photographs and faux-fashion spreads, Ms. Gutierrez combines traditional Mayan and Guatemalan garments and fabrics with fantastic and futuristic accessories and makeup to conjure new, fluid forms of being. MARTHA SCHWENDENER

Booths F6, F12 and F14

Company, Bank and Very Small Fires

The Frame section of Frieze, devoted to galleries 10 years or younger, is particularly good this year. Befitting the ethos of the emerging artists they represent, the booths are platforms for performance or installations, with linoleum or AstroTurf covering the floors. The New York gallery Company is hung with paintings by Jonathan Lyndon Chase that feature roughly drawn figures or graffiti, as well as crude sculptures of a toilet seat or a dollar sign. Yanyan Huang treats the booth at Bank, a Shanghai gallery, as an “immersive portal” (according to a handout) in which traditional ink drawings merge with digital applications. Nearby, Diedrick Brackens’s colorful tapestries at the Los Angeles gallery Various Small Fires join traditional materials with references to figures like African-American cowboys. SCHWENDENER

The Tehran gallery Dastan (appearing here as Dastan’s Basement) has hung more than 50 portraits by the artist and architect Bijan Saffari. A member of the royal family who left Iran for Paris after his country’s 1979 revolution, Mr. Saffari was also gay, which made his position doubly precarious. The portraits are rather simple and conservative, drawn in graphite and colored pencil. And yet they are sensitive and closely observed, and they gain by their group presentation, appearing like a narrative of his circle of friends in the ’70s and ’80s. There is an elegiac tone to these drawings; the artist died days before the current edition of Frieze opened. SCHWENDENER

Booths B36 and F9

David Lewis and Antoine Ertaskiran

In a fair dominated by painting, David Lewis of the Lower East Side and Montreal’s Galerie Antoine Ertaskiran, making its Frieze debut, stand out with presentations that could pass for gallery shows. Four cool acrylics by New York painter Charles Mayton, at Lewis, feature schematic eyes and hands in jazzy mash-ups of shelves, bars and circles. Jane Corrigan’s large wet-on-wet paintings of women on the go, at Ertaskiran, are exquisite brown and yellow collisions of impatience and poise. HEINRICH

Booths A11, B32, C7 and D1

Foxy Production, Simone Subal, Rachel Uffner and Galerie Lelong

Several New York galleries have mounted outstanding painting displays in which artists bend the medium in a variety of ways. At Foxy Production, Srijon Chowdhury, Gina Beavers and Sascha Braunig offer reinventions of Gothic romanticism, surrealism, Op or Pop Art. Simone Subal is showing the work of Emily Mae Smith, whose paintings are slick and whip-smart updates and appropriations of posters from the ’70s and ’80s. Maryam Hoseini works both on and off the wall at Rachel Uffner, but combines abstracted Persian imagery or techniques with contemporary painting. Sarah Cain’s take on painting at Galerie Lelong offers candy colors, cutouts and a floor flooded and stained with pigment. They remind you of paintings’ origins — in childhood — and suggest a kind of joyful, delirious regression. SCHWENDENER

Booths S4, S10 and S11

Galerist, Galeri Nev and Pi Artworks

The fair’s outstanding Spotlight section, curated by Laura Hoptman of the Drawing Center, is dedicated to “significant work by overlooked figures.” They include Yüksel Arslan, a Turkish painter born in 1933 who moved to Paris at the invitation of André Breton and died in 2017. His “Arture 439, Sans Titre, l’Homme,” from 1992, in a joint presentation by Turkish galleries Galerist and Galeri Nev, is a gloriously strange gallimaufry of interspecies sex acts and quotations from the artist’s scientific reading, drawn with homemade colors. Susan Hefuna makes ink drawings inspired by the intricate wooden screens of her Cairo childhood. The examples presented by Pi Artworks of London and Istanbul are done on overlapping sheets of tracing paper fastened with rice glue. The multitude of tones and textures create a fascinating tension between clarity and ambiguity — the drawings are like letters of a foreign language glimpsed in a dream. HEINRICH

The Diálogos section of Frieze includes solo presentations of Latin American art, organized by Patrick Charpenel and Susanna V. Temkin of New York’s El Museo del Barrio. I was particularly taken with Mariela Scafati’s hybrids of paintings and sculpture at the Buenos Aires gallery Isla Flotante. Ms. Scafati takes wooden bars where canvas is stretched and treats them like bones, joining the parts together in puppetlike configurations, sometimes bound or “wearing” a jacket or a pair of pants. SCHWENDENER

Booths B9, B10 and B20

lokal_30, Koenig & Clinton and Kate Werble

A vibrant knot of color and form awaits you at the intersection of New York’s Koenig & Clinton and Kate Werble galleries and Warsaw’s lokal_30. From Poland come three painters exemplifying postwar and contemporary Surrealism, among them the young Ewa Juszkiewicz, who repaints classic portraits of women, but hides their faces with cloth, ears of corn or a backward French braid. They evoke feminism, dream logic and implicit violence. Tony Marsh’s over-the-top ceramic vessels, encrusted in what look like shards of glaze, meet the eye-bending optical paintings of Anoka Faruqee & David Driscoll at Koenig & Clinton. Marilyn Lerner makes delicately complicated oil-on-wood abstractions at Kate Werble; don’t miss the unlabeled low tables by Christopher Chiappa, also in Werble’s booth. HEINRICH

There’s something magical about William T. Williams’s early 1970s “Diamond in a Box” paintings, hard-edged geometric patterns in blazing colors. The subtle misdirection of those patterns, and the complicated rhythm of the colors, mean you could look at them forever. Michael Rosenfeld presents a dozen never-before-shown acrylic-on-paper works from the same period. In these, a wiggly meander snakes in and out of concentric circles filled with vibrant brush strokes — they’re like Bauhaus takes on the Aztec calendar. HEINRICH

Booth F18

PM8

Spanish gallery PM8 presents 80 black-and-white photographs by the Lithuanian photographer Gintautas Trimakas, shot in the mid-90s and hung in three long rows. The piece shows 80 women with their heads and legs cropped out. Though the backgrounds range from white to nearly black, and the clothing and body types are all over the map, the typological presentation wears away these differences and leaves the figures all looking more or less interchangeable. It’s a deeply cynical take on both the consumerist Western freedoms available to Lithuanians after their 1990 independence and on the fate of all human bodies — the women aren’t so much living people as corpses in waiting. HEINRICH

V.I.P.s have access to the Deutsche Bank Wealth Management Lounge at Frieze New York. But nearly everyone can benefit from PPOW’s display of paintings by Steve Keene, which are on sale for $15 to $50. Mr. Keene was heavily influenced by indie rock bands in the early 1990s — his friends in Pavement, Silver Jews and the Dave Matthews Band — and the idea of selling quick, sketchily rendered paintings like cassette tapes. Using a stage in PPOW’s booth as a pop-up studio, he will produce hundreds of paintings on thin plywood panels — they are part endurance performance, part public art stunt. The vibe feels like one in a record store during an album release party. SCHWENDENER

Frieze New York

Through May 5 at Randalls Island Park; frieze.com. Tickets are limited and only available online.

[swanprompts]

300 DIALOGUE PROMPTS

This is a rebloggable version of my prompt list at my writing blog. This has 105 prompts from my old list and 195 new prompts.

IF YOU USE THESE PROMPTS IN YOUR OWN LISTS, CREDIT @swanimagines !!

LIST A - GENERAL/FUNNY

A1. “Can I take a picture of you?”

A2. “Where do we sleep now?”

A3. “Be quiet, they’ll hear us!”

A4. “I cooked for us! Or tried to cook…”

A5. “Can you explain why my phone is up there?”

A6. “Ugh, people are so weird.”

A7. “Wait, who?”

A8. “But I can’t draw!”

A9. “Your forehead has sauce on it.”

A10. “Stop snoring! You sound like a chain saw.”

A11. “C’mon, you need a reason to get out of here and I have one.”

A12. “No, nooope. I won’t do it. Nope.”

A13. “Do you mean I have to touch that?”

A14. “Wow, a great idea, but I’d rather die.”

A15. “Oh there you are! I thought you had melted through the floor.” “I had plans to do that but then I called them off.”

A16. “I’m trash, just not that kind of trash.”

A17. “Always nagging, aren’t you? Every time I hear your voice, it’s in a language called nag.”

A18. “It’s 6pm, the fridge is mine until 7pm, so… shoo!”

A19: “What’s this?” “I bought you binoculars because now you get to look at them better… or you could go talk to them.”

A20. “I’m gonna hit you.” “What?” “Ugh, that came out wrong.”

A21. “I’m okay. I’m perfectly fine. Yeah… okay, I’m not fine.”

A22. “If you wait for tomorrow, tomorrow is coming. If you don’t wait for tomorrow, tomorrow is still coming.”

A23. “I’m not yelling, I’m discussing with you with a loud voice!”

A24. “Tell me something. Do I look like a bunny?”

A25. “Maybe that secret is that your mom is really a time traveler.”

A26. “Too bad, I wanted to see some ghosts.”

A27. “Not that song, turn it off now!”

A28. “Is this the Heaven?” “More like Hell.”

A29. “Hey keep it down there, I’m trying to sleep!”

A30. “Please don’t use my toothbrush again.”

A31. “Hey, calm down, it’s not so bad…” “Calm down? There’s a riot going on in my bathroom!”

A32. “It’s alright to be a bit crazy. At least a minute of craziness in a day keeps the doctor away.”

A33. “I thought you had left.” “I’d leave without tasting this sandwich? It would be a sign of insanity.”

A34. “The Great King/Queen/Ruler of Food is here again.”

A35. “What can I do… they just love Mr. Bunny.”

A36. “Wait, do we have a permission to do this?”

A37. “As long as that is on my wall, I swear I’m not going to sleep.”

A38. “Pillows? Pfft. Who needs pillows?”

A39. “That’s what you get for being such a dummy.”

A40. “You really need a haircut.”

A41. “You should keep that to yourself.”

A42. “Oh, how could I not say yes to that?”

A43. “Hi and bye!”

A44. “Well, what did you expect?”

A45. “Kick that door down.”

A46. “I’m not drunk!”

A47. “That’s not a stupid idea, it’s an idiotic idea.”

A48. “You’re the type of person who laughs at their own jokes.”

A49. “Oh, I didn’t know you had guests.”

A50. “Oh, are you looking for [insert name]? They’re probably setting themselves on fire right now.”

A51. “Don’t be scared.”

A52. “Did you just smile?”

A53. “Would you wanna go for a walk?”

A54. “My lights are flickering, it’s the infamous Ghost of the Living Room.”

A55. “This cookie is my spirit animal.”

A56. “Don’t be boring, dance with us!”

A57. “You should keep that candy behind locked doors. I might eat the whole bag otherwise.”

A58. “What’s your password?”

A59. “My backyard is not a waterpark.”

A60. “I think you should talk to them.”

A61. “I wish we had more time to chat.”

A62. “You’re smiling.”

A63. “Do you even know how to laugh?”

A64. “Well, it’s busted, no can do.”

A65. “I know what you think.”

A66. “At least I smell good.”

A67. “It happened a long time ago.”

A68. “What exactly should I be looking at?”

A69. “Why your shirt was in my fridge?”

A70. “Argh, don’t you guys ever use Google?”

A71. “I think you’re overreacting.”

A72. “Do you like board games?”

A73. “But it’s so cold!”

A74. “You should really learn to read some books.”

A75. “Wait, I know where your pants are.”

A76. “There’s no one there, dumbass.”

A77. “A fly has been harassing me for weeks.”

A78. “Be honest, do I have to keep this shirt?” “No?” “Dammit!”

A79. “Not my kid, not my responsibility.” “It’s a dog!” “No, it’s your kid.”

A80. “Sorry, I’ll be late.” “Why is that?” “A cat has been sleeping on me for an hour.”

A81. “I’m still bored.”

A82. “I recognize liars when I see them.”

A83. “Well, books usually have text on them.”

A84. “This is the perfect day to piss [Name] off.”

A85. “Get me their phone. Then we’ll talk.”

A86. “Because you’re so young.”

A87. “Hello, I am your servant today, what can I get you, oh Almighty?”

A88. “Why are you hiding?”

A89. “Why are we hiding?”

A90. “Why you would wanna live in a dumpster?”

A91. “It’s snowing!”

A92. “They’re late. Again.”

A93. “My bathroom smells like someone put a fish into my toilet.”

A94. “Don’t tempt me.”

A95. “You know how much I like chocolate.”

A96. “Stand back, this might get ugly.”

A97. “I can’t believe the way you got them arrested.”

A98. “Wait - did you just agree with me?”

A99. “Nah, dying would have been boring.”

A100. “Can’t you have fun for once in your life?”

LIST B - LOVE/FRIENDSHIP/COMFORT

B1. “You’re being shy with me, aren’t you…” “No I’m not!” “Yes you are!”

B2. “You make me feel free.”

B3. “You’re cute when you try not to blush.”

B4. “I might be having feelings for you, I’ve had them for a while.” “Yeah right.” “I’m serious.”

B5. “It’s true. I’ve loved you ever since I got to know you - and even if you don’t feel the same, I’m willing to accept it.”

B6. “What if I told you that there’s a surprise for you outside?”

B7. “Everything is okay now, I’m here, I’m here.”

B8. “My world was black before you came into it.”

B9. “Did you do all this… for me?”

B10. “Did you really think I’d leave without a kiss?”

B11. “I didn’t know there’s a feeling like this.”

B12. “You’re the first person who has understood me.”

B13. “I’m not the person you want in your life.” “Yes you are.”

B14. “People change. And I’m not who I was before. I’m sorry for what I did.”

B15. “Do you… maybe, want to go to grab a coffee with me sometime?”

B16. “I really like you! Uh… I didn’t mean to blurt it out like that.”

B17. “I know this isn’t very romantic, but…” “It’s romantic enough for me.”

B18. “I’m not like everyone else, you deserve someone better.” “There isn’t anyone better for me than you.”

B19. “What are you doing?” “Showing you how much I love you.”

B20. “Will you make me happy forever?”

B21. “I didn’t know you’re ticklish… this is going to be fun.”

B22. “Your bed could be more comfortable than me.” “Nah, I’m good.”

B23. “You guys are so cheesy it’s disgusting.” “Why, thank you!”

B24. “Can I sleep with you? I need someone by my side.”

B25. “You’re so warm…” “You’re so cold.” “Mmh, that’s why I like your warmth.”

B26. “You’re special to me.”

B27. “Are those my… aaargh gimme those back!”

B28. “I’ve been gathering my courage to talk to you for so long and now… I did it.”

B29. “It’s obvious you like them.”

B30. “Crushing hard, huh?”

B31. “This is the place we first met. And now here we are, years later.”

B32. “Awww, is this you?” “Gimme that!” “No! You’re so cute, look at those pants!”

B33. “You cleaned my house for me while I slept?”

B34. “Wait, did you just call me cute?”

B35. “You’re my only friend, but you’re also the best person in the world.”

B36. “I’ve been in love with you all this time.”

B37. “I care about you, maybe more than I should.”

B38. “Because I love you, you idiotic mufflehead!”

B39. “Honestly, I didn’t believe in strong friendships before I met you.”

B40. “Maybe that’s the reason why we’re friends. You’re as dumb as me.”

B41. “Is that a blush I see?”

B42. “Do you want to go out with me?”

B43. “We’re friends, you can tell me anything.”

B44. “You look like you need a friend.”

B45. “Ah, ah, no tickling! Or no kisses.”

B46. “I made you dinner.”

B47. “I lit up candles and everything, you deserve to relax.”

B48. “You want it, I’ll get it. Don’t try to stop me.”

B49. “You’re the only one that makes me go cheesy.”

B50. “Here, take my umbrella.”

B51. “I think I’m in love… with you.”

B52. “You bought roses for me?”

B53. “Dance with me.”

B54. “Marry me.”

B55. “Babe, we’ll travel the world together.”

B56. “I’ve talked to you once and I already know I’m going to fall in love with you.”

B57. “I heard [name] has a crush on you.”

B58. “You look amazing.”

B59. “Best friends will stand together, even through the harshest of waves.”

B60. “I’ll continue doing this until you smile.”

B61. “Can I hug you?”

B62. “I have always loved you.”

B63. “Don’t worry, you look beautiful.”

B64. “Your flirting is so bad it’s adorable.”

B65. “Do you have to get up? I was just getting comfy.”

B66. “Stooooop, you’re making me blush!”

B67. “Uh-uh, I won’t let you leave without a hug.”

B68. “I’ll be watching over you.”

B69. “I bought you chocolate.”

B70. “I dreamed about kissing you.”

B71. “You’re my best friend, and always will be.”

B72. “Am I dreaming or did you just say you like me?”

B73. “Your smile is beautiful.”

B74. “Have I ever told you how cute you are?”

B75. “I’m with you. I’m home.”

B76. “I would have never believed that one day we’d be so close.”

B77. “We’re friends, right? Friends stick together.”

B78. “I’ll always be here, whenever you need me.”

B79. “You smell nice.”

B80. “I’ve loved you since day one.”

B81. “You built a pillow fort for us?”

B82. “You saved me.”

B83. “You always manage to make me laugh.”

B84. “Thank you for being there for me.”

B85. “Why do you care?” “Because I love you!”

B86. “Do you think of me as a friend?”

B87. “I think I have feelings for them.”

B88. “I’ve tried to forbid myself from falling in love, but now I can’t help it.”

B89. “I can’t believe we’re still friends. I thought we’d grow past the fart joke part.” “What, fart jokes are the best!”

B90. “Good morning, want some breakfast?”

B91. “I’ve missed you so much.”

B92. “Are you cold? Here, take my jacket.”

B93. “I’m gonna dare you to kiss [Name].”

B94. “Oh my god, you like [Name]!”

B95. “They’re in love with you.” “Oh shut it.” “I wish you noticed how they look at you.”

B96. “Breakfast in bed? You’re spoiling me.”

B97. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you.”

B98. “Nobody is perfect. That’s what makes you special.”

B99. “I want you to be happy. You’re worth it.”

B100. “I don’t know how, but you always make me feel happy.”

LIST C - ANGST/ANGRY

C1. “I don’t want to feel anything anymore.”

C2. “I was there… and I didn’t do anything. I’m never forgiving myself for that.”

C3. “It’s none of your business.” “It’s my business if you cry because of me.”

C4. “Let go.” “I can’t.”

C5. “Leave. I don’t want you here.”

C6. “I never loved you.”

C7. “You were never there for me.”

C8. “You did that choice. Not me. You’re in this alone.”

C9. “You left me!”

C10. “It’s time you got to know how it feels to be betrayed.”

C11. “You appreciate some people only after they’re gone.”

C12. “I was willing to stay here with you until the end, but it was you who told me to stay away.”

C13. “No, you don’t have the right to come back to me and pretend that everything is okay again!”

C14. “You disgust me.”

C15. “Fine. If this is how it’s gonna be, then fine. I’m leaving you.”

C16. “They’re not coming back.”

C17. “I failed you. I failed everyone.”

C18. “You’re not worth it.”

C19. “How dare you stand there and tell me you still love me?”

C20. “I was an idiot to ever trust you.”

C21. “I can’t move on, and I don’t want to.”

C22. “I’m disgusted with myself that I once thought of you as my friend.”

C23. “They were my everything, and now they’re gone.”

C24.  “It was you who broke our promise.”

C25.  “You’re my friend.” “I have better friends than you ever were.”

C26.  “I honestly want to set you on fire right now.”

C27.  “There’s no one else to blame anymore, you made sure of it. It’s all on you now.”

C28. “I feel like there’s nothing waiting for me anymore.”

C29. “Tell me I’m wrong. Just say it.”

C30. “I love you, but I wish I didn’t.”

C31. “I hope you grow up one day. But I’m not going to be there to see it.”

C32. “What if I’m in too many pieces now to fix myself again?”

C33. “And here I thought that you’d keep your promises for once.”

C34. “Goodbye. Don’t come back.”

C35. “If this is love, I don’t want it.”

C36. “No one never stays, no one ever cares about me.”

C37. “Please, make it stop...”

C38. “It just feels like I can never let go... even if I try.”

C39. “I love them too much. And that always makes me go tumbling down the hill.”

C40. “I can’t do this anymore.”

C41. “Fuck you! Get out of my house!”

C42. “You’re not welcome here.”

C43. “Don’t expect me to fix things you broke.”

C44. “You always lie to me.”

C45. “Could you try stopping thinking like a machine and listen with your heart?”

C46. “I’ve never felt like this about anyone, but with you? I hope life will be torn apart on you.”

C47. “I wish you nothing but pain.”

C48. “I can’t take this any longer.”

C49. “You were my best friend, and you let me down.”

C50. “Forgive you? How could I ever forgive you for what you did?”

C51. “Don’t you dare close your eyes!”

C52. “I can’t feel the pulse.”

C53. “I can’t believe how I ever was a friend of such a toxic person.”

C54. “Everything reminds me about them. I just want to forget them, wipe them out from my life.”

C55. “I’ll be happy once you’re gone.”

C56. “Don’t give me those crocodile tears.”

C57. “You’re wrong, I have never loved you.”

C58. “Go to hell!”

C59. “I want you gone. Now.”

C60. “Oh, now my opinion matters? I wish we had never met!”

C61. “I’ll always hate you.”

C62. “You broke the promise. Again.”

C63. “I’d punch you if you were worth it.”

C64. “Nothing has changed in you, even when I wanted to believe so.”

C65. “Let go of me!”

C66. “Don’t touch me, you filthy scum!”

C67. “You did a bad thing for a good reason.” “But is it worth it if they died because of me?”

C68. “We’d/We’ll never get our happy ending.”

C69. “You’re never changing, are you? Always a dickhead.”

C70. “You’d never understand.”

C71. “I’m dying.”

C72. “I loved you years ago. But that feeling is long gone.”

C73. “I’m happier without you.”

C74. “I don’t even know who you are anymore, how do you expect me to love you?”

C75. “You abandoned me when I needed you the most.”

C76. “Do you think you could just magically waltz back into my life after everything you did?”

C77. “I waited for you for years before I finally found someone who won’t abandon me like you did, and now you come back and think we could be together again?”

C78. “There won’t be “us” anymore.”

C79. “You’ve lied to me all this time.”

C80. “I’m a monster.”

C81. “You’re a monster.”

C82. “Don’t hurt me!”

C83. “I’m leaving you.”

C84. “Please don’t go.”

C85. “I’ll never forgive you.”

C86. “No no no no, stay awake! Please!”

C87. “I don’t want to lose you too.”

C88. “Walk away and don’t come back, or I’ll fucking kill you.”

C89. “We need to get to the hospital!”

C90. “I know you hate me.”

C91. “Oh, so that’s what you think of me?”

C92. “I’m going to sleep on couch tonight.”

C93. “It’s my fault they’re dead.”

C94. “Don’t give me that bullshit, I know what happened!”

C95. “Give me one reason why we should still be together.”

C96. “If you had ever loved me, you wouldn’t have put everything else above me.”

C97. “You said you’d support me with this, but here we are.”

C98. “Why are you even here anymore? Just leave!”

C99. “I’ll be forgotten.”

C100. “Death doesn’t let you say goodbye.”

[jaigeddes]

£345m confirmed for 76 local road projects – full list

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has confirmed the 76 local projects from across the country to receive £244m funding to address pinch points and ease congestion.

He also will release an extra £101m for two new major roads in Middlewich, Cheshire, and Worcester in the Midlands to accelerate house building and boost jobs.

Grayling said: “These schemes will provide much needed upgrades to essential local roads up and down the country, cutting congestion, improving safety and shortening journey times for drivers.

“They will also help boost regional economic growth by unlocking jobs and supporting vital new housing development.”

The funding covers a range of projects, including:

the delivery of contactless payment options across Nottingham’s bus and tram network

creating a new link for buses in Plymouth providing direct access to Derriford hospital

improvements on the A66 in Darlington which will help unlock 2,600 houses and 4,300 jobs by improving travel connections

A major road improvement scheme in Worcester with £54.5m government funding will complete a series of upgrades to the Worcester Southern Relief Road, including a new carriageway alongside the existing Carrington Bridge.

This will provide much needed congestion relief and accelerate the building of more than 5,000 homes.

Another £47m funding in Middlewich will pay for the Eastern Bypass scheme which will open up more land for employment, potentially creating up to 2,000 extra jobs.

Funding for all these schemes is being provided from the National Productivity Investment Fund and the Large Local Majors fund.

76 local road improvements Region Lead authority Scheme name EA Essex CC A120 Braintree slip roads Millenium Way EA Essex CC A120 and M11 slip road Junction 8 EA Suffolk County Council Eye Airfield Junction Improvements & Link Road EA Bedford BC Bedford Northern Gateway to growth EA Southend-on-Sea Borough Council Town-centre Redevelopment Improvement Project (TRIP) EA Cambs and Peterborough CA A15 jn 18 Peterborough EA Cambs and Peterborough CA A605 Stanground East junction improvements EA Norfolk County Council A140 Hempnall Roundabout EM Derby City UA Derby Bus Station extension EM Leicestershire County Council Hinckley Hub Sub-Package (Part of Hinckley Area Project Zone 4) EM Leicester City Council Leicester Putney Road West (new Transport Link) Project EM Nottingham City Council Delivering Contactless Bankers Card and Mobile Phone Payment across Nottingham’s Public Transport Network and the Wider City Region EM Lincolnshire County Council A46 Lincoln Road, Welton, Lincoln EM Northamptonshire County Council Cliftonville Corridor EM Leicester City Council Leicester Urban Congestion Bus Pinch Point Improvement Project EM Derbyshire CC Highways hub advanced real time information NE NECA North Tyneside Council A189 Improvements Haddricks Mill to West Moor NE TVCA Darlington Borough Council Darlington Growth and Enterprise Zone Connectivity NE NECA Sunderland City Council Northern Gateway (North Bridge Street), Sunderland NE TVCA Middlesbrough Council A66/A171 Cargo Fleet Roundabout improvement scheme NE NECA Newcastle City Council Expansion of Tyne and Wear’s Urban Traffic Management Control centre Services NE NECA Durham Council (A19/A182) Junction Capacity Enhancements NE NECA Gateshead Council Sunderland road link NE TVCA Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council A171 Swans Corner to Flatts Lane Improvement NE NECA South Tyneside Council A194 / B1306 Mill Lane Roundabout Improvement Scheme NE NECA South Tyneside Council A19/A194 to A19/A185 Lane Gain/Lane Drop Arrangement NW Warrington Borough Council Warrington East Phase 3 NW Cheshire East Macclesfield Movement Strategy Phase 1 NW Warrington Borough Council Omega Highway Gateways – Junction Improvement Package NW LCRCA Wirral Borough Council A554 Tower Road Civilised Street Scheme, Birkenhead NW Cheshire West and Chester A556 Gadbrook Business Park Junction Upgrade NW Cumbria CC Whitehaven North Shore Access NW Lancashire County Council M55 Heyhouses Link Road NW GMCA Stockport A560 Cheadle corridor NW LCRCA Liverpool City Council A59 Liverpool City Gateway NW Blackpool UA Yeadon Way access route upgrade NW Blackburn Darwen Fabric Borders Blackburn NW Cheshire East North West Crewe access NW GMCA Manchester City Mancunian Way Princess Parkway SE Kent County Council Kent Medical Campus Enterprise Zone SE Southampton City Council Eastern Access to Southampton – A3024 Bursledon Road Junctions SE Bracknell Forest A329 A322 Corridor improvements SE Buckinghamshire CC A418 Corridor improvements Aylesbury to M40 SE Buckinghamshire CC A40 London Road High Wycombe improvements SE Milton Keynes Council CMK Peak hour journey-time improvement SE Kent County Council A2500 Lower Road Improvement Minster SE Hampshire County Council South East Hampshire Bus Rapid Transit SE Oxfordshire County Council Botley Road Corridor Improvements (Phase 1) SW Plymouth City Council Forder Valley Interchange SW Devon CC Exeter Eastern Growth SW Plymouth City Council Morlaix Drive Access Improvement & Bus Priority Scheme SW North Somerset Council Weston-super-Mare Town Centre Transport Enhancement Scheme SW Swindon Borough Council Mead Way Swindon – corridor improvements SW Wiltshire Council A350 Farmers Roundabout Improvements SW Bournemouth BC Wallisdown Crossroads Improvement SW Devon CC Sherford Main Street SW Gloucestershire County Council A38 Cross Keys Roundabout Capacity Improvements and Signalisation WM Worcestershire County Council Bromsgrove Town Centre Network: Unlocking Growth in Bromsgrove WM Worcestershire County Council Worcester City Centre Network Efficiency: Axis West East WM Warwickshire County Council A47 Hinckley Road Nuneaton WM WMCA Birmingham City Council Birmingham Growth Point Public Transport Package WM Warwickshire County Council Stratford-upon-Avon Gateway to Business and Culture: A3400 Birmingham Road Growth Corridor WM Stoke-on-Trent Council Cobridge Junction Improvement Scheme WM WMCA Walsall Council Walsall Economic Growth and Infrastructure Package WM Staffordshire County Council Lichfield Southern Bypass (Final Phase) WM WMCA Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council Solihull Strategic Cycle Network – Town Centre-UKC Hub-Birmingham Links YH WYCA Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council Clifton Business Park Transport Network YH SCRCA Sheffield City Council A61 London Road / Broadfield Road improvement YH East Riding Yorkshire A164 Riplingham Road Great Gutter Lane Junction Improvement YH York Council STEP Smarter Transport Evolution Programme YH WYCA Bradford Metropolitan District Council Bradford Transport Management Upgrade YH WYCA Leeds City Council SCOOT for Leeds YH SCRCA Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council A18 Thorne Road BKS 66 Rail Bridge widening YH SCRCA Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council College Road Roundabout – Rotherham Growth Gateway YH WYCA Leeds City Council A6120 Leeds ORR Cycle Superhighway YH North Yorkshire County Council Enabling Development and Business Growth in West Harrogate

[gyrlversion]

Huge lorry tailbacks as Operation Stack is rolled out in Storm Gareth

Storm Gareth caused enormous lorry tailbacks today as cross-Channel ferry crossings were hampered by its 80mph winds and heavy rain causing travel chaos.

Operation Stack was implemented in Kent for the first time in four years as the queue for lorries reached seven miles on the south coast of Kent – and P&O Ferries said its Dover-Calais sailings were delayed by up to 90 minutes. 

Met Office wind warnings had been in place for England, Wales and western Scotland until 3pm with forecasters warning people about the risk of fallen trees, flying debris and widespread travel disruption on ‘Black Wednesday’.

The RAC warned drivers conditions will result in huge tailbacks and potential pile-ups, with 31,000 roadside call outs expected across the UK today. There are also 31 flood warnings in place, plus four warnings in the North. 

Gareth, the seventh named storm of the 2018/19 season, hit Britain after undergoing ‘explosive cyclogenesis’ – becoming what is known as a ‘weather bomb’ – as its air pressure plunged by more than 24 milibars in 24 hours. 

The Road Haulage Association said the measure involving closing a section of the M20 to enable lorries to queue was brought in following disruption caused by severe weather affecting cross-Channel ferry crossings. 

Lorries queue to get onto ferries at the Port of Dover in Kent today as cross-Channel crossings were hit by bad weather

Lorries queue on the A20 outside Dover where Operation Stack was implemented today after the queue got to seven miles

The Road Haulage Association said the measure involving closing part of the M20 to enable lorries to queue was brought in 

A woman battles with the high winds as she walks through Liverpool city centre this morning

The River Ouse has broken its banks today in York city centre, causing flooding after heavy rainfall

Today was the first time traffic management scheme Operation Stack has been activated in Kent since June and July 2015, when it was in force for more than 30 days due to disruption at the ports caused by striking in Calais.

Operation Stack is due to be replaced by Operation Brock, which will manage the queues differently in the event of a No Deal Brexit when Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29 – an event to be voted on by MPs tonight.

P&O warned that ‘weather conditions are likely to worsen into late afternoon’. In recent days, there have also been long queues in Calais as French customs officials at the port and Eurotunnel terminal carry out strikes.

They have been working to rule by carrying out more stringent checks in an attempt to demonstrate the impact of tighter border controls after Brexit. The section of the M20 between junctions eight and nine was closed today.  

Road Haulage Association chief executive Richard Burnett said: ‘This will ease the flow of traffic into Dover as a result of bad weather causing delays to cross-Channel traffic.

‘But if we leave the EU without a deal and the authorities on the French side use Kent roads as a traffic filter, the repercussions for Kent residents and business could be disastrous.’ 

Storm Gareth will bring 80mph winds and heavy rain to Britain today (left). There are 35 flood alerts or warnings out (right) 

Forecasters have warned Britain is about to be battered by the worst period of weather since last year’s Beast from the East. Pictured: the predicted weather on Thursday and Friday 

Depending on how many lorries queue, the closure of the M20 can be extended to Junction 11. Marston airfield can also be used. Highways England has been carrying out work on the M20 ahead of potential post-Brexit delays.

Mountain goats were seen in Llandudno town centre in Wales amid weather chaos caused by Storm Gareth 

Under Operation Brock, lorries travelling to mainland Europe will be held on the M20 while a contraflow system will aim to minimise the impact on people travelling within Kent. 

After an early racecourse inspection, officials said Ladies’ Day at Cheltenham Festival would go ahead despite previous cancellation fears, but flights struggled to land at airports including Leeds Bradford in West Yorkshire.

Gareth arrived in the UK after travelling across the Atlantic from the west, where a deep low pressure system has resulted in the worst bout of weather since last year’s Beast From The East.

Gusts of up to 75mph were recorded in Scotland last night, while winds of over 60mph were seen widely across western parts of the UK in the early hours of Wednesday. 

As trees were brought crashing down across power lines, nearly 370 homes, shops and offices in Derbyshire’s Peak District were blacked out this morning.

The A5 in Leicestershire was closed in both directions between the M69 and the A47 near Hinckley after a pile-up in which an HGV overturned and shed its load.

The A15 over the Humber Bridge was closed to high sided and ‘vulnerable’ vehicles such as caravans and motorcyclists due to strong winds in the area. 

Amid weather chaos in North Wales, mountain goats roamed freely in Llandudno town centre.  They were seen climbing into people’s gardens and waking along the pavements.   

Lorries queue on the M20 today following disruption caused by severe weather affecting cross-Channel ferry crossings

Today is the first time the traffic management scheme Operation Stack has been activated in Kent since June and July 2015

A ferry arrives at the Port of Dover in Kent as bad weather causes cross-Channel ferry delays

Storm Gareth brought this tree crashing down on the Brentwood Hotel in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, today

A Ryanair plane struggles to land in strong cross winds at Leeds Bradford Airport in West Yorkshire this morning

Storm Gareth has also been taking its toll on cliffs, with 1,000 tonnes of rock crashing onto the beach at West Bay in Dorset

In Dorset yesterday 1,000 tons of rock fell from a cliff made popular by the ITV show Broadchurch. Members of the public have been warned to stay away after huge chunks of the rock were caught on live stream on a council webcam crashing to the beach below.

Three people die after avalanche on Ben Nevis

Hill walkers at Ben Nevis today

Three climbers have died and another has been injured after an avalanche on Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest mountain.

Police Scotland were alerted to the incident shortly after 11.50am yesterday and began coordinating a mountain rescue response at Number 5 Gully.

Initially, police said two climbers had died and two were injured but later yesterday confirmed one of the injured climbers had since died. The other climber was flown to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

Ben Nevis, near Fort William in the western Highlands, is a popular destination for experienced climbers, attracting 125,000 visitors each year.

Yesterday’s incident follows two recent fatal accidents on the mountain, which at 1,345m is the UK’s highest.

On New Year’s Day, a 21-year-old German woman, who was a student at Bristol University, died after she fell from a ridge she had been climbing with three other people. She had been hiking on what is known as the ‘ledge route’ when she fell around 500ft.

In December, Patrick Boothroyd, 21, from West Yorkshire, died after falling in the Tower Gully area.

The chunks of cliff fell away at around 5pm yesterday, from East Cliff on West Bay beach in Dorset – known nationwide as a key filming location for Broadchurch. The rock slide was spotted on a Dorset Council video live stream, which is continuously broadcast onto the council’s YouTube channel.

A multi-agency search and rescue operation was launched, and Chief Inspector Lance Cliff, of Dorset Police, said last night: ‘At this stage it is not believed anyone is trapped following the fall.’

The beach remained closed this morning, after being sealed off shortly after 5pm yesterday. 

Giles Frampton, who lives in the area, retweeted a photo of the rockfall, writing: ‘Ever wonder why we Dorset locals don’t sit under the cliffs at West Bay, or anywhere else for that matter? Look no further.’ 

Storm-force winds also created ‘atrocious’ conditions for an operation to rescue six crew from a French fishing vessel off Land’s End.

Two RNLI lifeboats launched after the alarm was raised at 10pm yesterday, but waves of up to 20ft meant it was ‘impossible’ for a tow line to be attached to the 78ft vessel, called La Fanette, and the crew were air-lifted off by the Newquay Coastguard Rescue Helicopter. 

Storm Gareth continued moving across the country throughout the day, with the worst of the winds occurring in the early hours before gradually easing later on in the afternoon as the storm moves out to the North Sea.

Transport links were at risk of being impacted as the squally weather blows through.

Commuters using trains in Wales, Scotland, the north of England and East Anglia were warned that services could be disrupted by high winds, with speed restrictions in place across a wide area.

Trains between Durham and Newcastle were halted until 9am after overhead electric wires were damaged, impacting LNER, CrossCountry, Northern and Transpennine Express services. 

The cliffs at West Bay in Dorset are around 140ft high and the pile of rubble is around 30ft high after falling yesterday

A rescue team searched the rubble at West Bay, a popular spot with dog walkers, but found no sign of any casualties

Sniffer dogs and thermal imaging equipment was used at the West Bay cliff fall in Dorset but found no trace of anyone

Dramatic images from the coastline at Porthcawl in Wales show huge waves crashing against the sea wall today

Waves are pictured crashing near the harbour in Porthcawl today as wind speeds surpass 50mph 

Meanwhile, some Virgin Trains services between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston and some trains between Glasgow Central and Preston were cancelled.

Six French fishermen are airlifted from stricken boat off Lands End in ‘atrocious’ 20ft waves 

Six crew members were airlifted from a stricken French fishing boat off Land’s End in ‘atrocious’ 20ft waves and storm-force winds.

HM Coastguard was alerted at 10pm last night that 79ft fishing vessel La Fanette had suffered engine failure.

Another fishing vessel went to help and a lifeboat was launched, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said.

A spokesman said: ‘Despite atrocious weather, Sennen Cove Lifeboat launched but due to 5-6 metre (16-20ft) waves on scene and storm force winds, it was impossible for either the fishing vessel or the lifeboat to establish a tow with La Fanette.

‘The six crew on board were airlifted from the fishing vessel by Newquay Coastguard Rescue Helicopter.’

There were also reports of trees blocking roads and some exposed routes in the North East of England being closed to high-sided vehicles.

Environment Agency staff worked in Cumbria and Lancashire to monitor rain and river levels, with the Met Office expecting up to 2.4in (60mm) of rain over higher ground in the north west.  

The Met Office, who has issued warnings for all of Wales, large parts of England, the west coast of Scotland and Northern Ireland, also advised people to tie down or put away loose items in the garden and to take care outside. 

Racegoers in Cheltenham narrowly dodged disappointment after an early racecourse inspection proved conditions were good enough for Day Two to go ahead as planned.  

The festival in Gloucestershire has already suffered gales and washouts – hitting 250,000 racing fans attending over the four days from today until Friday, with officials still anticipating ‘challenging’ weather today. 

The foul weather will also pile on the misery for millions of allergy sufferers with strong winds set to trigger ‘windstorm hay fever’.

Carpets of pollen left after trees flowered during unusually high temperatures at the start of the month will be whipped up by strong winds.

Settled conditions over the last fortnight caused allergens to settle in layers over roads, pavements and open spaces.

Strong winds over the past two days have started to dislodge this temporarily dormant carpet throwing clouds of pollen into the air.

When does a fierce storm become a weather bomb?

Explosive cyclogenesis, also known as a ‘weather bomb’, is where the central pressure in a frontal depression falls very quickly, forcing violent winds from the system.

The intense low pressure system must fall in pressure by more than 24 millibars in 24 hours to meet the criteria.

Storm Gareth tomorrow is forecast to fall 978mb at 6am today to 952mb by midnight – a fall of 26mb in 18 hours.

The events happen when dry air from the stratosphere flows into an area of low pressure.

This causes air within the depression to rise very fast and increases its rotation, which deepens the pressure and creates a more vigorous storm.

Further stormy weather through the next week will trigger a ‘frenzy of pollen’ spelling disaster for millions of hay fever sufferers, experts warn.

Max Wiseberg, airborne allergens expert, said: ‘Early pollen produced by unseasonable warmth at the start of the month will be blown around leading to an eruption of allergens in the air triggering bouts of windstorm hay fever.

‘Storm Gareth brought gale-force winds at the start of the week creating a frenzy of pollen and spelling disaster for a huge number of Britons suffering with hay fever.’

Strong winds will shake yet unreleased pollen from trees with airborne fungal spores also threatening misery, added Mr Wiseberg, founder of HayMax allergen barrier balms.

He said: ‘Windstorms such as these cause enormous movements in the air, bringing pollen grains down which might have otherwise have been located above our heads, and whipping up pollen grains and fungal spores that originated near the ground.

‘Those living in cities are also likely to suffer; the windstorm can collect all this pollen up from the country and carry it in the air for miles before finally depositing it.’

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[everylittlechef]

Tired & Inspired : Day Two

Day Two: Monday 31st July 2017.

I did all of the driving on this days voyage, so Owen could be ready with his camera to jump out and photograph the Little Chefs. The new system was much more efficient. We started the day with tired crumpet faces and without breakfast but safe in the knowledge the first Little Chef stop was just seven minutes away…

Eleventh Stop: A1 Grantham (stand alone)

We arrived to the second Grantham Little Chef stand alone wooden lodge style diner just before 9am. It was a seven minute drive from the Travelodge combined Little Chef we stopped at the previous night and we were planning to get our Olympic Breakfast there but sadly we were too late.

We spent much of Sunday speculating if Debbie was right and if thirty Little Chefs really were closing overnight as so many we visited didn’t seem certain this was the case, but sadly Monday morning confirmed Debbie’s speculation. We were greeted in the car park by a friendly bearded Burger King employee come Little Chef enthusiast who immediately took interested in our van and project. He was stood by a heaving pile of Little Chef chairs, dustbins and crockery stock taking them before lifting them into a van. Owen photographed the building and piles of debris and Mary the store manager for over thirty five years came outside in the Charlie mascot head to have her photograph taken. This is the first time I’ve seen ‘Charlie’ since the 1990’s and my fear of masks and mascots is certainly still there. We left the store safe in the knowledge that all the staff still had jobs in the new Starbucks opening in eight weeks time and feeling like we’d provided some sort of gratitude documentation to Mary’s thirty five years in service to the Little Chef. She said ‘It’s a sad time, don’t get me wrong there are bad little chefs out there but we weren’t one. We looked after the regulars, we were clean, worked hard and had a laugh. I’ll never be able to drive past here again and feel the same. It is sad.’

Twelfth Stop: A16/17 Spalding

We were excited and hungry about getting our breakfast in Spalding having missed it in Grantham. It was a truck stop joined to a Burger King with parking for large vehicles. Our van looked tiny in the car park. It felt like the Little Chef was used by truckers as well as locals. Only when we arrived there was a hand written notice on the door that read ‘Due to an electricity fault we are running from a limited menu’. We couldn’t believe our bad luck. Adam - a Little Chef employee and enthusiast for the company asked if Owen was a bird watcher with his camera. We told him about our project and he was quite touched. He speculated, with tears in his eyes about the closure of their own branch, unaware what the future is but said it’s likely to become a Starbucks/Greggs combo. Adam said they had been trying to contact Head Office about the electricity for weeks as they weren’t able to run the grill, order new foods and had only a very limited menu they could serve. A family before us were turned away and we soon moved on hungry to find the next Little Chef that could serve us an Olympic breakfast, leaving behind six employees to await the next punters politely showing them the limited menu they were able to serve.

Thirteenth Stop: A47 Peterborough

Finally, breakfast! I had a veggie Early Riser: fried egg, beans, veggie sausage, sauté potatoes, grilled tomatoes and fried bread and Owen had the huge Veggie Olympic Breakfast - quite similar but double in size with extra fried beige items like hash browns and mushrooms. We washed them down with frothy coffees and an extra take away Cappuccino for the road. It was actually delicious and looked just like the website image of the re-branded breakfast. Before entering the branch a smiling waitress ran out to Owen with a 7-8 year old child’s ‘Little Chef’ t-shirt and insisted he take it as he must be a fan. Over breakfast we told her about our project and signs on the Little Chef window showed they knew they were closing, soon so were only stocking breakfast items, not the full menu. The staff know the store is going to be a Starbucks but have no idea of time scale until Head Office turn up. It could be in two weeks or six months they said. We felt full and happy to have eaten and chatted with nice people. Onwards!

Fourteenth Stop: SW Peterborough

This branch looked like a stand alone Little Chef with the traditional wooden lodge/American diner style decor but was actually adjoined to a Burger King. We quickly took the snaps. As we drove off we realised the Little Chef sign had a faded from red to a pink colour and read ‘Little Chef are recruiting now!’ which must have been on the grassy bank for many years.

Fifteenth Stop: Thrapston

This service station felt like it belonged on a motorway. It was huge with a travel lodge and Burger King adjoined. The car park here was full and it felt busy. Lots of cars here were behaving weirdly, and packed full of holiday makers.

There was lots on traffic en route. We passed an enormous Cath Kinston depot.

Sixteenth Stop: A1 meets A421 Bedford

A family of two grandparents, a mother and two small children met at this Little Chef for lunch and went in. Owen said the restaurant was busy and as we were filling for fuel he said “It’s posh inside that one was.”

Seventeenth Stop: A421 Bedford

By now we had experienced lots of bad drivers undertaking us on the A roads and eager to get to their holiday destination at any cost. Owen go out to take the photo. It seemed to take a while to get the angle correct and then he said ‘It didn’t look brilliant but alright inside’.

Eighteenth Stop: A435 meets A5 Towcester

By now we were ploughing through the Little Chefs and we were starting to get a bit delirious. The weather was quite warm and we were constantly going back on ourselves to get onto the right side of the A roads. We both started picking up American accents and were speaking as if we were storm chasers following the hot trail of Little Chef restaurants. We passed lots of buildings attempting to blend in with the skyline; such as River Island & Barr Soft Drinks with blue stripy warehouse building exteriors and a huge Morrissons with a green and yellow stripy warehouse depot. By the time we reached the Little Chef it was a stand alone and wasn’t open. It wasn’t easy to photograph but had the old fashioned classic LC interior. we wondered if this was another stand alone that closed for good just the evening before? Next to but not adjoined was a Travel Lodge. I noticed a man waiting near the fire exit with a room key and shortly afterwards a much younger lady pulled into the car park in a Mercedes and ran out to meet him. The pair ducked inside the Travel Lodge together for their meeting. Just a little observation of A road activity I thought good enough to note.

Nineteenth Stop: A41 Bicester

This small ran down Little Chef adjoined another Burger King.

Twentieth Stop: A40/A361 Butford

We were tired by this point and needed to stop for a drink and to stretch our legs. The next Little Chef was quite a surprise. It was in a listed 16th Century barn conversion and had gold lettering for ‘Little Chef’ on the exterior. From the outside it looked amazing. Inside it did feel a little stuck in the past, the tables were empty and dusty but the building itself was pretty amazing. No-one else was inside the massive congregational space of the Little Chef cathedral. Not a good sign but we ordered our hot drinks and chatted to the staff; only two were on… “you won’t find another Little Chef like this one” the older chap said. The younger lad was curious about our project and was asking us lots of questions. They both seemed relatively blarzay about the branch turning to a Starbucks and maybe even a little excited about the training in Gloucester and the lack of cooking hot food because in their words “it’s all grab and go these days.”

Twenty First Stop: Cirencester

The building was modern and fresh and adjoined to a Burger King. It really was quite smart.

En route we passed through lots of heavy rain and drove through the Cotswolds and past a place called Altrincham Mill. Tour buses were pulled up along the road and river side and masses of tourists photographed our van passing through, which in my mind must have looked like the opening credits from Postman Pat.

When we arrived I planned to just stay put in the van and do my usual update of the chalk board and re-set the Sat Nav but the staff were amazing when we arrived and the store manager Lovely Lyndsey ran out to us and insisted one of her staff get on the full Fat Charlie mascot outfit to pose for a photo with us outside. Lyndsey used to work at the previous Little Chef Cathedral and was happy we’d been there to visit. She seemed sceptical about the future of a Starbucks in Little Chefs place and isn’t a fan of their ethos for not supporting American service men. Something we hadn’t heard of before I need to look into. She was keen for us to stay for a coffee but we had to decline and get on the road to Cornwall.

We thought this would be the last stop of the evening and it felt like a really good one to end on.  

Twenty Second Stop: A30 Cornwall

We were approaching our holiday and weren’t going to stop at this branch until the return journey but as we drove along the quiet A road and directly past the branch it felt silly not to stop and snap. The staff ran out to ask what we were doing. They said “it must be the week for photos, we had the Google man here yesterday taking pictures of The Burger King”. They were bemused with our project and said “we won’t know when we close until Head Office come in and tell us” and this is the kind of comments we had from a lot of branches. They know all the stores have to close by the end of 2017. Everyone is almost nonchalant that Little Chef is closing; perhaps we’ve all been subconsciously  aware for some time that they are declining. We are getting used to the decrease of red and white diners and the increase of Starbucks and Greggs. For the staff, they seem to feel assured new jobs will replace the old and it’s just speculation when exactly their Little Chef will go and what exactly will replace it. Some people are certainly more sad than others. But for many employees it seems their management has changed so often and Head Office has been closing down and neglecting communication with the branches that people are now just curious for the change, whatever that may be.

From here we drove onto our holiday destination, where we relaxed, reflected and took stock of the Little Chef goodies we collected along the way. During the first two days of the Every Little Chef trail we had covered 703.3 miles and visited TWENTY TWO Little Chef branches.