sourbugger's VirtualTourist Home Page

New arrival on 17/9/07. I'm besotted !

I'll try and get some new photographs up in the next few days and get her a VT page to show her travelling progress ! Her name is Alexandria, spelt like the Egyptian city. And just for the record, i've never been there, she was not conceived there, and I don't have it on a 'wish list' to go there. We just like the sound of it !

Francis Bacon said :

"Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience. He that travelleth into a country before he hath some entrance into the language, goeth to school, and not to travel."

- make of that what you will

I feel it is my duty to write a full and complete guide for VT members on the London Olympics 2012.

All tips will be located in the sports section of my London pages.

I'll start with a guide to the various venues, and some general stuff.

Hope you find it useful. Yes I know the logo is simply horrid. And we all know what Lisa Simpson is doing to Mr London.

Rocking down the road

I did the trip a few years ago and intend to link the tips together to provide a kind of travelogue. I've taken the approach of writing most of it as a two-hander dialogue. I hope this gives it the flavour of a real 'road trip'. Please let me know your thoughts on this approach.
I've also included a 'pageturner' to move from one tip to another.

These are the tips in Geographical order
Chicago (3 tips), Cicero, Joiliet, Dwight, Pontiac, Funk's grove, McLean, Lincoln (2 tips), Broadwell, Springfield (4 tips), Waggoner, Chain of Rocks, St Louis, Pacific, Stanton, (2 tips) Cuba, Hooker, Devil's Elbow, Lebanon, Carthage, Baxter Springs, (2 tips) Miami, Vinita, Catoosa, Sapulpa, Arcadia, Geary, Bridgeport (The millionth tip on VT !), Clinton, Shamrock (2 tips), Mclean, Groom (2 tips), Amarillo (2 tips), Cubero, Navajo, Holbrook, Bellemont(2 tips), Williams, San Bernardino, Monrovia, Arcadia, Hollywood (5 tips), Beverly Hills (4 tips), Santa Monica (4 tips),

STOP PRESS : SEPTEMBER 2006 - Nobby as Gone - has he gone on his holidays, found better shelter or bought a house ? I wonder.

The most famous celebrity in Peterborough is without a doubt Nobby the Tramp. He had his own website (ghost written), but unfortunately this now appears to be discontinued. He has also hit headlines all over the world - just try putting Nobby the tramp into google.

My 4-year old Nephew, without prompting started referring to him as the "King" after passing by the shelter several times. Its a refreshing way to look at our class-ridden society, so I will adopt his usage.

The King of Peterborough most recently hit the headlines over supposedly agreeing to play playing in a professional golf tournament. Most of the reporting went something like this :

"A PETERBOROUGH tramp has fooled a newspaper into running a story saying he was playing in a professional golf tournament. The Peterborough Herald & Post's executives had reportedly also agreed to help fund his trip to the North West of Ireland Open at Ballyliffin. Nobby was given a set of clubs earlier in the year and regularly practises his swing behind the bus shelter he calls home. Herald & Post editor of content, Steve Rose, said: "It was an agreement between Nobby and ourselves. We spoke to him in good faith." But Nobby, whose real name is Michael Ross, told The Evening Telegraph he had never expected his wisecrack to make it into print."

This real story, which some believe to be true is that the guy was genuine, but with tickets and everything paid for the paper forgot to send a car for him and so he never went. There are rumours that something maybe organised for him next year.

Background to the life of the King.

In one of the more exclusive residential areas of Peterborough lives one of the city's most public figures, Nobby the tramp.

No one seems to know his name (Sourbugger : complete rubbish this bit its Mr Ross) or where he came from, some say he is a fugitive, some say he is on the mafia's hit list, the most popular theory is that his wife died in a fire nearby some years ago and he just wants to be nearby.

(Sourbugger, I believe the reason is that he can no longer face living in a closed environment - after all the local parish council offered him a flat for free, and he refused them)

He first started dossing in his bus shelter home sometime in the early 90's and soon won the affection of local residents who make sure he has warm clothing in the winter and often drop off gifts of food and tobbaco, Christmas day at Nobby's house has to be seen to be believed. The fact that he does not drink and keeps himself to himself is perhaps one of the reasons he is still there, indeed attempts to evict him were met with stiff opposition from locals and now the council has decided to let him stay there and they intend to build another bus shelter.

(Sourbugger : this is no lie, you would not believe the amount of presents he recieves from people at Christmas time, all wrapped up in Christmas paper and left unopened)

There is now a rumour circulating that BT or a cable company are to offer him a free broadband internet service - direct on a post to his shelter. If it actually happens the cult of nobby could grow and grow.

My thanks to Bernishand (late and much missed) for spotting this board in my own town - although she did miss the bollard in the middle of the field opposite - there must be something in the water around these parts.

Another thought :

Why is it that the poorest travellers have the most luggage, and that the people with the least make the most rubbish ?

mon 20 sept 2005

Ever noticed that whenever a news presenter is out on location they always run the risk of some idiot doing something in the background.

I was watching Richard Branson this morning being interviewed at Euston Station by the BBC. Some loutish teenage passer by and made a sign that Richard perhaps a bit of a W**ker.

Whilst this is not surprising from an immature twerp, it was interesting that a couple of minutes later a 50ish businessman in a smart suit stood behind him and then used his two index fingers to pull his mouth at the sides and stick out his tongue. 2 seconds later he just walked off. Superb.