George Frideric Handel

I'm not sure Handel saw it at the time as "good fortune" that the employer he had deserted in Hanover should pop up as the new king of his adopted country only two years later. It turned out all right in the end, but Handel had to work hard to get back into the king's favour - the "Water Music" was part of this charm offensive.

Not only is there not a definitive recording, there is not even a definitive score of "Messiah", as he wrote different versions of some movements for different performances (and even replaced some completely), to make best use of the soloists available for each one.

Cheques

I used to suspect small businesses who insisted on cash-in-hand when the only alternative was a cheque of tax-dodging, but many of them are now happy with electronic forms of payment. The real problem with cheques for small businesses was that they take time to clear, which can be problematic for cashflow. And cheques can bounce. And the person has to use some of their business hours to trek to the bank - that this is a nuisance is manifested in the time some of the cheques I do still write take to clear.

Class 313

Not actually the oldest EMUs in regular service on the British mainland - not even the oldest to serve Finsbury Park.

The trains on the Bakerloo Line are even older.

Transport delays

New trains should have been, but are not, in service on many routes, ranging from the Moorgate to Hertford local services, to the "Deerstalker Express".

Unusual frequencies

The "Abbey Flyer" train service between Watford and St Albans runs at a 45 minute frequency. The Isle of Wight trains run on a 20/40 minute frequency.

In the city I grew up in, many bus routes ran on a 25 minute frequency!

Route H2

The length of the H2, being a circular route, is a bit ambiguous.

Kingston's 215

Kingston's 215 was renumbered to K3 in 1987.

Muswell Hill

Muswell Hill was also Fletcher's home turf in "Porridge", wasn't it?

Bus route R9

The R9 is even shorter in the early morning, (when its clientele are more interested in getting to the station than the shops) as it does not loop-the-loop in Orpington until about 0845.

I would guess that R-pington's local buses have an R prefix because an "O" would be prone to confusion with a leading zero, and the "Roundabout" name was then contrived to match the prefix.

Bus route 209

Fond memories of commuting to university on this route when it was still part of the No 9 and went all the way to the City.

Bus route 326

I don't know whether the choice of 347 for the route which keeps the 346 company for much of its length is a coincidence, but what is now the 346 has at various times been known as the 246, 246A, and 446, whilst the route serving the other side of the estate is the 248.

London's longest bus routes.

Eight routes listed as at least 14 miles long (111, 246, 314, 331, 358, 465, 492, X26), and another seven as being 13 miles (216, 229, 232, 407, 455, 463, 607). More precise data would be needed to determine the actual order.

The x26 is listed as 24 miles - no other route is more than fifteen.

The Watercress Line

Sadly, extension to Winchester isn't going to happen. The track has been built on at Itchen Abbas, and cut through by the M3 motorway. The line joined the main London-Southampton railway about 2 miles north of Winchester, and that line is far too busy to host extra trains off the Alresford line.