Graffiti and Weeds in Vienna. It Means Nothing to Me |
|
Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert reports back
September 1, 2023 Back from Vienna, but still been half on holiday this week. Trying to catch up with emails but in the normal manner I work on them for a day or 2 and find at the end I have 73 unread, compared with the 69 unread there were at the start, To be fair, this is as much about me being in holiday mode as it is about masses of new stuff coming in. though there’s enough. So, see spooky morning sky at Hounslow East below. I realised on the way that President Trump had been sharing his police mugshot. I haven’t had mine yet but somebody suggested I should practise, in case. See above for outcome. Meanwhile, I can report that clean Austria is capable of doing both graffiti and weeds. Right, a couple of more Vienna pics then I’ll give you a bit of Brentford. We happened on a motor museum as part of a very grand wine palace in the country. It was astonishingly interesting and had cars from the 1920s through to the 1980s. A Trabant, the popular vehicle in Chiswick in the 1970s; A Rover used by the Austrian Prime Minister Kreisky in the days when we had a British car maker.
For those who had fallen out with the authorities – be very afraid because this wooden police bike would be on your tracks. There were more wonderful things there like a Hispano-Suiza (not sure I ever saw one in the flesh before) 4 door Cadillac convertibles from the 1960s (I wonder how long they stayed in one piece!) gorgeous Jags and the inevitable boring Porsches. Enough Vienna, except that on my last evening there we went to a restaurant on the top of ‘Hohenstrasse’, a winding road built in the wartime, up a small mountain above the city, giving spectacular views in the twilight. Enough. I was worried whether I would get home as our privatised under PFI Air Control authority NATS – once a customer of mine in the days when it was a public authority and provided reliable service – managed to crash the whole system. I was worried but arrived at Vienna airport at about 5.30am ready for my flight and to my amazement the flight left on time and arrived nearly half an hour early. My single appointment that day got cancelled so I could spend the rest of Tuesday trying to catch up with emails etc. Wednesday morning, the special delight of a visit to the dentist to attend to a broken tooth – back there on Friday to complete the process. Later on Wednesday I was down at Ballymore for an update about their plans for “Plot H” – what will replace the derelict overhanging warehouse next to Dock Road. The architect that I clashed with years ago about the car park, and particularly about the cladding I hated then (and hate now!). We ended that engagement by him pointing out that he was an award-winning architect, and without saying anything further he made it clear I had not won any awards. Actually, I am OK with the design of Block H: the size and height were agreed a decade ago and it’s now cosmetic questions and detailed design. They are planning to start building next spring. Of course, I could not leave unsaid my unhappiness about the continued absence of a riverside walk next to the beloved car park. They tell me it will be provided next March. I’ve written it down now so it will certainly happen. Maybe.
Well, that’s it for this catch up week. I have a somewhat complicated day today (Friday) with a few local things to catch up with, while getting ready for my first dose of the Creative Mile – this evening and across the weekend – and the Brentford Festival at Blondin Park (yes I know, in Ealing) on Sunday. We have a Labour party (Hounslow and Ealing working together) stall there so come see us! On the way home I noticed this very important pair of bollards in the Beehive car park, protecting the wall against any damage. In the night, apparently a very big moon over Brentford! Councillor Guy Lambert
|