The best thing about a routine is........

Ok so now I've been working at Gettaxi for a couple of weeks so I'm getting used to working nights, my body has adjusted to different sleeping patterns, different eating patterns and the fact that I see very little daylight lol
My typical day starts with me getting up about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, having something to eat then bathing etc, then it''s off to walk the Dog with the missus have a bit of time with her, have some dinner then off on Aunt Sally to work. The ride into work is about half hour now and i am learning all sorts of little cut throughs to try and shorten it, although I do love the Rotherhithe Tunnel because although it is full of exhaust fumes it is so warm!!!!!
My shift starts at 11, so obviously I have to keep an eye on what is going on and I have to say the drivers are superb, helping out if I'm not sure where somewhere is , also running for jobs that are a bit of a distance if I can't get it covered. There is a strange relationship between a curcuit and the drivers, one of the reasons they are drivers is so they are selp-employed and don't have a boss yet in dispatch we have to ask they to do stuff for us, and on the whole they are superb. I do always make a point of noting who has helped me out and eventually I will give them a better job as a thank you.
During the down time on my shift I am looking at the runs I'm gonna be doing the next morning ( I try to do 4), mark them up on my map and then write them up a few times to get them into my head before I head off to do them, and it worked on Monday morning I had a run from Morning Lane to Silvertown Way, and I didn't need the run on my board, so that was a step forward. My shift finishes at 7 in the morning then it's off on Aunt Sally for a few hours to try and get my 4 runs done, then home for breakfast and some sleep. With this routine I should get book one finished by the end of March and all four books done by July.
I have now got into this routine and I have to say I love it, my life at the moment is centred on the KOL and I'm loving it!!!!!!!!
Sorry if you think this post is a bit dull, but I guess I felt it was time to let you into my life and show you my day to day.
In my previous post I mentioned that I had emailed the Mayor of London to ask for his views and opinions on the future of the Black Taxi in London. Although I was promised a reply within 10 days I have still not heard anything from him, which given that it's an election year probably sums up his committment to our trade. I will keep you posted if anything changes.
well that's all from me for now - Be Lucky and Keep Safe!!!!

An expensive week and an email to the Mayor...

Well I am finally settled in the Gettaxi office, loving the job and enjoying my shifts and getting to spend some time calling over and doing mapwork so all is good on that front however this week has been a bit on the expensive side let me explain why....
I was doing a run that involved me driving down Finsbury square and as anyone in London will know at the moment it is being occupied by some people protesting about capitalism or something. I decided to slow down and pull into the bus lane to have a look ( thinking that I was allowed to use the bus lane of course) and I wasn't !!!! A few days later in the post came my PCN a fine for £65 for riding in the bus lane. How typical!!!! while I'm on the subject of the protesters let me say one thing I am all for free speech and someone's right to protest however these people have turned a beautiful square in London into what looks like a squatters paradise. They have damaged the walls and ruined the grass and are now building huts to live in. I think this is a disgrace and why the powers that be have to go to court to evict them I have no idea. Surely they are committing criminal damage or causing an obstruction???? why can't the police just go in with a bull dozer and move them away  ?? And without wanting to appear prejudice I hope that none of them are claiming any type of benefit to support themselves while they protest against the very society that gives them the right to do this. Ok so rant over lol
Having spent £65 on my PCN the next night I get a puncture on Aunt Sally and that costs me £35 to get fixed so the KOL this week has cost me £100 how nice is that!!!!!
I also this week decided to email the  Mayor of London regarding his thoughts on the future of the Black Taxi industry in our great city. I received an email back stating that my email would be answered within 10 days I will keep you posted.
Thats all from me for now sorry it's a bit of a ramble but it's half five in the morning and I'm knackered lol be lucky...

Everything is going great....and doing lines.

Well I've finally started my new job as a dispatcher for GetTaxi, and I have to say I'm loving every minute. The crowd I work with are great, I enjoy the job and more importantly it gives me time to work on my KOL stuff and obviously as the shift progresses I'm learning places and streets. I was amused when I took a phone call from a client asking to go from the Australian High Commission to Paddington Station (having just done that run a few days earlier) so I think all is good with that. London at night really is beautiful and I can see why people fall in love with this great city of ours.
The weather has disrupted things quite a lot recently what with us actually having some kind of winter, and snow and ice and Aunt Sally really don't mix. The most important thing with the knowledge when I'm out is not learning the roads and runs it's making sure I get home safe and in one piece, I've seen a few KOL peeps on the deck either having been hit by a car or just lost control of the bike. While I'm talking about safety I am wondering if there is a rule that says Addison Lee drivers have to behave like idiots on the road??? I know they don't know where they're going most of the time but I would have thought being able to drive properly would be a must ???? ( or maybe not!!!!).
Anyway (rant over) with the disruption of Xmas and the weather I had got out of the habit of calling over, and was very rusty, so I decided to go back to school and write out the runs i was unsure of 10 times. Now this is very time consuming and boring however it does seem to have done the trick and now all I have to do is get back into a routine of calling over everyday.
My medical has now been booked (22nd of Feb) so my official application can go in this month too so everything is moving in the right direction.
It's all good and obviously my friends I will keep you all updated on my progress on here. Take care and be lucky.