Categories
Mind Maps PhotoReading

Mind Maps and PhotoReading in Turkey

Today, Sunday I am off again. An early start to catch one of the first flights of the morning from Heathrow airport, I hope Turkish Airlines give a better offering than the non meal Alitalia served on my last fight with them on Monday, because I will need my breakfast..

The trip to Southern Turkey, the town of Gaziantep with Gap Consultancy, will be for Mind Maps and PhotoReading, courses I love to run, but the trip will be for only five days, then back to London.

A quick stopover both inbound and outbound via Istanbul will not allow me time to go into the city, just to stay in the airport, but perhaps the next time, my next trip, then I can meet old participants and friends in that great city.

But here’s looking to seeing and meeting all my friends, past participants, new participants and the great eating places with a wonderful array of foods, some I have never experienced before.

Categories
Travels

More on trains, the SWT Class 455 train

Since I posted the article on the South West Train’s train pulling into Norbiton Station (click to view) in South West London, there has been over 3,000 views, so for those who want to see the normal class of train which SWT‘s use on Kingston route, here is another video.

This I believe is the Class 455, which are quite old, but have been refurbished and brought into the 21st century.

Oh whilst filming, there was a visitor on the platform, wait till the end.


Categories
Thoughts

Cycling Improvements in London Road, Kingston upon Thames

Residents and business’s in and around Norbiton Hall, London Road and surrounding roads were sent a letter (May 2009) from the Directorate of Environmental Services of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, titled:-

PROPOSED NEW TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AND CYCLING IMPROVEMENTS IN LONDON ROAD BETWEEN QUEEN ELIZABETH ROAD AND STATION ROAD
Ref KT/YH/LSS/LR

In this proposal, the council wish to introduce shared use surface cycling facilities, on the footpath. In other words, the existing pedestrian footpath will be reduced in width so that a cycle way can be introduced.

The introduction of cycle ways within London is part of the Mayor of London’s scheme to get people on bikes. I believe there are incentives for the local authorities who create cycle ways, even if they are only 10 yards in length.

On many occasions I as others, have been confronted by cyclists who insist in using a FOOTpath to get from A to B, so bike riders already use the FOOTpath involved.

So is this proposal a waste of money?

In the space of one hour I took a few photographs that Mr Roy Thompson (Service Director, Royal Kingston) and Younes Hamade (Traffic Engineer, Kingston Town Traffic Engineering Team) may consider. Email :- [email protected]

Firstly, closer into Kingston town center along London Road, there has already been installed a cycle only facility, that is a green sectioned portion of the road.

In ten minutes I observed two people on bicycles using the green cycle way, but others not, they are still using the FOOTpath.

Bike riders using the footpaths in London Road, even though a cycle way has been provided        Bike riders using the footpaths in London Road, even though a cycle way has been provided

Bike riders using the footpaths in London Road, even though a cycle way has been provided        Bike riders using the footpaths in London Road, even though a cycle way has been provided

Bike riders using the footpaths in London Road, even though a cycle way has been provided
Bike riders using the footpaths in London Road, even though a cycle way has been provided


What about other obstructions?

Street furniture, that means lamp posts, traffic lights and their control boxes, telephone and communication boxes, vehicle entrances to buildings and the Norbiton Hall Estate, will have to be moved at great expense.

How about the normal day to day traffic and parking?

The local offices have many deliveries during the day, with vans and lorries parking on the FOOTpath, deliveries to the apartments facing onto London Road of Norbiton Hall also have deliveries, again meaning lorries and vans often park on the FOOTpath restricting usage.

Deliveries to Clarendon House London Road        Restaurant collect outside Italian Reataurant Londond Road, restricting cylceway

Lorries parked on the footpath outside Norbiton Hall and Clarendon House, London Road, Kingston upon Thames        
Lorries and vans parked on the footpath outside Norbiton Hall and Clarendon House, London Road, Kingston upon Thames


How about parents with pushchairs, they take-up most of the FOOTpath now, so what will happen with even a narrower FOOTpath.

Then there are the many mobility cart users. They often use the FOOTpath as a raceway.

Two mobility vehicle users and street furniture including traffic lights control box outside Norbiton Hall
Two mobility vehicle users and street furniture including traffic lights control box

There is only one cycle way leading out of Kingston towards London, and none entering or on the opposite side of the road. Should cyclists use the only cycle way, as there would be not enough space for two bikes to pass each other?

I consider that the proposal is flawed and needs more consideration, and a strict enforcement of what is in place already, as a FOOTpath should be what it says for feet and pedestrians.

FOOTpath =’s Footpath (right of way), in the UK, a path on which the public have a legally protected right to travel on foot.

Categories
Travels

Trams in Milan

I have a fascination for things, items, places, anything I do not understand, anything I have not seen before, or why something has changed.

For many years I have been visiting Italy for over ten years on a regular basis with PNL Italy and Gianni Golfera, providing training services in NLP, PhotoReading, Mind Maps, memory skills and more, and I am noticing changes taking place, buildings, shops, fashion, the population make-up, it is becoming but not as much more multicultural as the UK.

I think I am using Phillip’s Sausage more than I realise, it has become an Unconscious Competence.

The latest colour fashion seems to be what I would call violet, with many shops in Milan displaying clothes, especially female, in that colour.



Violet colours, the new colour for 2009? I think Milan says so.

It was whilst walking to the last course I co-presented at the Hilton Hotel, the PNL Master Practitioner, and as I sat for lunch at the New York Bar and Restaurant, that I noticed there was something missing, and nearly everybody I asked had not noticed the change, and were not interested. It was only the owner of the New York Bar that could offer and answer to the missing items.

It was the green trams, rattling along the rails placed in the cobbled streets.

My friend and translator Elena, I think was getting rather fed-up of my curiosity as to the disappearance of these trams, only the old aging trams were to be seen.

The waitress in the New York Bar, just laughed at me, because I think, only an Englishman would be interested in such information. Participants laugh at me when I explain some of the hobbies of British people, train spotting or collect train identifications, aircraft watching again collecting details of aircraft.

It appears that the Lady Mayor of Milan, Her Excellency Mrs Letizia Moratti, removed the new green trams from running in central Milan because of braking issues, there could have been some fatalities in an accident, so they would return to the reliable older trams.

Then I remember what a success my little video, – over 3,000 views – of a Desiros 450 type train of South West Trains entering Norbiton Station (click to see SouthWest train arriving at Norbiton Station), and decided to capture some of the trams I see in Milan, as I am sure there are hobbyists out there who would love to see and hear them.



A collection of video shots of trams in Central Milan, near Stazione Centrale (the Central Railway Station)

See also photographs of the Taxim Tram in Istanbul, Turkey, a wonderful service taking a passenger from Tunel to Taxim Square. Click Here.

Categories
English Sayings Thoughts Travels

The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero

I wrote about the gentleman I talked to in Italy about his experience in the Second World War flying in the Italian Air Force, and I felt that part of my history was missing.

We talked about how he downed two Hurricane aircraft into the sea, and escaped to fight another day. (click to read article).

He talked about The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero (SM.79) and I searched for more details on the aircraft, hoping that perhaps there may be one in one of the many aircraft museums in the UK, visiting the Imperial War Museum in London and Duxford and RAF Hendon, but nothing.

The Italian Airforce Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero
The Italian Airforce Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero

I then decided that perhaps there maybe a plastic model construction kit I could find, and by building it I would learn more about the aircraft. That was nearly as difficult as finding a real aircraft. But after a lot of searching I found a model shop near to RAF Hendon, North London, with one last kit. The shop Hannants is on a small industrial estate, not really a shop as it does not even have a shop window, but it does have a good range of kits.

From building this aircraft, the SM.79, I felt so much nearer to the history I was told, but no-where in the books I read was there any mention of two Hurricane aircraft being lost to a SM.79. I even asked at RAF Hendon, something I will follow-up in coming months.

It is strange how we are only told we need to know about our history, and this tends to be one sided, that from the viewpoint of the country we are being taught in. Seeing the foot over the British Isle on the world globe on the statute in the Vatican, (click to see here). The history of slavery in America (click to see here).

I am learning to take what I am told with a pinch of salt, an English saying, which means, we are not being told the truth, or only a little of what we need to know.

The three engined Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero, or Sparrowhawk, was designed before the start of the Second World War as a passenger transport and fast postal link airplane, but was modified to become a torpedo and medium bomber with great success. It had a hump behind the cockpit which was able to retract to reveal a two 12.7 mm guns. It was flown by many countries.

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Uncategorized

The Battle of Britain Operations Room, RAF Uxbridge.

Discovering past history has led me to be able to visit some historic sites. For example, buildings once home to Hawker Siddeley in Kingston upon Thames, makers of many great aircraft including the Hurricane, Brooklands one of the first airfields in the UK and the famous motor racing track, RAF Hendon in North London the Museum, RAF Duxford, an old RAF airfield and now part of the Imperial War Museum, and many more sites.

Not only have I visited sites, and read many articles and books to research more, but speaking to people who were directly involved with history or who have a greater knowledge base than mine, is helping me even more to understand.

A special person I met was Gianni Golfera’s grandfather who flew with the Italian Air Force during the Second World War in the elegant SM.79, and who shared with me some of his memories.

Another site I visited was the working Royal Air Force (RAF) base at RAF Uxbridge in West London.

RAF Uxbridge has had a remarkable history since being established in 1917, much to write about here. It has never been an airfield, but a base for many departments and RAF organisations, and especially one that fits another piece into my jigsaw, The Battle of Britain Operations Room.

With members of the Rotary Club of Kingston upon Thames, we were invited by prior arrangement, to visit this historic site, from where the air defence of South East England was co-ordinated, especially on September 15th 1940, Battle of Britain Day.

The Ops Room, also known as “The Bunker” or “The Hole”, is an underground facility, some 60 feet or 20 meters below the surrounding buildings, where personnel, mostly Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) members called Plotters and Tellers, would mark enemy and allied aircraft movements on a large sloping table called the Plotting Table, so that Controllers and other personnel, like Operation Clerks, Intelligence Clerks, members of other services like the Army and Navy, and personnel from the Observer Corps, anti-aircraft and searchlight sections would all co-ordinate data.



The Battle of Britain Operations Room entrance, RAF Uxbridge
Pushing marked blocks, containing information of aircraft over the Sectors of the Plotting Table, Controllers who sat high above the Plotting Table at a dais or curved glass fronted rooms or cabins, would have a 15 minute window of an air battle, thanks to information feed to the Plotter’s and Teller’s from aircrew, observers on the ground, and RADAR stations which were said to see the skies as far away as Paris.



The Battle of Britain Operations Room entrance, RAF Uxbridge

Behind the Plotting Table on the rear wall is the Tote Board, (nothing to do with NLP TOTE Model), which showed the readiness of aircraft at the various RAF airfields within 11 Group’s control, the weather situation, cloud hight and coverage, the position of barrage balloons, and a coloured sectioned wall clock which would tell the Ops personnel how up-to-date information was on the Plotting Table.



The Battle of Britain Operations Room Tote Board, RAF Uxbridge
Seen from the Controllers Cabin with readiness lights and coloured segmented clock

Throughout “The Bunker”, in rooms which have been restored to the day of The Battle of Britain, (September 15th 1940), there is a museum containing a historical record of the facility, and is worth extra time exploring.

I had heard that the curator and guide, Hazel Crozier, would be leaving the museum, but I did not realise that RAF Uxbridge would be closing, to be moved to nearby RAF Northolt. I hope that this historic site will be preserved, especially The Battle of Britain Operations Room, as without history, a nation does not exist.

Categories
Travels

A time to myself

Perhaps it is my lifestyle, perhaps it is because I need my own space after a full day of training, perhaps because at heart I am an introvert, but when I have a day without any training, presentations or talks, I often find myself by myself in a foreign land.

So it was in Milan. I was not going to be training everyday, and I found myself with no-one to talk to, no-one to share my time, so it was to read Owen Fitzpatrick’s book, to walk a lot, and try to see The Last Supper without success.

Although I have said there is not a lot to see in Milan, there are some great sights to see, and some that are not.

I am quite interested in aircraft, so the display at the Museo Nazionale Della Scinza e Della Tecnologia, Leonardo De Vinci, (National Museum of Science and Technology),Leonardo De Vinci disappointing with only three aircraft was disappointing, compared to some museums in the UK (see links).

Some of the sites and buildings are well worth seeing, like Duomo, Teatro Alla Scala, Milan’s famous opera theatre, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a glass roofed shopping area off Duomo, and Castello Sforzesco with the fountain that they call The Wedding Cake, and more are worth a visit, but they do seem to be spread-out, being far and few between.



Duomo Basillica, Milan Italy


Detail of Duomo Basillica, Milan


The Wedding Cake fountain, Castello Sforzesco , Milan


Categories
Books NLP

Not Enough Hours to do what you need to do?

A fellow trainer of NLP and friend of over ten years, Owen Fitzpatrick, we shared some training in Italy recently,

It was during our brief encounter over the last few weeks, Owen gave me one of his books that he has written titled Not Enough Hours.

It was obvious that a lot of research and work was devoted to this book. It is written in a well constructed and easy to read and understand way.

It was interesting for me to read that most other books on time management say that tools like diaries, to do list are a waste of time and that they do not use them, yet when you read them, there they are.

Owen tells us how to manage your time, to take control, what is the concept of time, how our body clock works, with tips on how to implement his concepts.

With examples from his TV series on Irish televison RTE, it is easy to see how you can take control of your time management.

A good read and system. 

Categories
Travels

Alitalia, what is in a name?

Unfortunately I did not check the time the NLP Master Practitioner course finished in Milan yesterday, and booked my flights as if we were to end at 6pm, but we finished at 1pm. Oh Poo Poo. I had a 8pm flight.

No problem, I can have some lunch at the New York bar and restaurant and get to the airport early, perhaps they would get me on an earlier flight. No chance, I had a ticket which was not changeable. Oh well, hour hours of sitting around in the small Linate airport.

I like Linate Airport as it is very close to Milan center, perhaps 15 minutes taxi ride compared to Malpensa which is about one hour from Milan center, about a 20 Euro taxi fare compared to a 100 Euro fare.

I sat there in the airport near a café, and watched and observed people, some leaving home to go away on holiday, some finishing their holiday, some meeting people, some saying goodbye. There was a mixture of emotions, happiness, sadness, anxiety, stress, relaxation, frustration, love, care and compassion, it was all there.

When it was time to give my suitcase to Alitalia, two hours before departure, I did so with a sore backside, sitting for so long on a metal chair began to become uncomfortable, and I went through security at departures and through the inevitable duty free shops, finding a coffee bar. This time my cappuccino had no smiling face (see previous article).

After passing through passport control, there were the same metal seating, but I can use my self hypnosis to remove the pain in the backside whilst I wait, as I again I watched my fellow passengers. Some were musicians carrying like they were babies their string instruments, some were business people reading the notes they would need in the business meetings, some were models perhaps just finishing a photo shoot in fashionable Milan, some were on the mobile phones pacing up and down, some were going or returning on holiday.

Then the departure time changed on the gate, not 7:40 but 8:15. 

No announcement, just the change on the board as the person at the gate held her head down.

No point in me loosing my cool, laugh it off, make a joke of it. Then it came to me.


ALITALIA stands for Always Late In Take-off And Late In Arrival.

8:10 came and still no bus came to take us from departure gate to the aircraft, and people started to get fidgety, and with no announcements being made going to the dispatchers, who firmly kept their heads down.

With only about 26 passengers, once we were put onto a bus, it was a quick process, but then more delay as we waited in the bus beside the aircraft for what seemed an age, even the bus driver was getting frustrated by the wait.

Some passengers were getting concerned as it was not an ALITALIA plane but and Air One aircraft. Perhaps they did not know that the two airlines had merged to prevent ALITALIA going into bankruptcy.

By this time I was getting hungry, my poor stomach was as if it was cut open, and I think other passengers were the same. Most airlines give a drink and a sandwich, but I had flown Air One before, and I think they are cutting costs.

Eventually we took off, and after climbing over some angry looking clouds over the Alps, they came round with the trolley.

A drink and some biscuits, thats was it. My hunger would have to wait until I got home.

But wait, just before we landed, we were offered a sweet.


    
Air One food, biscuits, crackers and a sweet.

Categories
Eating Out NLP Travels

NLP Master Practitioner and Smiling Faces

It was smiling faces all around at the end of the NLP Master Practitioner course in Milan, Italy as I closed the course.

The course was given by a number of trainers, Patrizia Belotti, Claudio Belotti, Alessio Roberti, Owen Fitzpatrick and myself, had given the participants a wealth of knowledge, styles and chances learn from experts with years of training behind them.



NLP Master Practitioner course in Milan, Italy

After a bottle of champagne had been shared in celebration and a photograph which the participants wanted as a memory, Elena Martelli the translator and myself were hungry, so we went to a local restaurant and bar called New York just behind the Hilton Hotel where the course was held and next to the tram terminus andStazione Centrale (the Central Railway Station).

New York offers a good range of food and buffet, and I finished my meal with a cappuccino coffee.

The owners and staff although busy, always have time for a conversation with me and a smile, but when I was served the cup of cappuccino, it the sight of it brought the biggest smile of all from me.



New York bar Milano, offers a good range of food and buffet, and I finished my meal with a cappuccino coffee.