Reading Roars!

I was made aware of a new blog today named I Hate First Great Western.  Guess what it’s about?

Frankly, it’s about time that we had a blog slamming FGW.  I don’t usually travel by rail these days, but when I do I am shocked by how poor services still are.  Here’s a selection of my personal rail rants:

• Very high ticket prices
• No seat during peak travel.  Again and again and again….
• On more than one occasion, not even enough room to stand - I was forced to wait for the next train
• Shabby stations
• Lack of communication.  This is fundamentally important!  If there’s something wrong, let customers know!  If drives us loco, otherwise.  Keep us updated.  It’s not hard.  As my former boss used to say “Don’t dark me”
• Inaccurate information given to customers (such as being directed to the wrong platform)

The whole diabolical rail situation in this country is very complicated, in my opinion, and it doesn’t appear to be getting any better.  FGW are bad, yes, but then so are other operators in my experience (and the London Underground doesn’t offer much joy, either).

Good luck to I Hate First Great Western.  They’re on the right track.  Maybe we will see a blog from someone at FGW?

“Excuse me. You can’t take photos, ” said the guy with the shaved head and fluorescent jacket. He was surrounded by shattered glass on the floor. Glass that originally formed part of the Broad St entrance overhead at The Oracle shopping centre.

What? It was an answer you’d expect to hear from a government official in Pyongyang (or indeed Washington, DC), but surely not in Reading.

“I have every right to,” I fired back.

The Man with the Shaved Head then stood silently as I snapped the tiny fragments of glass, as two lads with brushes entered the scene in a hurry.

So what happened? What happened to The Oracle portal that resulted in such a mess?

Watch a video of the Oracle incident.

The Solent Centre for Architecture + Design and South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) have launched a competition to capture “the spirit of the places we live in”.

The organisations are inviting people in the South East to submit a photo that they think portrays the identity of where they live (could be a building, park or any other public space), with the prizes being a top digital camera and a place in an exhibition. The competition deadline is 30 June 2007. Download the competition pamphlet for more information.

I’m reminded of the unique and very funny photos of Reading that can be bought as wrapping paper, coasters and calendars at the shop But Is it Art? They portray a less glamourous side of Reading (one picture, for example, features a shopping trolley dumped in the Thames), and one that I’m sure many Reading residents and visitors are familiar with.

Some encouraging words from the Operations Manager behind dogma, the new trendy-looking bar on Castle St:

We have an offering that doesn’t have doormen who are worried about really stupid things and generally being annoying.

Allegedly, dogma does not have a dress code. I like this spirit of inclusivity (one reason why I’ve been a Purple Turtle addict for many years). I’ve not yet been to dogma and I’m very eager to try it out.

I was back at Zero Degrees last night, a bar rapidly becoming my favourite in Reading.

My partner was peckish, so we headed to the restaurant section. We opted to have two appetisers only: bruschetta (£3.75) and garlic bread with shallots.  They were very good!  Plus, I was drinking Pale Ale, so even better.

My partner is a bit of a bruschetta fan and she said that the dish, and in particular the basil and green pesto dressing, was excellent.  She also praised the presentation.  I personally loved the cherry tomatoes.  I’m now feeling inspired to produce something similar in my kitchen.

The garlic bread was fantastic with the shallots, which added an element of sweetness.

We will return another time for something a little more substantial.  I hear the pizzas, baked in a traditional wood-burning oven, are very good (the Mango Tandoori Chicken pizza looks interesting).

Dismayed at the negative attention Reading has acquired lately, the Reading Chronicle is calling on readers this week to unite behind the town.

Of course, Reading Roars! has been doing this for some time (since 2005), believing that Reading is actually a very good town for a number of reasons. It’s an ambitious town (Reading FC epitomises this spirit) and dynamic, changing all the time. We do have some major issues to correct, such as transport and traffic, but we recognise these faults and are attempting to address them.

So screw the surveys. Reading rules.