Licence renewed.

Early morning sunrise Dollymount


Northpoint NCT depot

Today I renewed my taxi licence.
This involves booking the car in for testing and If it passed its fitness test you get to renew your licence.
Among the papers you have to bring is your tax clearance certificate.
Now, I had a problem getting that.
The delay was that I had written a cheque,but the tax people said they didn't get it.
After a bit of coming and going I found I had sent one of my wife's cheques..I didn't even know she had one.

So another one was dispatched and the tax clearance cert arrived in time.

Now there is a deadline on these things, if your PSV licence expires you have to pay a charge of e400 extra to renew it.
Even though the delay may not be your fault.

I did not know that you could get the car tested up to 6 weeks in advance and you don't need a tax clearance cert to do that.

Now my problem was that if the car failed the NCT I might not have the fault remedied by Thursday the day my licence expired.

One strange thing happened, the new cert was printed valid until 04/09 instead of 04/ 10. The supervisor was called and he accepted that the computer was at fault and he would post me a proper cert one in a few days, bit they would pass me out.

So I am all set for another year.

One of the lads from my local pub went in for his NCT and to renew his PSV licence.
The guy at the desk said, "This insurance only becomes active tomorrow, its no good."

The guy on the desk only had to make a phone call to see if he had valid insurance, so my mate is disputing the fact that he had to come back the next day and pay e400 extra.

That's bureaucracy for you. But I know a better word for it which is beginning with 'B' as well.

The madness of Dublin taxi life is getting more hectic.
I had a lucky escape on Monday night,while the long weekenders were returning to Dublin. I couldn't get on to the taxi rank at the station as there were too many taxis there. There might have been 30 cars waiting to get ON to the rank.

I was listening to Seamus Heaney on the radio and there was a special reception for him in the Royal Hospital Kilmanham to honor his 70th birthday, so I went in and got 2 runs there,then back down to Heuston and by now the number of taxis had diminished.

I heard today that the Garda drove to the beginning of the overhang at the rank and a van hemmed them in at the back and everyone got a ticket, parking in a bus lane and obstructing traffic.. I hope the Garda can sleep well in their beds knowing that they do such a good job.

Tina Turner concerts brought a bit of work into town for us. I was tucked in at the O2 and a girl asked the car in front something, then she got out and came back to me.
"Connelly station please". So, he is one of the drivers who thinks he has the right to refuse short fares.(Legally you can't refuse) When she got out I only had to wait a few minutes to get a fare to Bewleys hotel at Newlands cross a good e20 with a tip.

One lady said something quite funny the other night, "Do you ever read any Blogs?" says I.

"Well I think anyone who writes a blog has a desperately over inflated ego...To think that anyone would be remotely interested in their daily activities" Says she!

I take it she is not a diplomat !.

Another thing I found out about the Toyota Prius is that it has no temperature gauge!

One of the other guys told me that the thermostat jammed in his and it overheating the engine and blowing the cylinder head gasket, ouch!
The means of preventing this arrived today, scan gauge2 It plugs into the diagnostic plug of the car and when you change cars it just unplugs, handy at $170.00.
I was hit for VAT e38.48, though.

Oh the price of wisdom! Cheaper than a cylinder head gasket though.

My main hobby is magic as you might know.
its good fun and I used to keep a few tricks up my sleeve to do while I am stuck in traffic. Once I did a card trick called B'wave for a guy and got a 20 quid tip on top of the fare.
Have a look at this guy a Mathmagician it is something you could master while you are waiting at the airport.

Magic conventions take place all over the world..Loads of Magicians are heading for FISM in Bejing in the summer...In the search for that new illusion which will make them better than Keith Barry or Paul Daniels. Have a look at one trade magazine here
One problem with comedy and magic is that sometimes you just might steal someone Else's jokes or act even.

Here is a very clever piece I found for you on you tube.


My favourite movie is Funny Bones with Oliver Platt Lee Evans and Jerry Lewis, all about a guy trying to recover his preforming magic..look it up.

While you are at it take a look at the girls of BelgradeYes that pbase website has some great photos.