Galway races

This week we have the wonderful Galway races, a great occasion for one and all.

Two taxi drivers decided to take a bit of time off and they drove the long road to Galway.

They had hot tips and blankets to spend the night in the car.

Coming home they were in a very sorry state, they had lost all their money and they also had dreadful hangovers.

As they joined the long snake of traffic heading for the N4 a time of narrow roads and no motorways they were in despair. A young guy with a long coat was up ahead with his thumb up so they stopped.

When he got in he told them that this was the best Galway races he had for years.

They moaned and groaned about their losses, he told them never to follow horses.

He made them laugh all the way and just when they had forgotten all their problems they were stopped by a Garda in Kilbeggan.”You only have one headlamp working” on closer inspection he found a tax disc out of date and a bald tyre. When he inspected the drivers licence it was found to be a year out of date. Out came the notebook and pencil and the officer started writing and taking note of everything.

When he had finished the young passenger got out and went over to the Garda. He put his arm around him and patted him on the chest, he pulled the tail end of his uniform and said what fine men the boys in the car were, You should give them a chance.

No No No the Garda said so he patted him on the chest again while the men in the car felt that they would be locked up.

He gave up and came back to the car.

“lads I don’t know what I was thinking about, the traffic is very heavy, take a left here and I know a quicker route to Dublin”

As they approached  Crumlin in the early hours the hitchhiker pointed out where he wanted to get off.

“Don’t worry about that Garda and his summons, unless he has a fantastic memory you are home and dry. That tunic was very tightly buttoned and I nearly didn’t get it, but I did get it.

I am a pickpocket, one of the very best there is. Here is the Gardas notebook and that is why we had to go cross country, every Garda on the road was looking for us.

I might see you at the races again next year.”

Years 1/2 gone

American car 1968 with a 7.5 liter engine.

Ellen Webb puts the finishing touches to her mural near the Clontarf bus garage

The great Gatsby is running in the Gate theater, the audience are coming dressed in 1920s style

My new car has a strange problem.Rain on the mirrors, this was the solution.

 How many days to go?click here

Yesterday I picked up a girl from Alberta Canada, her accent had the slightest tone in her voice which was hard to spot. It was like eating a stew with an unusual spice in it, not a strong one, but a super addition.
Her mother was from Colombia and a great talker.
She was going to Wellington Place, so without checking with Mr Google I set sail for Wellington Rd. When I got there she said "No this is not the place, its near the Mater hospital.
Mistakes happen, thats why God puts a rubber on the end of the pencil.
She was really great company. On arrival we had to make 3 or 4 calls on my mobile to locate her cousin. While we were waiting she told me that from the time she was 11 years old she worked with her mother cleaning offices, getting up at 4am ans scrubbing toilets in offices and homes. (" I suppose it was illegal too")But it taught her what a sacrifice her mother had to make to send her to college, so she worked hard.

Then at last the bride to be arrived and we unloaded,
"I can't go just like that she said, give me a hug"
You can't give away a hug and I got a good warm one back.

Some people remain in the taxi long after they are gone.

Today she is at her cousins wedding on a wet Wednesday morning.

Settling back in my finances have started to flow again, business is booming, its the top of the tourist season and the World and his wife are visiting here.
Driving a taxi is like being a fisherman though.
Sometimes days are great and other days can be bad.

I often say that the law is an ass, the other day I read that a woman who had been badly beaten by her husband couldn't enforce a barring order against him because she couldn't pay the legal costs.
While 2 Travelers with around 120 convictions for robbery and assault stands in court after beating a woman of almost 90 to deaths door.
He stands there with free legal aid, its far from right.
here is a link Click here
Domestic violence is a hard one as the kids suffer badly.
Yet every criminal who arrives in court for multiple previous offenses gets free legal aid.

Something completely different


Taxi special day out is 12th September, be there or be square

2 days back in the world

Add caThis is what happens when you dont pay attention and a tree jumps on to the road

Where do monkeys play billiards?

A work of art in the clouds

As you might know I changed my car to a 3rd generation Prius.
I had not intended to change over but as I couldn't sell the cars I imported from Japan so I took them in and I changed cars.
Timing is everything and I made a mess in my planning. I was going to have the new car wrapped in the "Mytaxi" logo and then I was flying off to Holland, things did not work out and I found myself out of work for about a month.
Driving a taxi is mostly cash, buy petrol..Cash..Buy groceries..cash and so on.
No work, no money, no fun....
But I am back and I am not a whinger for sure.

I came out of the starting blocks like a winner.

I never complain to my passengers. If i knew their troubles I would have a breakdown for sure.
A lady told me that she was going to Tallagh, on the way she told me that she had been reared by the nuns until she was 14,Christ, my life was blessed when compared to hers.
Her husband of 36 years had died from cancer and now she was returning from a retreat with the nuns down the country.

I can tell you if I wrote about 10% of my passengers my blog would run to volumes.

A girl told me about someone in her club who had cancer and it was not good. He had a 2 year old child and they decided to do some fund raising for him and his dependents, so they opened a crowd funding website and raised a few thousand euro.
Then someone from America pointed that the organisers take 8% of the money collected, since then they have held auctions and quizzes and ALL the money went to him.
I am glad that I didn't have to give up my life at 30.

A Google girl got in going to a funeral home in Raheny.
Her grandfather had died.
A lot of religions stress that death is the start of a happy journey.
It is sad that they passed over, but what a legacy they left behind.
The life they had hoped for was full of adventure,and we all have to die.
Do not fear death, rather celebrate a great life.
She was happy getting out.

One of the last jobs of the day was to the airport and we got on together like a symphony.
His favorate movie and mine are the same Cinema Paradeso.
He even used the music in his wedding ! Wow

If you know nothing of this movie,?
Find time to discover it.



While you are at it don't laugh at the fat guy

Law and order.

The natural history Meuseium or the dead zoo.

A huge mural down at Smithfield look at the cars

 Over the last few days the law once more proved itself that it is a complete ass.
A girl from Brazil arrived to visit her host family in Galway, she had stayed them a few years previously as an au pair and was looking forward to seeing the kids again.
The immigration questioned her up closely and they rang her host family in Galway who told them that she was expected.
Then she was arrested, brought to the womans prison, strip searched and held overnight.
Her cellmate was a drug addict and alcoholic and was getting sick into the sink in the cell which they shared.
She asked for a drink of water and was told to take her drink from the vomit covered sink and tap.

Now people from Brazil can come to visit for 90 days without a visa anyhow.
She was so traumatized by her treatment that she got on a plane and went away.

A Spanish girl met a homeless guy and it is alleged that he took her for a walk around the city
He was out on parole for another crime at the time.
It is said that he raped her and held her captive over a 24 hour period.
Only when he fell asleep did she manage to make her escape.
He was arrested and then he was let out on bail !!!!!!!!!
Even though he had broken the terms of his parole.

But today he is back in court and we can all sleep safely in our beds.


Well my old taxi is off the road while I jump through hoops to have the new car passed out as a taxi.
So I am resting until tomorrow until I apply to have the new car passed out.
After you have your car NCT'd you have to wait 48 hours so that a record appears on the "System"
Now the building where they do the testing is the exact same building as the one where all the other paperwork is done.
Its a bit maddening to say the least.

The airwaves were full of the exploits of Rosemary Smith the 79 year old rally driver.
You see she got the chance to drive a formula 1 racing car and she jumped at it.
I must say that my Ferrari drive was great 180 mph!, but the car hugs the road so well that you feel like you are doing only 80.
The sad part of the day came when they told me that I couldn't take it home.

 Here is the clip of her drive

Technology me arse

Vintage taxi meter

Never a truer word spoken

Big brother is still watching us. Google camera.

Every now and then you come on something new..Good? Bad?
Well everything has both.
Mobile phones Great. But people have forgotten the real world and text and spend time on facebook while all the time little Sarah or Johnny are trying to tell them something really important.
Like "Mum your going to crash"

So it is with "Proximity key."
You walk up to the car and put your hand on the handle and it unlocks, then you press the power button and away you go.
The first time I heard of it was from a guy who lived in California, "Over there all cars are all high end cars.So I bought a second hand Ferrari. Wow Look at me"
So I was driving around like a big shot.
I got a phone call as I was walking up to my car and I put the keys and my coffee on the roof of the car. It was very a important call. I had to zoom off and lifting the coffee from the roof I just zoomed off.. Not for long though before my car told me to pull over as it was shutting down.
The bloody keys were on the roof...... Towing charges $500, New key $3000
This is the price you pay for being a dunce.
A Concierge at a swanky hotel delivered the car to its owner.
5 miles down the road he pulls in to get a drink.
The car won't start the asshole at the hotel has the key in his pocket.
A taxi is called (Which is on the hotel tab) to deliver the key to him.

I now have a new car with one proximity key....The second key will cost me €480
This is the price of progress.
Plenty of scope for error, still its a great car.
We worry about how progress will catch us out, people with fancy gizmos copying our key signals in multi story car parks.
God be with the days when the key had a number and it could be cut in a few minutes..
The past is great its 20 20 vision

So for myself I have to redo my NCT its not out of date for 18 months  but for a taxi its a week out of date.
Then they have to check the meter, then my first aid kit and fire extinguishers etc,,
As sure asTechnology as God made little apples I will check my taxi app in a few weeks to find that 2 of the cars in front of me in the queue will be illegal when I check them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Folks against the bank

There is some good news in the housing sector.
Visit the HUB and ask for advice with your property loans.
Banks have been treating the ordinary people very badly,
banks on the other side deserve a good kick in the backside.
They gave 110% loans to buy houses then they gave them loans to buy new cars as well.
Nothing was ever stress tested...How could anyone on an income ever pay back the money?
My dad threw a fit when I borrowed £600 to buy a car once.
How much did you borrow?
What was the interest rate 6% ?
So you are paying back X per month over 3 years...That works out at 40%
Go back down to the bank and tell them that they are wrong.

So that kind bank manager explained that £600 +£228 interest divided by 36 gives you X per month for 36 months.
No I said. From day one I don't owe you three years interest, then when I make a payment I don't owe the balance of £600. The interest should be on the balance and calculated monthly.

What will you do about it?
I'll phone Gay Byrne and write into the Anglo Celt.

Bingo! He said I'll give you a term loan.... A big difference.

Another big thing which is coming home to roost is the "Seniors Money" They gave granny a loan on the equity on her house, off she went on a cruise, she lived well and then the banks finished up owning the house...Compound interest is a tough one. Someone should have given her money on a written agreement that the family inherit the home on her death.



So if you can live within your means.

Click on this

Then the Garda will deny your basic rights



But visit the Hub and they will explain your rights to you.
The freedom of information means that the bank must produce their figures on your loan.
One business man in Kerry was facing repossesion for a €30,000 outstanding on his loan
He got the banks figures under the freedom of information act and in court he pointed out to the judge how the banks had massaged his interest up and down through the term of the loan.
Fair play to the judge he calculated that the bank had swindled the man out of at least €30,000
So he awarded the man €90,000 in compensation

You and I have paid off the debts of the banks to the tune of billions.
No one went to jail for 40 years.
I leave you with this Limerick man in Canada from long ago.

A downhill slope

Lucy driving her first taxi

Did you say you wanted a TAP?

Tractor driving school? Why not

Well I am really on holiday now, getting my meter taken out. Then getting it put into the new car.
The car has to be wrapped in the new mytaxi company logo.
Then the guys from legal meteorology will inspect the work and pass me out with their blessing for work.
Its just a big paper chase, but it has to be done.
So I went into town to have my hair cut. 5 guys waiting there and only one mans barber working, so I decamped to Clearys bar on Aimiens St.
At the door of the pub I spotted a woman who had frozen in time!!!!!!!!!
Just standing there her two bags of shopping on the ground. One bag had spilled a bit,it was like in a movie frozen. Nothing was happening the video had stopped.
People passed by.
Then a woman came over and woke her up and helped her with her bags.
I said to a man in the door of the pub.
"If my dog was as disturbed as that woman is I would have it put down to ease its pain"

So folks its time for a little bit of education.

You think you have drugs? Wait until Crystal Meth comes.



A story of an addict..

To tip or say thank you

The new car park in Eindhoven which collapsed

The tractor driving school and why not

Prakis DIY store Taps ans more Taps

There is never a best time to do something  that you have not planned for.
So we visited our brother in law in Einddhoven Holland.
I had not planned to change my car when the flights were booked a month ago.
Were you ever there?
Things work well.
Things work very well.
Much of the country is under sea level, they have dams and canals to hold the water.
The last time I was there Paris was flooded and everywhere in Holland showed no panic.

Go to Dublin port on Friday morning to see truck after truck come off the ferry's bringing flowers to Ireland.
Can't we even grow a few flowers?
The people in Holland are slimmer than the Irish and the youth are nearly all over 6ft.tall.

In Eindhoven airport they built a new multi story car car park and it collapsed.

Just as well it wasn't a dam.

In the scale of things things you never can tell.
You pick the quickest route by 20 mins and the customer says.
"That way was longer"
Though it was 20 minutes shorter.

If we could rewind the clock and have her sitting in static traffic how would she be then?.

When push comes to shove.
 "Just put the €100 into my hand now and I will do my best"

I am just pissed off driving for losers.

That sounds hard.
But none of those punters would pay your speeding ticket,
They often get out at T2 and wait for 20c change.

Not all though, which is the catch.