Well my photos if anything are varied. First is a photo of Patrick Kavanagh writer and poet His novel Tarry Flynn is well known.http://www.tcd.ie/English/patrickkavanagh/life.html


Lines Written on a Seat
on the Grand Canal, Dublin

'Erected to the memory of Mrs. Dermot O'Brien'

O commemorate me where there is water,
Canal water, preferably, so stilly
Greeny at the heart of summer.
Brother Commemorate me thus beautifully
Where by a lock niagarously roars
The falls for those who sit in the tremendous silence
Of mid-July.
No one will speak in prose
Who finds his way to these Parnassian islands.
A swan goes by head low with many apologies,
Fantastic light looks through the eyes of bridges -
And look! a barge comes bringing from Athy
And other far-flung towns mythologies.
O commemorate me with no hero-courageous
Tomb - just a canal-bank seat for the passer-by.



The other photo is of an Irish travelers grave in Kells Co.Meath. In life they were modest but in death they seem to elevate themselves like Kings. If you click on the photop and blow it up you can see his image which is etched inside the marble(or granate) insert.It really is a work of art.

Some things that happen in one place reflect how things happen in another place.
I was listening to Seascapes today when a fisherman from Dingle Co.Kerry was being interviewed about changes in the industry. http://www.rte.ie/radio1/seascapes/
He had just returned from Spain where he had delivered his trawler to its new owners.
The new Spanish owners can come into Irish waters and catch fish that under EU rules he could not land. The quota system as it is at present often had him sailing when it was unsafe to do so and last year we had tragic losses off the coast of Wexford, one trawler which sank was not allowed to seek refuge in a port which it was close to because of EU rules. I believe the bodies have still not been brought home.
Tonight it is very stormy cyclonic gusting gales, a sure change in the weather pattern. I hope the fleet is safe in port.

You know when you think of your job and its problems,banking, insurance, teaching or taxi driving..Things are much worse for so many people.
So when you grab your keys tonight and head out think of the people living in Zimbabwe a country facing total meltdown a government at war with its people.
White farmers driven from their land, the farms then return to scrub.
Once the bread basket of Africa now facing famine itself.
Well Rule Britana. They don't give a s**t
Well all of Africa is in decline,the whole place is really sinking into the abyss.

Count your blessings.

There was a really interesting segment on the Marrion Finucane show last Saturday which told of how the immigrants who come here are treated by the officials at the department of immigration when they come to renew their visas.
You know if this was happening to the Irish abroad there would be all out war.

Shame on you all who work there.
YOU DO NOT DO THIS IN THE NAME OF ANYTHING THAT IS JUST OR RIGHT.
OFFICIALDOM GONE MAD.

And as for driving my taxi?

Well I am between and betwixt projects and am like hundreds of drivers.

Almost a part timer.

Simone from Brazil

Oh the glory of Summer. Here we have a girl from Brazil called Simone!
She asked me to hurry up and put her photo on the internet.Looks like she is dressed up for Formula 1 and I hope we will find her a better job than selling newspapers. One of my Brazilian friends will be ringing her tonight.People should stick together when they travel and help each other.
The other photo is of an undertakers shop in Wexford St. When I looked over the owner was looking out through the window, looking for new business. I was not quick enough to get him into the shot.

I met a Hungarian girl on crutches the other day. What happened to you? I was crossing the road at the lights and was struck by a car. They didn't see the lights at all. I broke my leg.
When they brought me into hospital in the ambulance they checked my spine and head. Its ok you have only a broken leg, so they left me on the trolley until 2 o'clock the next day. When they spoke to me again I said I was very sore, then the nurse noticed that I had not been given anything for the pain.

You should be in bed I said.
If I am not at my job I will get the sack. I must have money to pay for my apartment.
No sick pay and no rights. I hope she gets good compensation, but the ladies legal team who struck her will say she can't be too bad if she went to work after a few days.
When you are a non national and you are living in limbo life can be very hard.
Think of the many Irish living in the USA who are in the same situation.
Well we have loads of people here who have no rights to social welfare.

On the other hand all these willing workers are helping our economy move forward, I hope the exploitation that is going on will soon be stopped.

Had to act as the good shepherd yesterday,some people going to the Davonport hotel from the Westbury hotel. Its not far on the map but you have to go around the world to get there. I drove ahead and they followed, thought I had lost them but the traffic was so slow, this must be like what traffic in Bombay is like.
They were very good paid me a e5 tip. Safe home.

The other strange one was a lady and teenager asking to go to a riding stable in Wicklow..Where in Wicklow?...we don't know...Do you have a phone number? No.
Go up to the tourist information office and they will find it for you.
She didn't really want to do that.
Then one by one we became engaged on other jobs as she moved down the line looking for someone to bring her. Well you do need a rough idea of where you are going. Wicklow is a big area to get lost in.
I wonder how it all worked out. I got the feeling that she did not trust us anyhow.

Well I am off to the Airport.

This was a quick blog for Simone the paper seller.
Good Luck

An honest bob.

Pigs heads on sale in Moore St.
The Ulyssies heading into Dublin port. When launched she was the biggest passenger ferry afloat. Ferry company shamed for paying worker e1 per hour!

Out at the Airport the other day.
After we left the Kesh (the holding area)and arrived up at the pick up area there was a comedian from America first in line. I was next car, but he ignored me so I called up the people behind him to jump in.

Londoners over for the weekend.
They thought he should have gotten into my car as I was first car.
Well I said , he wanted the Merc behind me and that is what he got.
I would not like to know what he will be charged for his trip into town. Probably 300% (at least)more than it should be.The driver of that car is the biggest robber known to man.
He has a brass neck but he gets away with it all the time.
He was once up in court but he tied them up in knots and walked away twice.

The other day I picked up a couple on the Quays going to the Castleknock golf hotel, it overlooks the strawberry beds and is new.
e18.. I like your prices says the girl. What do you mean ?..
We wos charged e28 to come into town..Could you collect us later?
I gave them the number of a radio cab and told them not to step into any other cab.
The driver will have their name when he arrives.
This is how it works. The cabby rips off the customer and drops a few bob to the Porter.Its a worldwide thing.

I told to tell the manager what happened, after all its a reflection on his hotel.

My friend John Ryan told me of one the other day, guy gets in at the Gresham rank.
"Port please."
Listen to this he said. I got a taxi from here yesterday and the guy heads off for the port, then he veers off course. Stop,stop I shouted at him. This is the way. Says he.
I stopped the car and told him to turn around that I work in the port and this is not the way.
Back on course he headed for the port then straight for the port tunnel.
Where the hell are you going now?
This is the way. No its not the ***way.
He reached the toll plaza at the tunnel. No going back now and drove straight through. then up to the roundabout on the M50 then back through the tunnel again.
I gave out stink and directed him to my workplace.
e46 including tolls says he.
Listen mate the fare from O'Connell St to here is e10.
Learn the route and Stop means Stop.
If you want any more money bring the police. I have your roof sign and license number on my phone I will be ringing the regulators office anyhow. So I suggest you do bring the police round to arrest me before I phone them.
He was very annoyed, it was an expensive lesson for the cabby.

Fair enough if a guy knows where he is going you take him where he is going you don't go on a wild goose chase.
New York and Sydney are full of drivers who do not speak English and who have no clue where they are going you could spend a lifetime in transit.
All the scamming that is happening here in Dublin at night beggars belief.
It has become so bad that I would not be surprised to hear of a murder soon, very unsavory characters around in the night time, both as passengers and drivers.


Thought I would give you some 10s of the best for Dublin

Best restaurants.
1 L'Gueleton. 1 Fade St.Beside Hogans French food. 6753708

2 Chapter One.18/19 Parnell Sq. Beside writers muesium. 8732266
Very busy good reports not cheap www.chapteronerestaurant.com

3 Cafe Bar Deli 78/79 Grafton St. Bewleys6727720

4 Bang Cafe 11 Merrion Row 6760898 www.bangrestaurant.com
beside Unicorn which is reckoned to be good as well..

5 L'Ecrivan 109 Lr Baggott St.www.leecrivian.com,6611919
All I can tell you of this place is a blazing row with an Italian opera singer from the Westbury hotel.. going round in circles, says he. Well you have to don't you. So I gave him a euro for himself because he must be very short of money to bother with such things..

6 Roly's Bistro 7 Ballsbridge tce. www.rolysbistro.ie 6682611
Opposite the US embassy frequented by the well to do.
I picked up a really cool guy there who told me his life story in 20 mins.
The food was great. But as we say in France. I paid for the meal with the skin of my arse. (It was expensive)

7 Eden.Meeting house Sq.Temple Bar www.edenrestaurant.ie
French food. Go to see the IFC and the National Photo Liburary close by.

8 Town Bar& Grill 21 Kildare St www.townbarandgrill.com 6624800
I have brought this guy to work a few times and there are good reports of the food.
Its across the road from the Shelbournes horseshoe bar. another must see.

9 Fallon & Byrne 11/17 Exchequer St www.fallonandbyrne.com
Deli cum restaurant.

10 Honest to Goodness. Market arcade Georges St. www.georgesarcade.com/honesttogoodness
More of a snackspot I would have thought.

These were the top ten last year in the Dubliner best 100 restaurants.
Pubs offer a good carvery lunch. Go out before 8.pm and have the early bird menu.

I will also add a few which are not expensive, which I use and know to be good.

Aya Clarendon St www.aya.ie 6771544
Japanese food.Sushi,(If you knew sushi like I knew suchi)try the brasdcrumb chicken with lime.

LaCave28 Sth Anne St French food, been good for years. 8794409
Hard to find!
\
The Trocadero 3 Andrews St, plenty of glass and brass sure to impress 6775545

I wonder if I know 10 good Pubs

A helping hand

I caught this one in passing.
He has the hoop off, next he must jack up the car and take off the wheel and clamp with a wrench.
Pity that they photograph the car when they clamp it.
So he will pay anyhow.


French students take a break at Croke Park. They must be using one of the many function rooms in the complex for english lessons. I would have been happier if Madame Royal would have won in the French elections.(click the photo to enlarge it)

Brendan Behans house on Clougher Rd.Crumlin.
Brendan wrote a few plays Borstal boy and the hostage.
Among his other works are
Brendan Behans New York and My island.
Great scholar and wit wrote poetry in Irish as well.
He was an awful drunk and he died still a young man.
His last words were spoken to a nun who wiped sweat from his brow as he lay dying.
"The blessings of God on you sister.
May all your sons be bishops."



A flower seller on Grafton St. sets out her flowers for the days trading.
In the background is the statue to Phill Lynott Rocker.
The dealers of Dublin are great people. Great wit and use of language.
Some of which is not known by the clergy.
Changing times have killed Moore st.
They are tearing down and rebuilding the city and the stalls it seems will be moved on.
It is full of Chinese, Russians, Nigerians and Indians at present, it could be anywhere in the world.
Nothing really strange happened.

I had 3 guys from Holland in the cab. Dutch people know lots about trams and they are looking after the overhead cables. They told me that when the built the stops for the Luas(our tram system) the contractors never allowed for the longer trams.
So now the trams cannot stop at some stops because the carriages would block the road or the passengers would fall off because the platform is too short!.
Also the Red Cow roundabout which everyone said was a bad design is being rebuilt as a cloverleaf interchange at a cost of millions.

BECAUSE IT WAS NOT RIGHT.
EVERYONE SAID SO AND THE GOVERNMENT SAID WE WERE WRONG


Met a guy in from the Isle Of Man. Worked in insurance.Very friendly.
Well the Isle of Man is a great place to live in. If you ring for the police they come.
If a drunk breaks a window. He pays for the window, then he has to do community service.
If you urinate in someones garden. Trespass plus indecent exposure a fine plus 60 hours community service.

The TT races will be 100 years old this year. Motorcyclists from all over the world will descend on the island to display skill and real courage on the winding Manx roads.
It is not a race track and bikes that come off the road often hit stone walls.
Joey Dunlop from N Ireland was a real TT hero and I have a tape of him doing a live commentary going around the track."Flat out 160 downhill change down hairpin ahead"
He was killed in a freak downpour while he was racing in somewhere like Slovakia.
The heavens opened and he crashed. the other side of the road was totally dry.

He lived his life to the limit a fearless hero.

Norman Wisdom is another person who lives in the IOM. My passenger told me that even thought Norman is an old man now he has time to talk to the children and does funny walks and is so happy to meet them. He had a very hard childhood himself. His mother died and his father walked out leaving the kids to fend for themselves no social services then.
Other celebs are often openly hostile to admirers.(One would wonder why the wanted to become famous in the first place)
There is no speed limits outside built up areas.
You only pay tax on income UP TO 3 1/2 million,anything over that is tax free.

Peel ,Port of Erin and Ramsey are all worth a visit. But stay away from Douglas if you can.

I picked up a guy going to Croke Park and we had a good chat about how well things went when rugby was played on the hollowed ground of Croke Park. I got a return trip as well.

With the peace process coming to its conclusion in Northern Ireland we both felt that the change in the nation is palpable.
Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley sitting side by side.
I know history was made today when they sat in the Northern Ireland assembly.

One commentator said there is not one street or town in this province where there has not been a murder or a bomb. Each one a tragedy, the effects of war are everywhere.
Perhaps now there will be lasting peace, if it works here there is hope for other countries..

Backache is the curse of taxi drivers, if your back goes into spasm the pain is like a needle into your back. western doctors give you pain killers. My doctor gave me ones that gave me the shits and vomiting, as if things were not bad enough.
So I went to a Chinese doctor who fixed me in about an hour.
"If you are sore in the morning come back and I will fix you free."
Now my doctor could not fix me at all.
He would never guarantee his work either.
Try them and see.

I had a girl from Co Down who had trained in China and was going home to treat an injured horse. You see that sedating animals is not the best option.
She told me about how when they were working in a hospital in China the army came in to enforce the one child per family rule.
Children were taken away screaming. Parents were in total shock and the soldiers marched through the dining room where the sat and cocked their rifles. They conveyed to them in no uncertain terms that they should never speak of what they had witnessed.

On the way home she went to Nepal, on the flight home there was a man who had the most beautiful infant girl you ever saw. He was a fantastic father and the little girl played and laughed.
When things settled down he told my customer how his wife had died and he had sold the child to a German couple. He had to bring her to them as part of the deal, the man had never been out of his village before.
I suppose a German person with a new baby would not get past customs. Customs officers in Nepal would not ask why he had not brought his daughter back home.

I hope she has grown up and been well loved and cared for.

Perhaps here in the west we should think more of the third world, and what real poverty is like.

I have links on the side of my blog about people trafficking etc.Well worth a look.


Today I met 2 people who work in the social services, both wild as kids themselves, turned out well in the end.
Only hope I can get my own son back on the rails.

Here is how to not drive your taxi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRzcNN7HhY8

Perhaps sometimes it doesent matter how carefully you drive http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b3a_1178283898
I had to replay this 3 times. The clue is in the cranes at the start of the clip.

May Day

With the May bank holiday started I thought that I would send you all this photo of Mary,"realt na mara" star of the sea the statue stands at the end of the Bull wall and viewed by the ships as they slip in and out of Dublin port.
The second is a photo of a plaque I found in Grosvenor Sq. Rathmines.
Imagine Rex Ingram was Irish.
Well not the Hitchcock I thought he was (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002271/)
Well when you speak to people you get to hear things which you don't hear on the radio.

A couple from Romania going to James's st. hospital the other day. After the usual comments she told me a tale which must be the nightmare of any parent. She works in a well known hotel, a few nights ago there was a family with a small boy staying in the hotel.
When I herd the story a few of the exact details got lost.
But they got a call in reception from the boy crying for help, he didn't know where he was.
They traced the call back to room ?? and sent up a porter with a master key.
When he arrived on the floor the little boy was in the corridor without a pajamas bottom.
He was crying and could not remember what happened to him.
There was 2 men who had booked in to a room together at that time, she strongly suspected them.
What will happen next will be a question for the police, my thoughts are with the kid, and his parents.
No matter where you are there is a jackal waiting to pray on the innocent lamb.

The tourists are arriving in their droves as I speak, but the traffic is a complete bags.
M50 Red cow Monday morning traffic stopped for 2 hours.

Had a visit from a childhood friend who now lives in Sydney. He got lost so we had to arrange an alternative meeting place which turned out to be the Foxhunter pub near Lucan.
It is nice to speak to old friends, filled each other in on changes which are happening worldwide.
Tensions in Sydney where Scruffy Murphys pub is in the dock for banning Asians and Arabs.
Strange to say an old Ozzie was telling us about riots in Sydney, race related.

Trust the Irish to start a war!

Sorry folks we have come up with no answers to the worlds problems, but it was cheaper than a UN summit.
After a short while I brought Sam back to the Navan road avoiding all the traffic.
Short cuts bring you all over the place, but we got there without much effort.
Sometimes I wish that you could do a magic calculation to find the quickest route taking in all the situations which are present at that time.

Wouldn't we all love to buy one of those gadgets.!

Thanks for the old childhood photos Sam, guess some of them are 55 years old.
When my mother moved house all the photos which were in a box were lost.
Now its not like they were of any value to anyone else, but ke sera sera!


Made my way home and when I was almost there I was flagged down by a girl with a fantastic tan,going to Cappagh hospital..All the way back over the traffic building up and flowing like treacle.
Turns out she is just back from Sydney..Thats 3 today
The great adventure! Out via Thailand going over and she got the tan in Bali on the way home.
Trouble is she wants to go straight back.
"How can we keep them down on the farm now that they've seen Paree?"

There is no balance of work when you are driving sometimes its busy, then it gets really quiet.
Then you decide to go home and the world and his wife hail you.
I can't drive past work.

On the crime scenr Dutchy Holland the man who allegedly shot Veronica Gueran is in Bellmarsh Prison. Seems he was planning another hit in the UK.
Fatpuss Bradley phoned up the Joe Duffy on radio and joined in the conversation on air, now he was phoning from Portlaoise prison which is supposed to be maximum security.
This caused the minister for justice to go on air the next day to assure the public that dangerous criminals do NOT have access to phones in their cells.
He also advised us that prostitutes were never brought into prison to service the needs of the inmates,makes you wonder what else is not happening.

Bertie Ahern is find it hard to explain how 80,000 stg(correction 30,000) found its way into his then mistresses bank account. Money which he has stated HE NEVER GOT..
Well I reckon there will be a lot of long noses around before the elections are over(Penochio).

Help the nurses. All they want is more pay and a 35 hour week.
If they just sacked all the spin doctors that the government employs and made Bertie appear without make up, I reckon there would be a few bob over to pay them.

Well I have been working but only enough to keep the wolf from the door.
A little in the morning and some more in the afternoon. No point in getting too stressed out with all the beautiful weather we are having at present. There will be more work to be done when it is raining.

I will try this as a link But just in case it won't work here it is again http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8f8drk5Urw&mode=related&search=(copy and paste)
Now theres a thing you don't see very often. You see how he won a standing ovation.!

Well I thought that was good till I saw this
If that link don't work look here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYUXaYCkv-A&mode=related&search=
And then 10!

Enjoy the May bank holiday its the workers holiday after all.

Workers of the world unite
.
Man on an oxygen mask. The nurse picks up his chart.
He speaks and she hears him say.
"are my testacles black?"
She puts down the clipboard. Pulls down the beadspread, opens his pajamas.
Lifting his manhood up she says " they look fine to me "
"Nurse that was very interesting, but listen very carefully.

Are my test results back?"

Leave them laughing.

Mobile phones

This is a photo of the annual taxi driver outing for special children.
Arranged every year around 200 taxi people take the day off, dress up their cars and parade through the city streets to a big party out in Leopardstown racecourse. Its about the only good press we get, but lat year they did not cover it at all.

Well I was driving down Pierse St. with my mobile phone in my hand when I was pulled in.
Whats the matter? You know very well what the matter is. You have a mobile phone in your hand. I was not using it . Look heres the call history.
I don't care about that its an offence to have a mobile phone on your person while you are driving.
I am going to issue you with a ticket e60 fine and 2 penalty points.
Well the summons came and I filled in the details and posted it back.
The next day it came back. We cannot process this as the name on the ticket is different to the name on the driving licence.
So I rang them up.
Photocopy your licence and put the photocopy in with the letter and the ticket was cancelled.

The mistake I made was that I was wearing a baseball cap to keep the sun off my head.

Now everyone knows that baseball caps are the uniform of drug dealers and criminals.
About an hour later I saw a guy driving an oil tanker his elbows steering the truck while he wrote a text message. 5,000 gallons of petrol texting a message.

I never saw anyone else being pulled over for using a mobile before.

Celtic tiger Bites back

Two fine examples of period houses in Bray Co. Wicklow.

If you have read my blog before you will know that I am a great supporter of the Samaritans.
They will listen when you need to talk, they have helped many suicidal people.

This week saw the horror of a family suicide,2 small kids and their parents.
All the signs of problems were present, no positive action taken.
The papers are full of editorials.
If only and what if ?
The funerals took place today and the grandfather took his daughter and grandchildren back to Donegal ,why should they be buried with their killer?.
Perhaps now so close to election time proper social worker cover will be made available nationwide outside 5 day office hours as is the situation at present.

The mental hospitals have a lot to answer for too.

One of my workmates described seeing a woman on a cliff in Howth. He had pulled into the carpark it the summit in Howth, as he was dozing off when he was disturbed by a car door slamming.
He looked up to see her ghostly figure pass his car window in her nightdress.He approached her slowly and coaxed her back to his car, he gave her the rug from the boot and she cried and would not go to the police station or tell him where she lived.
There was a long story about abuse from he spouse who was a wealthy man, he was pushing her to kill herself..She was in a awful state.Later on he told me that it must have been the husband driving off that woke him.
So her darling husband had driven her there in her nightdress.
He talked to her( Jimmy has a way with people) and he got from her that she had been at a posh hospital in Stillorgan. Yes she would to go back there.
So he went there.

The person at the desk looked up her file and then said that there is nothing wrong with her, "we have discharged her, she is well".
Jimmy asked if they would take her back , just for the rest of the night, 4 AM.
No, came the reply.
Jimmy slept in the front while she slept in the back until 8.30 when he brought her in to reception wearing her nightdress.
Then he walked away in great pain from the cold.
Jimmy said we were stonewalled at every corner, those psychiatrists should be made liable for their missed diagnoses.

I know taxi drivers have many stories like that to tell.
Carry a card for the samaritans and don't be afraid to stick your neck out.


Now as Monty Python would say for something completely different.

I met 2 gentlemen from Kuwait last week. The first asked me for the Shelbourne hotel. This hotel has been fully refurbished and it has been so long since anyone asked me for it that I was allmost stumped.
Why are hotels so expensive in Dublin? Well this is one of the poshest in Dublin, Like the Savoy in London these places do not come cheap. We told me that his airline was having a conference in that hotel and that is why he chose it.
Well there you are, the airline will pick up the tab,enjoy it.
I got an insight into his country then.
The shopping malls open until 11 at night. The fantastic ski slope which means that you can go from 100/0 to freezing and have the most wonderful experience.

The second guy was much mote sociable.
He had 4 daughters and was retired so he had come to visit his daughter who studies dentistry in Dublin. He loves the people and how you are safe to jog in the morning. Another Daughter lives in the States but he finds the people there too intrusive and noisy.
His father had been a taxi driver for most of his life and he made good money.
Now both his father and himself were retired, so as he loved Ireland he was here to stay for a good stretch.
Then I mentioned the war and was reminded of the gratitude that the people of Kuwait owe to America. I had forgotten of the invasion by Iraq.
He lost 2 brothers at that time. I remember that the school term had ended and many young students went back home and did not return to Ireland when the new term began.

We presume they died too.

One other guy I met asked me to drive him to the nearest bank link machine then back to Clontarf Castle. On the way he told me he was a pilot and he and his crew had been stranded for 2 days because the baggage handlers had broken the door of his plane.
I told him that I couldn't think of anything nicer than a few days in a top hotel with a few beautiful air hostesses, all expenses paid. It is not the pleasure it would appear to be.
There is a lot of responsibility I have to insure everyone is at the airport at 5 am.
No drinking or drugs for me !

Travel in hope

Cruise ship in Dublin port today. As I drove along the Clontarf road a helicopter landed beside the ship.You could almost hear them say. Well there's Ireland done, Scotland tomorrow.
Without hardly putting a foot on the place.

Looking at St Annes church from the Westbury hotel off Grafton St.
Large puppets on O Connell St. at the James Joyce festival a while ago.

Funny thing happened today,
A girl from Kenya said ."Could I use your phone the battery on mine is dead. Its very important. I will only be a minute and I will pay for the call.
The first 10 seconds might have been important.
Then she goes on and on and on. I was going to explode when she decided to stop.
Mobile phone charges vary a lot . For her 8 mins I charged her e3.
Could be more, a lot more. Could even be less.
There is no magic number to find out.
What I found offensive was the lack of respect for the use of my phone.
I would never talk on the phone for 2 minutes myself and I would surely not use up someone elses credit .
When I got home I looked up my account on the o2 website and there was the call only cost .85cent, I thought it would cost a lot more.

I told her that in the 2euro shops they sell a phone booster which has adapters to fit all phones.
It wouldn't fit mine its not a Nokia.
ALL phones, I repeated.
It will keep you going or even charge up your phone in the bush.( that might have hit a nerve as she was black)
Why people take advantage I will never know. Once a girl borrowed my phone and then she said I don't recognise this ring tone. She hands me the phone as soon as I hear the tone I stop the car so fast that she nearly goes through the front windscreen from the back seat.
I looked again at the dialed number.
YOU BORROWED MY PHONE AND RANG NEW YORK.
YOU ARE A STUPID SPOILED ROBBING BITCH.
NOW SIT UP, SHUT UP AND NEVER TRY TO PULL A STUNT LIKE THAT AGAIN.

She was shocked as no one had ever spoken to her like that before. She lived in Dalkey where there is plenty of money and people live a lifestyle well beyond their means.
Opertunists are everywhere.

I often listen to the radio while I travel around.
Many of my passengers think I just talk away all the time even when I am by myself. Like a long playing cd.

BBC radio4 had a piece the other day about the OZ BUS.
A bus from London to Sydney 20 countries in 12 weeks for 3750 stg.
Look it up
www.oz-bus.com
Loads of sightseeing tours all food and accomadation included.

It sounds a lot and it is expensive but you have a escorted tour of half the world !
The poor drivers must be whacked when they clock out in Sydney and London .
They must be able to do births deaths and marriages on the way.
I hope you would be able to do a hold back !
IE wait for the next bus if the people on the bus you are on were not compatible people.

The BBC have a great website. www.bbc.co.uk/radio
Radio 4, World service. News in many tongues.
It is an education. But remember there is a lot of propaganda there too.
and you can even pick up the regional services like radio Merseyside.
Liverpool the capital of Ireland abroad.
CIE international also arrange bus trips through Europe. up to 6 buses travel between here and Warsaw every day, It would make a great radio programe, speaking to the people as you travel. Radio is much better than TV

When driving a taxi.
One thing that I have learned is that you can refuse a fare.
"Driver YOU MUST get me to the airport in 20 minutes"

Boys and girls you don't
I will tell you a thing that took place a few summers ago.

I was waiting at the rank at College Green when an American couple approached.
Do you know where the cruise ship is docked?
Sure in the port. Unless it has no handbrake.
What do you mean?
The lady then wanted to go in a different car.
Sure he knows honey he is just kidding.

The gent wore a big white cowboy hat and looked like US presadent L B Johnston.
He asked my name and introduced himself. The usual banter followed.
When we arrived at the liner (she was a beauty) he asked me if I would collect him at 8 and bring him to Jurys Cabartet show ?
For you OK.
At 7.50 I was waiting and spoke to the guardian of the gangplank!
At 8.20 my guests arrived. I started the meter and as they got in I added 1.50 pick up charge plus .50 for each person.
This car is a 6 seater and 2 small elderly prune like women (Jewish) got in and started saying.
"Just look he, is robbing us,because he thinks we are stupid. he thinks we are millionares"
Look I snapped your pick up time was 8pm the meter was only started when you got in. You really owe 20 mins waiting time.They invited others on for transport from the port.
On the way I dropped off a few passengers and went over the East Link bridge, where I justly levied .50.(It was a while ago)
See what I mean ? the ladies quipped
Would you prefer to go the long way? or do you want me to pay the toll from my own pocket?
The Texan John Wayne lookalike seemed to be very embaressed about these 2 ladies.

When we arrived at Jurys he said. John I hope this will cover the fare, he handed me about 60 quid.
Woa I said. The fare is only 12.
Look what you have given me.

Take 20 he said these women don't know Jack Shit.
I hate the way they have insulted your integrity and honesty.
I knew your were honest, I just wanted to show these ladies, I would have bet my stetsun hat that you would not have taken more money than the fare.

It was a nice afternoon, there was time to kill before the show and he sat on the edge of the van to have a smoke.
He complained how he was restricted from what he wanted to do on the ship all the time,.
He was not happy.

I am going to jump ship and go back to Texas tomorrow.

Those two old ladies joined our trip after we had been cruising for a few days.
They joined our table and insulted all the staff. One girl from Korea that we all loved went away in tears, she won't come back to serve us.
Nothing is right for them.
Everyone is out to rob or poison them.
They emberass me on a daily basis and I am not even connected to them.

This trip out for example is at My expense, like all the others I have paid for.

I thought for a minute then I said.
I look at you and I see a guy who is not poor, you have worked hard for what you have and you deserve better than you are getting.
These women are professional carpetbaggers who look at you to see what they can get from you.
They are taking advantage to your good nature, taking money from your pocket.
Go back to the ship and ask to speak to the purser.
I am sure this has happened before and he will arrange to sort it out.
Remember you are the victim here.
Its your good nature they are preying on.

Thanks for that, he said.

Will you collect us when the show is over?

No I said I have had enough of those 2 ladies.
But there is no shortage of taxis in Dublin.
Can't say I blame you he said.

When I think of going on a trip I often think of him.

He probably has a ranch just outside of Austin Texas producing 200,000 barrels of crude per year.

A clever cowboy trapped by two vultures, I hope the trip worked out in the end.

Here is you bonus of taxi candid camera http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woIWRyX4oAI