Our Top Ten black tea brands I probably drink as much tea as the late Tony Benn ever did. After he retired from politics, he went on a speaking tour taking two props with him: a chair and a Thermos® flask. A flask full of tea.
Category: The Not So Perfect Ten
Lost Bus Routes of Greater Manchester V, The Ocarina of Bus Times: The Not So Perfect Ten
Ten more lost bus routes of Greater Manchester When did we last do a Lost Bus Routes Not So Perfect Ten? The answer to that was eight years ago. Since then, Lost Bus Routes of Greater Manchester has spawned a fair number of spin-offs. These have focused on individual routes or a collection of routes…
Ten Things That Millennials Never Enjoyed About Train Travel: The Not So Perfect Ten
Ten things about British rail travel that people born after 1980 never had the chance to enjoy or endure For many passengers, today’s trains are shiny and efficient beasts. Some might say they are a little devoid of character. Sometimes they look scruffy or sport garish liveries. In the space of forty years, the joys…
Ten Good Reasons to Love Lancashire: The Not So Perfect Ten
Ten things that make Lancashire stand out from many other English counties Where is Lancashire? Is it the present-day county that has been chipped away by the 1974 Local Government Act and the later creation of Unitary Authorities? Or, if you go to the Friends of Real Lancashire website, is it the historic county that…
Great Unrealised Mancunian Transport Plans: The Not So Perfect Ten
In 1984, we were promised jetpacks; we got Pacer units instead We haven’t had a Not So Perfect Ten on here for a while. With urban public transport forever in the news agenda, our latest NSP10 reflects this. Given how Northern Powerhouse Rail and Manchester Piccadilly’s 15th and 16th platforms hang in the balance, we…
Parking the Bus: Bus Routes That Share Numbers with Football Formations: The Not So Perfect Ten
Ever wondered which Greater Manchester bus routes share or shared their number with a football formation? For many people, New Year’s Day isn’t only about giving up smoking, going on a diet, or alcohol abstinence. January sees the start of a 31-part soap opera known as The Transfer Window. Yes, it is that time of…
Delectable Dark Beers: A Top Beer Not So Perfect Ten
Ten of the finest dark beers – mainly milds, stouts, and porters At this time of writing we are in the midst of Black Friday, an American import which marks the first shopping day after Thanksgiving Day. Thanks inevitably to the internet it has become an international phenomenon. In these parts, it is associated with…
Long Forgotten Microcomputers: A Past of the M60 Not So Perfect Ten
Thought the 1980s computer age was all about ZX Spectrums and Commodore 64s? Think again. As with many hagiographies, history is always defined by the winners. In home computing, the ultimate victors were IBM compatible PCs – ultimately today’s Windows 10 PCs. Today, their role in history could be wiped out by tablets and smartphones.
Lost Items From The ‘Spoons Menu: A Feast of the M60 Not So Perfect Ten
Ten items we have loved and lost from the J.D. Wetherspoon menu Few entrepreneurs would consider naming their business after a teacher they dreaded. In October 1979, Tim Martin did just that with a London pub. Nearly three decades on, it became one of Britain’s best loved (and equally most derided) brands. Today, any town…
Must-Listen Alternative Radio Stations: The Not So Perfect Ten
East of the M60 looks at ten must-listen-to alternatives to more familiar radio stations In the last month, we have seen Key 103 change into The Hits Radio. Its transmission area has been extended from Greater Manchester and parts of Cheshire and Lancashire to become a national station. A national station with its headquarters in…
Irritating Radio Adverts of Times Past: The Not So Perfect Ten
Ten earworm-tastic radio adverts from the last 40 years of Independent Local Radio Four sources of inspiration are behind our latest Not So Perfect Ten. One is my memories of 1980s Independent Local Radio – Piccadilly Radio in particular. The second source is an episode of Pablo [CBeebies’/RTEJr’s exciting children’s television series] where Pablo is…
The Stores That Tesco Ate: A Lost Precinct Not So Perfect Ten
A look at ten supermarket chains absorbed by Tesco since 1945 For social historians and retail commentators, the recent history of Tesco is peppered with twists and turns. Contemporary hagiographies focus on the store chain’s tax affairs, or their presence on our High Streets. Much of the groundwork was set in the 1960s and 1970s…
