Morning after...

...I'm working from home today and so is Flyingpops (which might be interesting as we only have one PC on the internet)...think we'll have to stagger our days a little bit and work shifts...

From the sounds of things most people *are* commuting in (although volumes are down) and the transport infrastructure is largely back up and running, although understandably Kings Cross is still largely locked down as a crime scene, along with the other areas directly affected...

One thing that has really shocked and upset me though is this story on the BBC...apparently some hoteliers massively inflated their prices to take advantage of the increased demand yesterday...vampires, they should have opened their doors for free... :(

...

"In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate, may peace be upon the cheerful one and undaunted fighter, Prophet Muhammad, God's peace be upon him.

Nation of Islam and Arab nation: Rejoice for it is time to take revenge against the British Zionist Crusader government in retaliation for the massacres Britain is committing in Iraq and Afghanistan. The heroic mujahideen have carried out a blessed raid in London. Britain is now burning with fear, terror and panic in its northern, southern, eastern, and western quarters.

We have repeatedly warned the British Government and people. We have fulfilled our promise and carried out our blessed military raid in Britain after our mujahideen exerted strenuous efforts over a long period of time to ensure the success of the raid.

We continue to warn the governments of Denmark and Italy and all the Crusader governments that they will be punished in the same way if they do not withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. He who warns is excused.

God says: "You who believe: If ye will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly."

Honestly, what dickheads...and what warning exactly?! And *NO*, London isn't in a state of "terror", we are in a state of tired annoyance (if anything), but thanks for your shot at an appraisal...We'll be back at work on Monday (if not tomorrow)...the trains are already running...the tube is down only to sift for evidence...you utterly under-estimate us, it's not like this is the first time we've suffered bombs in the city...

Silly terrorists, you had better watch your backs... ;) It's already sounding like two of you were so inept that you blew yourselves up...sweet... :) Just a shame you took some innocent members of the public with you...

Thank you...

...*everyone* (from all around the world) for your kind words...our collective sympathy belongs now with the victims and their families...we are both now safe and sound at home, thank God...

Made it...

...and so has Flyingpops, luckily Victoria opened up during our drive home and she managed to get on a Gatwick Express, her mum picked her up from the airport...

Just sat watching the news now...it was only (hmmm...only) 4 explosions in the end but 37 people died and over 700 people ended up in hospital...and for what?

Right...we are off...

...from the sounds of things it is absolute chaos out there, Flyingpops spent 45 minutes walking to Victoria and it's closed, thousands and thousands of people are standing outside, I can imagine the scene is similar at the other stations...so she is stuck in London for the duration, central London is closed to traffic so we can't go and rescue her, and from the sounds of things the M25 and the M23 are absolutely packed (with rescue missions) as I suspected....

If/When I get home I'll post again....wish me luck! ;)

Well, lunch was interesting...

...the pub was absolutely packed, mostly people with large bags, tourists on their way through, caught up in the chaos...the owner had turned on the projector and was running the BBC News 24 coverage 2m x 3m on the wall...

...everyone was listening to re-runs of Tony Blair, wondering about the rumours of a suicide bomber at Canary Warf and drinking...

...as we sat there a succession of cars/lorries/vans headed down towards Kings Cross and were turned around and came back past us...

Everyone is shell-shocked...one guy in the pub (he looked like a builder) was still covered in his sooty shroud (obviously having been involved underground)...

Work have just said, get home if you can, and don't bother coming in tomorrow...the Police have said that the stations are going to be closed for a matter of *days* rather than hours....

Somehow, in the middle of all this, I have managed to actually do some work too...feel free to call me nuts if you like...

I just want to get out of London now...

I have got the offer of a lift...

...home from "B" in the office...He was looking for someone to ride shotgun (and map read), it could be an exciting (long) journey back though...

The BBC have an...

..."in pictures" up...

Just heard that food today in the...

...canteen is salad only, the catering firm can't get to us...I'm going to go out for lunch...

The ground floor has been turned over to hot tea and blanket equipped "quiet area" for those in shock in the office...

Initial casualty reports say only 2 deaths...if this is true then I am amazed...we all saw the state of that bus.... :(

My dad has made himself available to come and pick me up if needs be (but if everyone does that then London is going to be one huge car park and no-one is going to get anywhere)...currenty all buses are stopped, all tubes are stopped and all rail is stopped, roads are locked down around here too...

Tony Blair is talking on the radio, echoing the shock and confusion that we are feeling. He's on his way back to London in a couple of hours...he has called it a "serious terrorist attack"...he sounds like he is going to cry...

The Police...

...commisioner has said that "if you have arrived at your destination and are safe and unhurt, stay where you are"...the MD has said that we can go home if we want, but in the light of that advice I think I'm best off here...

I went up to the roof a short while ago, stationary trains standing at the normally busy platforms, the London Eye (still turning in the distance) the sounds of sirens and crowds of dazed looking people below, desperately, and fruitlessly trying to get through on their mobile phones...I'm starting to wonder how I am going to get home when I do decide to go...

...one of the daftest things I have heard so far on the radio was that the police apparently are still having to turn people away from stations who are desperately trying to get to work...! What kind of fool would you have to be?

Predictably, the...

...mobile networks are totally jammed, I can't get a call out to anyone...everyone in the office is just F5'ing Sky news and the BBC...(when the pages load)...no work is going on as everyone calls loved ones and compares notes as to the latest situation...

Real player versions of various radio stations are blaring from PC speakers all over the office describing the scenes of horror over and underground...

Flyingpops managed to get a call through to me (it took ten minutes of trying apparently) and she is going to grab a lift out of London to Hampton Court and make her way home from there...

Tony Blair has said he isn't leaving G8 and will be making a statement in about half an hour...

No word on the number of casualties yet either...

Of all the stupid things...

...the first official reaction I have heard? Congestion charge will be waived today...thanks a lot...

All overground train services have been suspended apart from Waterloo now apparently, and all trains bound for London are being terminated before they get here...

Another explosion has been reported near Liverpool street...the radio is advising everyone to avoid central London at all costs...

The army has been spotted in Covent Garden...

I wanna go home... :(

London hospitals...

...have stopped accepting any non-emergency cases, this is getting really serious...Sky have posted a picture of the bus (copied here) -

It looks like everyone in the two departments near me have been accounted for (which is a small blessing)...

No reaction from the government yet either...but it's no co-incidence that today is the start of G8...

All roads into...

...the city have been now been closed, Union representatives have said that 3 buses have now been destroyed by explosions (making 9 incidents so far), eye witnesses from the tube are reporting bodies "with limbs missing" littering the rails...all the stations around here are firmly cordoned off, so I couldn't get out of London even if I wanted to...

Our MD has just suggested starting a check on all members of staff to make sure everyone is accounted for...

The sound of sirens outside is virtually constant...

Uh oh...

...reports are now indicating that it's 3 explosions on the tube and at least one bus has been ripped to pieces (near my office again)...for some odd reason the BBC are still talking about power surges being the cause...

These are bombs...

London is in chaos!

Latest reports say there have been at least 2 explosions across the capital, one in Kings Cross where I am...

Walking around there are police and fire brigade everywhere, as I was taking these shots a police officer said "You really don't want to be anywhere near that station, fella"...(he didn't have to tell me twice)...

I didn't take any pictures of them but lots of people had soot all over their faces...there are two helicoptors overhead and sirens and flashing lights everywhere...

Everything was locked off behind the police line (I had missed it by coming up the side of the station, so kind of ended up in the middle of the closed bit...

The sheer number of people just standing around in the road was unbelievable...everyone is calm though, there is more an air of excitement than panic, which is quite strange...

Goodness....

...we won the 2012 Olympics after all...! I have to confess to a feeling of some pride, but also, a nagging worry about the travel infrastructure! We shall see...

Very, very strange...

...not sure what to say about this really!

(zoom in and take a look at the "small print" litho)

Wow...Live8 today...

...watched virtually all of it, apart from missing Macca and U2 perform Sgt. Peppers no less than *twice* (which totally sucks), best bit of the day (not that it is over yet) so far? Sir Bob introducing the woman who grew from the tiny child (ten minutes from death) the last time that the rest of the world stopped to think about Africa (20 years ago)...worked hard to keep from tears... :(

Madonna was good too... ;)

A great example of...

..."Guerrilla marketing" spotted (quite often) in Kings Cross, perpetuated (I assume) by the *extremely* intimate drinking hole "The Lincoln Lounge" in an effort to get people to head in their general direction...(thanks to the fact that most of the running people point in their direction)...

Still, it's a cute bit of stencil work...and I had some quite nice olives in there once... ;)

...this post also marks the start of July (already), where did the first half of the year go?!