I’m conscious that I haven’t posted for a week but I’ve just been so busy! Today is a day off and when I got home after a 13.5 hour shift yesterday I was determined that as a family we’d have some fun today. So I booked a day return (with car) to the Isle of Wight. There are several things I will write about later – why I was so late yesterday and the worst passenger I’ve ever had, to name but two. But now it’s off to see the corkheads, or more correctly the caulkheads.

If you didn’t know this name for inhabitants of the Isle of Wight this has been taken from Wikipedia:-

Historically, inhabitants of the Isle of Wight have been known as Vectensians or Vectians (pronounced Vec-tee-ans). These terms derive from the Latin name for the Island, Vectis. Vectian is a word used more formally to describe certain geological features which are typical of the Island. As with many other small island communities the term Islander has long been used, and is commonly heard today. The term Overner is used for people originating from mainland Great Britain. This is an abbreviated form of Overlander; which is an archaic English term for an outsider still found in a few other places such as parts of Australia.[2]

People born on the island are colloquially known as Caulkheads (sometimes written as it is spoken, Corkheads), (a word comparable with the name Cockney for those born in the East End of London). Some argue that the term should only apply those who can also claim they are of established Isle of Wight stock either by proven historical roots or, for example, being third generation inhabitants from both parents’ lineage.[3]

One theory about the term ‘caulkhead’ is that it comes from the once prevalent local industry of caulking boats; a process of sealing the seams of wooden boats with oakum. It is said that the shipyard at Bucklers Hard in the New Forest employed labourers from the Isle of Wight , mainly as caulkers, in the building of early warships. Islanders may have been called “Caulkheads” during this time either because they were indeed so employed, or merely as a derisory term for perceived unintelligent labourers from another place. Another more fanciful story is that a group of armoured Island horsemen were chased into the sea by the marauding French, and took refuge on a sandbank when the tide came in, thus appearing to float in the sea despite their heavy armour, hence the name Cork- i.e. Caulk-, -heads When this supposed event happened is not clear, since the Island was frequently attacked in the Middle Ages, however in the last instance in 1546 Sandown Castle was under construction some way offshore and a battle was fought on site, resulting in the french being driven off and this could fit this particular tale.[4] In local folklore it is said that a test can be conducted on a baby by throwing it into the sea from the end of Ryde Pier whereupon a true caulkhead baby will float unharmed. Thankfully there is no record of the test ever being carried out.

Someone found their way here, from google.com, using the search term ‘stagecoach busses are shite’ :-)

Without using the word ‘shite’ this blog still came in at number 17 ( I sound like Alan Freeman, if you remember him!) out of 23,200 results!

Yesterday we got back from our 2 night trip to Palma.

Thursday evening I’d planned a visit to Abaco for drinks before dinner. Where can you be charged 20 quid (that’s US$40) for a half pint of beer and a Gin Fizz, yet leave with a huge smile on your face? Abaco! :-) It is an old palace in the narrow streets of the La Lonja district. The door from the street is rather plain but as you step in you gasp. You enter a grand palace with wonderfully worn stone floor and walls, everywhere there are massive piles of fresh fruit on the floor as if they are to be the subject of some huge still life, enormous flower decorations, hundreds of candles, statues, crystals dripping everywhere, antique rugs, paintings with red velvet drapes around them. Totally over the top, baroque kitsch ….. but truly wonderful. There is a courtyard too filled with bird song from all the exotic caged birds around the walls. And all the time classical music is playing in the background. If you go to Palma DO NOT miss this place. Photography is prohibited in Abaco but I did find a couple of pictures on the ‘net. They don’t really do the place justice.

Dinner afterwards was at Asador Tierra Aranda, Concepció 4, off Av Jaime III. Here we shared some grilled morcilla de Burgos (black pudding) which was very good and then we shared half a suckling pig which had been cooked in the wood fired oven. It was absolutely superb. Wonderfully tender, moist, meat with fresh herbs which had been added by a constrained hand. The crackling was divine.

Friday lunch was pa amb oli, simply country bread rubbed with garlic and topped with chopped tomatoes and black ham, drizzled with a good olive oil, and served with olives. A terrific peasant lunch.

In the evening we’d booked to go to Koldo Royo and took a taxi. When the taxi pulled up I was horrified. How could, what is claimed to be one of the best restaurants in Spain, Michelin starred etc. be in a terrace of premises jammed between a Burger King and an Irish Pub full of Brits on holiday in Majorca? The meal was OK but not worthy of any special acclaim. One course was carpaccio of prawn, I’d not had raw prawn before and wasn’t much taken with it. The main was veal cheek with a red wine sauce. The sauce was burnt!! Of course they’d never admit it, “it’s because it’s reduced”. I know how it reduces and I know that if you go to a certain point it’s
reduced so far that an acrid burnt flavour takes over and this was a reduction too far.
Anyway they whipped it away and then offered me an exquisite piece of beef, perfectly rare and with a very nice (not burnt) jus. Overall, the place is OK but it’s not worth a Michelin star and all the acclaim it gets. Without that, and with a consequential 20% price reduction, the place would be acceptable.

Saturday our flight left at 13:30 so rather than have to buy food at the airport we visited a bakery and bought some small pies to take with us – one with white fish and vegetables in small pastry case. This one, and a meat one we also bought, looked outwardly similar in size and style to Brtitish pork pies. We also bought a tiny, tiny egg and ham flan and a spinach filled ‘sausage roll’ if you know what I mean. These were placed on a cardboard tray which had a doyley on it, wrapped neatly in paper and then tied up with red tape knotted into a bow at the top :-) As we enjoyed these absolutely superb nibbles before the flight I had to snigger when I noticed that the ‘meal deal’ in the airport of one pizza slice from the microwave, chips and a drink cost more for one person than our meal had cost for two!

We were informed today that the last Megabus service to be operated by Stagecoach Winchester is on Sunday 18 May. From Monday 19 May the Megabus services to both London and Manchester will be driven by Stagecoach Portsmouth drivers!

So I, and the other 8 Megabus drivers on the rota at Winchester, aren’t needed on Megabus any more. We now have a choice of driving around Winchester either 4 long days per week or 5 slightly shorter days per week, or ……. we can quit.

Welcome to ‘another day on the buses’ the blog of an EX-megabus driver. Not that I have much desire to change the theme and direction of this blog :-( Things may go quiet now.

Bye