Awayday

I spent the day down in London yesterday.

Niahm is a "Ripperologist" and wanted some photographs of the sites. And we were able to find all but Millers Court, which is now a Car Park! Hopefully, the photos I took will help her with her book.

I also found out that several "Monopoly" streets in London have been renamed, such as Vine Street (now Vine Way), and also Shepherds Bush H&C tube is now Shepherds Bush Market.

In the meantime I picked up a few computer bits from cheap sources in London - Tottenham Court Road is great for electrical and electronic bits - and linked up with a couple of old friends. Then I headed up to St Pancras to have a look at the rebuild to allow Eurostar and SouthEastern Highspeed into the station. The Bronze statue at the front of the station is astonishing, such detail and perspective cast into the metal itself.

A short walk brought me back to Euston for the train home. I got back to the station at Midnight, and started the long walk home. As I was winding my way through the alleyways and underpasses of this new town, I realised how much I still have to learn about the place where I live.


I also realised that the "Sex Offender" provisions, requiring you to give your permanent address, and tell the police at any other address where you spend more than seven "nights" are utterly pointless.

What is the definition of "spend the night"? Imagine I lived in London, but worked in Edinburgh, and caught the sleeper up on a Sunday night, and home on the Friday, to spend a full weekend at home. Clearly I need to register the Guesthouse in Edinburgh where I spend Monday thru Thursday night, but where have I spent those two nights on the Sleeper? If I don't get home till after midnight, or 1am, or 2am, and I go out to a friend at 6am, and stay there till midnight, 1am, 2am, surely their address is more accurate as to where I spend the night, because I only go home in the morning.

Alternatively, if I work nights, and sleep in the daytime, do I register my work address as the place where I spend the night? Or even as my home address?

What about long distance trunking drivers, who drive 5 nights out of seven?

The release licence conditions are even more ludicrous - I must not spend one night away from my home address without consent of my Supervising Officer. So I can't go on holiday, or even go shopping at night. Again, there's no definition of this.

In fact the whole "Home Address" concept is flawed, for various reasons. However, I will allow the reader to consider why, and look forward to any comments.