please empty your brain below
Sorry if that's ever been me. The agonies I go through trying to phrase a suggestion on the rare occasions I actually know what I'm talking about. I never thought of sending an email... that somehow seemed too serious and personal.

And from someone who can't even blog every day, let alone without typos, I recognise and appreciate that what you do is amazing.

Sarah | Homepage | 20.08.18 - 7:09 a.m. | #

Well I’m more than happy with the content of your blog, and am enjoying the 51½°N series.

In my spare time I produce match programmes for a small Non-League football team. Not as intense as writing a blog, but still open to the odd typo or similar, although my audience is far smaller than yours of course. Yes, spotting an error, especially after sending for printing, is a pain, similar to when you’ve posted your page. At least you can make amendments. I’m stuck with mine!

Rob Healy | Homepage | 20.08.18 - 7:19 a.m. | #

At least the standard of your contributors is way above the BBC. Their comments are often puerile, and their spilling appawling.

scrumpy | 20.08.18 - 7:36 a.m. | #

I don't wish to sound impolite or pedantic but shouldn't the first three lines of this article be in a single paragraph? After all, you're not writing for The Sun are you? Please accept this as my only critisism of your wonderful rant.

milliem | 20.08.18 - 7:36 a.m. | #

You’re pretty sanctimonious when pointing out Tfl’s errors, so practice what you preach.

Mark | 20.08.18 - 7:54 a.m. | #

@Mark: I think the big difference here is that TFL have an army of staff paid surpringly well to get things right - and it is their job to get it right. I think we, and DG, have a right to be sanctimonious when those we handsomely reward screw things up.

TomH | 20.08.18 - 8:01 a.m. | #

I thoroughly enjoy reading this blog and would not dream of criticising it. I wish I had your imagination and enthusiasm for educating us and entertaining us every day.

I read the Guardian anyway so am oblivious to typos

Darren | 20.08.18 - 8:07 a.m. | #

I am delighted to have two entries in the 'over-cautious' section :)

I thought they have been deleted for ever!

PJS | 20.08.18 - 8:12 a.m. | #

A common suggestion is that as DG writes the blog for free then people should not complain about things.

Is DG's response to the comments (provided as far as I am aware for no charge) analogous?

Messiah | 20.08.18 - 8:15 a.m. | #

‘Equally inevitable’ should of course read ‘inevitable’. A common error.

Barrington Halfpipe | 20.08.18 - 8:19 a.m. | #

30 odd examples, any repeat offenders?

Surprised no category for 'rude', Mark @7.54 today definitely qualifies or was he joking? By the way Mark old chap <exemplar of 'rude' category>.

J. | 20.08.18 - 8:19 a.m. | #

For someone that produces an astonishingly high quality of bloggery that is intelligent, consistently interesting and varied - and who rightly is often in receipt of praise and positive feedback by the bucket load... you appear to possess an unusually thin skin.

Frank F | 20.08.18 - 8:59 a.m. | #

That was a most amusing blog,DG. I have often thought, oh for goodness sake,when reading some of the comments.
Keep calm and carry on with your excellent observations. I am enjoying your walking of the fifty-one and a half line through London. 😉

Jo W | 20.08.18 - 9:00 a.m. | #

After the quality and variety of DG's content, the next best thing about this blog is the richness of the comments.

No doubt I am a repeat offender. Apologies if I slip down the scale from polite, concise and flattering towards the pedantic, unhappy, verbose, and sanctimonious.

Perhaps time for me to take a week or two off from commenting again.

Andrew | 20.08.18 - 9:04 a.m. | #

Curses - I thought this was all correct information.

Margaret | Homepage | 20.08.18 - 9:07 a.m. | #

Last word - criticism - I am surprised to be pointing this out so late today!

B | 20.08.18 - 9:11 a.m. | #

2 hours 11 minutes!

Congratulations to B for noticing and pointing it out :)

diamond geezer | Homepage | 20.08.18 - 9:13 a.m. | #

I can't quantify it but it feels like recently that DG has become more aware (or at least vocal) about us lot...

Anon | 20.08.18 - 9:30 a.m. | #

It would seem as though your other reader is very active today!

;-)

Southern Heights (Light Railway j | 20.08.18 - 9:50 a.m. | #

You spotted my 'rude exemplar', DG, well done.

I might add that, like @scrumpy 7.36, I am appalled at what the BBC lets through as comments, everything on football seems to degenerate into ignorant slanging matches between either Man Utd, Man City and Liverpool or Arsenal and Tottenham so called 'fans'. By contrast your few adverse comments are nothing.

J. | 20.08.18 - 10:49 a.m. | #

Anon + Frank F - it may well be that DG now has more time to ruminate about things - also its a more personal blog.

milliem - this can't be a rant as there is nothing that makes DG angry.

Still Anon | 20.08.18 - 10:57 a.m. | #

'Comment is free... but facts are sacred'

C P Scott | 20.08.18 - 11:57 a.m. | #

I really love your blog, even though I have only briefly visited London twice. So you are not a professional historian or writer with appropriate grants. Who cares, and if they do, let them do their own research and churn out daily posts.

Andrew | Homepage | 20.08.18 - 12:11 p.m. | #

One of the problems with online commenting is that it's so immediate and encourages a standard of communication from some that is way below what they might be prepared to say to one's face or even in other written forms.

Given that it takes many hours and often days ( even years ) for some of DG's writing to be developed; the immense thought and care put into it. The least that one can do is pause and reflect and ask oneself, "how would I like to read this comment after spending hours writing something?" - do that before clicking the publish button on your ten second comment.

Unlike an organisational team or newspaper crew inured to the grumblings of their client group and able to collectively share any resulting pain this is a single person on the receiving end of numerous negative vibes - often early in the day in response to something they have worked hard on. Imagine starting your day reading some of the petty nitpicking crap that passes for commenting here at times. Be kind.

drD | Homepage | 20.08.18 - 12:54 p.m. | #

@drD - <unnecessary nitpick>

For goodness sake, lighten up!

Frank F | 20.08.18 - 1:25 p.m. | #

A very good article, I'm sure everyone can relate to it at some point or another during the course of writing reports.

Also, is "critisism" in the last sentence spelt deliberately incorrectly or just an unfortunate typo?

dg writes: Thanks Paul. An excellent example of category 5 (Flattery), combined with the extra special category (Pointing Out An Error Somebody Else Has Already Pointed Out).

Paul | 20.08.18 - 1:31 p.m. | #

Hey Frank F
Ah yes, if only I'd thought to be 'lightened up' when responding to something so heartfelt and personal. Ho hum.

drD | Homepage | 20.08.18 - 1:42 p.m. | #

I apologise for making a contribution to the 'sanctimonious' category. If I'd looked a bit more closely at what was written, it would have been in one of the better categories.

X-Plaistow | 20.08.18 - 2:13 p.m. | #

At the risk of seeming somewhat pedantic, is there meant to be a full stop in the heading ".The concise"?

dg writes: For future reference, you could have stopped here.

Forgive me if it is deliberate, but it looks as thought it might have escaped from the end of the previous line.

(Looking at the HTML source code, the next heading is in "<u> ... </u>" tags, but appears on the same line as the last example in the previous section, and the stop has slid to the wrong side of the "</blockquote>". I hope you are not wrangling all of those HTML tags by hand, so perhaps the software screwed up?)

Yes, that was somewhat pedantic wasn't it. Sorry.

Andrew | 20.08.18 - 2:19 p.m. | #

Critisism!!! Lol - I hadn't even noticed until someone pointed it out!

I just read and enjoy.
Some would do well to remember the old saying "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all!"

Cornish Cockney | 20.08.18 - 2:40 p.m. | #

Cornish Cockney
*applause*

drD | Homepage | 20.08.18 - 3:03 p.m. | #

I’m not much good at flattery
(But think your blog is great)
I always try to be polite
And no pedant but – fate!
Unhappily, when cautiously
Concise and not verbose,
I am mistook, and known instead
As.........

St Timbo-nious | 20.08.18 - 3:52 p.m. | #

The comma after the word "made" in the fourth paragraph is redundant. Ruined the entire post for me.

Pedant | 20.08.18 - 3:57 p.m. | #

none of this will stop the pedants being pedantic

Caz | 20.08.18 - 5:08 p.m. | #

"Nobody enjoys a patronising pedant".

Nobody? Really??

Fred | 20.08.18 - 5:24 p.m. | #

I did wonder if anyone would dare comment today.

I think I've come into several categories in the past. In our defence we are attempting to communicate with someone we only know at all through the blog (and who knows us even less), who we mostly don't want to offend or upset, but who seems to welcome our comments, sometimes enjoys a bit of banter and ultimately can block them anyway.

More generally I've been ruminating on the whole business of this comment box and its dual role of allowing comments on DG's post and on other comments. Open it too early and there's nothing to read; too late and there's no point commenting as few people will read it afterwards. Opening it twice seems obsessive...

Andrew S | 20.08.18 - 6:38 p.m. | #

@Andrew S
Opening the box twice or more is not necessarily obsessive. Depends on the Blog subject.
I well remember the blog about reoccurring road names which I found intriguing, did a bit of research myself (and contributed), and with the wealth of knowledge and dedicated assistance of fellow readers got the definitive answer early evening.
A good day: fascinating blog, and wonderful interaction of all the audience to a succinct conclusion, 'including matters of opinion, shades of argument or issues of perception'plus good old fashioned archives.

scrumpy | 20.08.18 - 7:49 p.m. | #

could be worse

Grumpy Anon | 20.08.18 - 11:32 p.m. | #

This is a wholly positive comment. You write. I read. I like it. Thank you for doing it.

Sally | 25.08.18 - 7:48 a.m. | #

Obligitory XCKD: https://xkcd.com/386/

Miles Archer | 27.08.18 - 5:18 a.m. | #











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