please empty your brain below
No problems for me to read about sightseeing in Devon, I am glad you are filling in some of your missed areas of the UK by heading west. Hope you might get to Cornwall and North Wales soon.

Nice to see your tea intake remains fairly consistent.

How you manage to fit this blog activity in with a work schedule is quite an achievement, you must have a lot of stamina.

Thanks for your effort.

John | 28.02.17 - 7:13 a.m. | #

As one of your daily readers and occasional commenters for quite a few years, I'd like to say thanks for writing the first thing that I read on the Internet each day and that footpaths in Thamesmead or from one Heathrow Airport Terminal to another are exactly what I come here for.

Marc | 28.02.17 - 7:17 a.m. | #

Variety is the spice of life! Mmmmm. Thanks

Ken | 28.02.17 - 7:41 a.m. | #

Someone's law says that a measure always becomes a target. So, as a very occasional commenter (but absloutely regular reader) I thought I would up the month's comments count by one.

And of course to say thank you and please keep going!

Peter Cameron | Homepage | 28.02.17 - 8:03 a.m. | #

Here's another comment for the count.
Thank you,DG,for providing us with your thoughts for the day,on whatever subject. Reading about a footpath,a day out,a train or even Bus Stop M is always of interest to someone who,like me, is plain nosy when it comes to a view of other peoples lives.
I raise my half pint mug of 'builders' to you,DG. Cheers! 😊

Jo W | 28.02.17 - 8:21 a.m. | #

On the point of Comments I would observe that this year you have Responded to more Comments.
And you have adopted colour-coding for comments that start to veer off the track.

Both improvements are appreciated and absent from all other blogs that I visit.

Keep up with the great work - and tvm.

BTW, what's Tl;dr ? Thameslink doctor, perhaps ?

Petras409 | 28.02.17 - 8:25 a.m. | #

Just wanted to add another thank you! I started looking at your blog around 2 years ago now, and as soon as I realised you posted something every day I have been hooked.
As you say, the variety is what makes it - occasionally I skim read a post if it isn't of interest to me, but most of the posts are relevant and lots are quirky with a style that is very unique.

Keep up the good work!

| 28.02.17 - 8:33 a.m. | #

At last! I have an excuse for my comparatively pathetic blogging output. I do need eight hours sleep a night!

Thanks again DG for every morning's best read - it's not what you write about; it's the way you write it - makes even esoteric bus stops interesting.

Sarah | Homepage | 28.02.17 - 8:38 a.m. | #

Petras409 - Tl;dr is an abbreviation for "Too long; didn't read". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TL;DR

Jamesthegill | 28.02.17 - 9:03 a.m. | #

I'm pretty sure your blog got me into blogs and although many have declined I am pleased that DG is a constant. I'm afraid I am one of those RSS feed people dragging down your daily visit total so add another 27 on from me.

Wheels | 28.02.17 - 9:25 a.m. | #

I enjoy reading your blog, and it is rare I find a post of little interest.

What I appreciate most, having moved to London in 2010, a year or two after starting to read, is that, at least once a month, I go on an outing, or visit a place, because of something I have read on the blog.

Keep it up!

The Banbury Man | Homepage | 28.02.17 - 9:48 a.m. | #

But of the 105 trains, how many did you not know where they were going until they pulled in?!

EonLeader | 28.02.17 - 10:16 a.m. | #

"...hardly "must read" subject material for the average person in the street." Glad we are not average then.
DG is the only blog we go to. And every day too. Many thanks for being out of average.

Herbof | 28.02.17 - 10:20 a.m. | #

As a regular reader and irregular commenter I'd like to add my thanks. It's an astonishing feat, DG, to write so much on so many varied subjects in such an interesting way.

Please keep up the good work! Very selfishly I'm pleased that the mystery count remains at zero. I suspect that any other figure might distract you and adversely affect your blog!

Martin | 28.02.17 - 10:25 a.m. | #

Fascinating stuff as usual! I do love a good Count.

What happened in 2006 to make the number of visitors and comments jump so sharply?

May I also add my thanks to you for your most excellent blog, and look forward to many more posts to come.

Cornish Cockney | 28.02.17 - 11:13 a.m. | #

I've often wondered if there are months when the mystery count would not be nil ... maybe February is just a bad month

Caz | 28.02.17 - 11:31 a.m. | #

(Commenting from Nagoya, the easternmost location I have ever been)

Fantastic as ever, though I'm still interested in what DG has worked to make his mystery count count.

Patrickov | 28.02.17 - 11:57 a.m. | #

Mystery count = legovers?

Wole | 28.02.17 - 12:05 p.m. | #

Yet another appreciative long time reader, infrequent commenter here! And another who was introduced to blogs by DG, when my daughter began studying at Queen Mary UoL, mid 00s. And have found (almost) every post of huge interest. Even Bus Stop M! Keep going please DG, you're my favourite way to start the day

Christine | 28.02.17 - 12:08 p.m. | #

@caz I wondered precisely the same; or whether we would even want the mystery count to be anything other than nil. Better the number we know...

louise | 28.02.17 - 12:33 p.m. | #

I'm sure almost all possible candidates for the mystery count have been canvassed over the years, including the count being the number of times that someone correctly guesses the subject of the count, or the number of times DG misses a blogpost, or something smutty or prurient.

I suppose one might ask whether there is much point in "counting" something that has never had a number other than "zero".

Anyway, keep up the good work, DG. We all appreciate it. Especially those of us who are "obsessive" (perhaps that should be "dedicated" or "engaged" :)

Andrew | 28.02.17 - 2:19 p.m. | #

I, much like the other commenters, really enjoy the quirkiness (I think I've even said this before) of your blog and posts.

Even if I don't comment every day, I visit and read every day.

There are a lot of people that really enjoy the randomness and human touch to your posts.

Please keep up the excellent work and, as the driver on my TfL Rail train has just announced to a chuckling train-load - happy pancake day!

Rob Healy | 28.02.17 - 4:21 p.m. | #

We've been reading your amazing blog for three years now. We have visited quite a few places, exhibitions etc after reading what you have written. Please keep going, although we have wondered how you find time to go to work and visit so many places!

Sara | 28.02.17 - 4:26 p.m. | #

I don't know you how you have the energy to hold down a job and do all the blogging and travelling.

Thanks!

Chris | 28.02.17 - 5:07 p.m. | #

@ Wole

Couldn't help laughing at that. It seems the most likely answer given the known facts. It could also be the one count that would end all other counts; for if it was to start it may prove the end of the blog...so for the blog not to end, it perhaps thus must forever remain at zero.

E | 28.02.17 - 5:17 p.m. | #

I don't think the mystery count could be anything of which publication would involve infringing the privacy of another person. DG is too much of a gentleman (in the good and old-fashioned sense) to publicise a count of any such thing.

Malcolm | 28.02.17 - 6:20 p.m. | #

Great stuff, as always. Don't stop. Don't sleep more. We are counting on you! ( Sorry, couldn't help myself).

Sally Hirst | 28.02.17 - 7:40 p.m. | #

Jamnesthegill -
Thanks for the explanation
Petras409 - Tl;dr is an abbreviation for "Too long; didn't read".
I had never heard of it before, but I can now think of several instances where I can use it. We're never too old to learn something new.
Thanks again (via DG).

petras409 | 28.02.17 - 10:27 p.m. | #

I also visit daily and no matter what the subject, I always find it interesting. You can turn something that could be construed as mundane into something witty and informative. Nothing better than to brew a cuppa and sit and take a break reading your latest escapades.

I live in Telford and my favourite posts of your were the Brum ones. I'd recommend Ironbridge if you're ever back over this way.

And may I hazard a guess as to the zero count for Feb? Valentine's cards?

Don Logan | 28.02.17 - 11:05 p.m. | #

Mystery count = number of trips into space. Or maybe trips on the Metropolitan Line Watford extension

John Styles | 28.02.17 - 11:10 p.m. | #

As an ex Londoner who has lived in Western Australia for many years and a daily visitor to this blog, I give a big thank you to DG for an entertaining and well written blog

Herbof's bruvver | 01.03.17 - 2:47 a.m. | #

'Allo Bruv. Great 'ere innit?

Herbof | 01.03.17 - 9:11 a.m. | #

Please consider leaving the password to this blog and the spoiler re the mystery count in your will ... just in case.

Antipodean | 01.03.17 - 12:33 p.m. | #

Another very long time daily visitor origin se London now se Asia. I reckon the zero count is the amount of companies dg has publicised when asked..

Colininthailand | 01.03.17 - 2:14 p.m. | #

Full data not yet available, but visitors to the Diamond blog are probably about 60% of Dangleway February levels.

At current rates, with Diamond Geezer readership increasing at 5.2% p.a. and Dangleway ridership declining at 1.7% p.a., you will be more popular than the cable car around 2023. If it lasts that long.

Wolf | 01.03.17 - 2:34 p.m. | #

It's that strange day of the year when I have to keep reminding myself I can stop counting everything.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 01.03.17 - 7:25 p.m. | #











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