They Took Up the Trees and Put ‘em in a Tree Museum

This week saw us celebrating International Taxi Driver Day, those who know me will know of my deep affection for the iconic London Black Cab.

Happy Friday friends.

This week saw us celebrating International Taxi Driver Day, those who know me will know of my deep affection for the iconic London Black Cab and those who drive them, with 200 years of tradition they are still regarded as the best cab driver in the world, year after year, due to the service they provide, the complexity of London’s road systems and the stringent testing course known as “The Knowledge”.

By the time they have passed “The Knowledge” the London Black Cabbie will be able to navigate and recall over 25,000 streets, roads, avenues and terraces and be able to fluently describe to the examiner where to find countless thousands of points of interest, stations, museums, restaurants, pubs, hotels, churches, theatres, hospitals, palaces etc… Average study and pass time is 4 years.

It should also be noted that I’m quite proud of “The Knowledge” after passing it in 2009.

Medical studies proved that London black cabbies have a greatly enlarged hippocampus after studying the knowledge, which is the memory and recall part of the brain.

No matter which digital platform comes next there will always be a place for London’s, chatty, knowledgeable and famously opinionated Black Cabbie, there is no better tour guide to educate you about London and it’s rich history or where to get the best cup of tea and a sausage sandwich

My second favourite best taxi is the Big Yellow Taxi, not the iconic New York ones, quite often, the passenger may be required to tell them which way to go.

Now, Big Yellow Taxi, the song written by Joni Mitchell way back in 1970. Although written during the hippy era the lyrics and the message are way ahead of the time.

Incidentally, I prefer the Counting Crows version from 2002, give it a listen.

In coming blogs I will write about other people who were laughed at and ridiculed for expressing their environmental concerns only to be proved right.

But just have a look at Joni Mitchell’s words

“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot

Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

They took all the trees and put ’em in a tree museum
And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them

Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Hey, farmer, farmer, put away your DDT
I don’t care about spots on my apples
Leave me the birds and the bees. Please.

Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone?
They paved paradise to put up a parking lot
Hey, now, they paved paradise to put up a parking lot”.

The sentiments aren’t wrong are they?

So I’ll raise a glass this week with the greatest respect to the wonderful Black Cabbies of London, and also to the likes of Joni who seek to make the world a better place.

Sign up to the Syntech Biofuel newsletter