Missing the bus 5 times and a one minute chat with Princess J

Monday seems so far away, to be precise it was 5 days ago, but the day didn't turn out so good. It was a complete sequence of mistiming and impatience. This is what happens when you spend the entire two days cooped up indoors and not setting a foot out. All because while indoors there's a less likelihood of spending any money at all. Especially since lately it had been dripping worse than a 30 year old tap needing a washer replaced, which is an entirely different story. So waking up Monday morning meant the usual five hours of disrupted sleep because had even a little exercise taken place then tiredness and sleep would of been easier. This pent up energy was spent walking to the bus stop and during the frustrating ten minutes of waiting for a bus then making the decision to walk. However walking in a direction to get on an earlier bus meant eventually missing a total of five different buses. A mile and a half pass and now halfway to work I do eventually get on a red double decker. It's funny as well because lately the buses and traffic seems to be much less than it should be. It can only mean one thing. For some schools the summer holiday has already began. It's nice not to share a bus with a thousand kids who have screeching voices. To work with them would probably mean a compulsory supply of valium and a George Cross medal.

Getting off the bus there was only a few minutes walk into work and sat on the steps was a duck. It was a somewhat odd thing to see. When considering as the doors open up there were about to be a few coach loads of people walking in. Fish factories are like that. In one door and out the other. The duck was quite content to just sit there, like sitting on the steps of a public building was the normal nature of work for a duck. No doubt he was not aware of the two local Chinese take aways, who probably would be serving up the odd portion of his cousin. Not to mention the restaurants, which I have now mentioned.

At lunch I managed to get to chat to Princess J, although the discussion was very short. Being she is three years old and her language is very much still developing. I thought she was saying "can't hear" so spoke louder and told her we'd have to get her hearing checked out. Only then to be advised by Sparkling the little princess was actually saying "cat hairs" because Olly is moulting and the house was covered in them. It was only a few moments and it was a wonderful thing to do, listen to the most wonderful little Miss Trouble there is. Which is also another story altogether.

A Chrimbo Train Journey

Tomorrow I head up to Dundee, it will mean having to get up early in the morning as my train leaves locally at 6:38 a.m., so it's definitely an early rise. I'll be in Scotland for Chrimbo and for the new year. Sparkling will be doing various periods of work, but I'll get to see her most of the time. The only thing I'm not looking forward to on the journey is changing train at Edinburgh and waiting there for half an hour. Then there is the trolly rush for the train at Kings Cross. It's the time of year where everyone is heading off somewhere and they have in tow one of those wheelie bags, trolly like things. Probably loaded up with clothes and prezzies for the people they are about to see. It is madness though when the train platform is eventually confirmed on the notice board. The travellers come in all forms, old, young, wrapped up in coats and scarfs, but they all do one guaranteed thing, the trolly rush. There will be additional porters or ticket checkers all over the place, guiding and making sure the holiday groupies are in the right place, on the right train and hopefully stashing their bags in the "Guard's" carriage. I carry an old black and purple ruck sack which is older than any of my nephews and nieces. Carrying a ruck sack allows for manoeuvrability, but this time round I will probably have a laptop as well. In other words, I'll be partly loaded up. But with a sense of veteran long distance train travel, I know what I'm doing and where I'm going. Which is more than can be said for quite a proportion of the travelling public. You'd of thought they only just found out what a train was, and had probably been sat at home playing trains before they got to the station. They can be a hazard, because there's one thing they don't do, it's think.

Being of calm mind is of great value, in any situation I might add as well. However, you don't have to be in a calm mind to think, but to be aware and conscious. A calm mind helps in thinking. It helps in observing, following directions, opening your eyes and observing. These novice commuters who can tell the time and pack a trolly bag don't always have the full appreciation of being of sound mental faculty. For example. When getting on a train it is usually a good idea to get on your carriage rather than get on a carriage further up from your designated seat. But there will be commuters who see the train and think in their little heads "I must get on this," only then to realise they have to walk through a number of carriages till they get to the right carriage and find their seat. Of course this means they will have to pass a few hundred other passengers who are trying to get settled into their own seats and put their own little trolly bags away. It will happen tomorrow morning. As well as the passenger who thinks somebody else is sitting in their seat, only to find again, they are either in the wrong carriage or on the wrong train and should of got a later or earlier train.  There will be people with the wrong ticket. They will then be asked by the ticket inspector to pay up or get off the next station, if the ticket inspector is feeling reasonable. There will be groups of people who are obviously together and the trip to never-never-land is a wonderful adventure. They will talk loudly, laugh loudly and make themselves a nuisance to all around. Lastly, if unlucky, there is always the possibility a couple of toilets are out of use, or some of the travellers on the train don't understand how to actually use the toilet, because they should push and hold the button down so it can flush but think it should flush with just a quick button press. Not very nice at all.

I may be in a sociable mood or an unsociable mood. It depends on how I feel tomorrow morning. If I am very, very unlucky, I'll be sat next to a person who wants to talk to me the entire journey and I learn is mentally ill, racist, fascist, toffee-nosed, stupid, or boring as shit. It is highly improbably the person I sit next to will have a conversational ability to engage me for six hours. As it equally is unlikely I will. With my new Mexican, come Charlie Chan style moustache I will likely be different from anyone else in looks. Which I am not worried about. I will try and close my eyes and nod off, just hoping if a moments sleep shrouds my weary demeanour the time will pass just a little bit quicker than normal.  As I am not moving about I'll sit there and for a few hours get fat. Hope the weather doesn't get too cold, the in carriage refreshment trolley service is working I am not sat next to a mother with a small baby which has the shits. But as they say, worse things happen at sea, I just can't think of what particular things but only an oversized ship eating octopus might be a little more unfortunate.

Waiting for winter

There I am sitting down catching up on a move from the BBC web site and during the film two actors are outside talking.  I can see their breath.  It's a clear sign of the cold air and at this moment I get a hankering desire to breath in cold air myself.  Now, I'm getting to think I can't wait for winter to get here.  To have to breath of that crispy, chilly air, and feel the cold numb my face after having a close shave.  How after a few days the skin on my hands dries up and they become sore.  Which is part of the uncomfortable side.  In a sense it is invigorating, When you have a warm coat on and have just eaten a good warming breakfast which acts like central heating for your body.  A jumper and thermal underwear act as additional guards to the chill.  It's like I've had enough of the sun and the heat.  When I go to the pub an sit inside out of the sun the air is also cooler an even slightly chilled.  I'm getting my body into gear and am now starting to prepare for the chill.  People at the Fish Factory moan and grown when intermittent cold days hit.  "Oh it's cold today" they will say, but it doesn't stop me from wanting to feel the cold and another season.  It's not because I have a preference for one season above the other, it's a change, and as they say a change is as good as a rest.  This goes for weather as well as anything else.

In Scotland there is always a difference in weather than some miles lower down in the UK, further south, and certainly the London area it is always warmer.  When I take the train to Scotland which is a few hours, I get to feel the differences as it travels North.  The halfway point is a mental marker of getting closer, this is Newcastle.  The train goes over a bridge across the Tyne and then will wait in the station for a moment longer than a normal stop.  It slows down when it crosses the bridge and as it goes into Newcastle station you get to see a little bit of Newcastle.  It is here at the halfway point I know I am closer to seeing Sparkling than I am closer to being in London.  At Edinburgh the train stops even longer as this seems to be a main termination point for travellers.  The castle stands dauntingly high on a wonderful rock formation, the steep rocky incline is covered with netting to prevent loose rubble from cascading uncontrolled down.  However, the cooler environment can be felt a little earlier than Edinburgh.  As soon as the train crosses the border at Berwick.  Edinburgh just stamps this awareness of a chill firmer on your awareness..  It then takes about four to five days to acclimatise or even sometimes more.  It is always amazing how I find the Scots so hardy to cold weather, when I complain they tell me it isn't cold.  Maybe the English have water in their veins.

When I am back in London it feels hotter, because it is.  Then I get to see Londoners walking about chilled and complaining whilst I feel I have some invisible extra coat of warmth.  It's all about relative perception.  But it is nice, and I think these people in London don't know what it's like to be cold, they are a load of nancies.  I can sit with a window open right next to me at the Fish Factory and not be bothered by the air, whereas everybody else is.  It is the legacy of Scotland and I miss it and miss Sparkling as well.  It happens Sparkling is the hottest thing going.  She is like a water bottle, so the cold doesn't bother her as much.  Except for ice cream, which she tends away from, preferring trifle instead. I hope to see Sparkling again soon and have to get my next ticket ordered.

Out of the sunshine and into the winter, out of the cold and into the warmth, or out in the cold but being quite warm.  Come on winter, my arms are open to you, it's about time to.