Oh how we love our fellow passengers...

London today.  Trains actually worked well mainly down to the fact that I limited the amount of time / mileage that I spent on the train.

On the way home this young fellow stropped his way on to the train, threw his bag down and slouched in the seat behind me. He spoke in an unintelligible way into his phone and then turned to the nice gentleman opposite and said "Oi mate dis trai' goin' to Redding?"

Gentleman: "Yes I believe it is".
Oick: Where else it goin'?"
Gentleman: "I believe it finishes in Gloucestershire eventually."
Oick: "ug".

It made me think of someone at work who said to some oick: "you can't expect to be taken seriously unless you make the effort to speak properly and to control  your emotions".....

I wonder if we have a real problem in this country where there will be a generation growing up unable to interact in any vaguely eloquent way.....

Anyway, enough navel gazing.

I have returned

So I got on the train today. 10.11.2010.

I got the 8.24 at 8.27  which was lucky as I was running late.   Went slowly all the way. Boring... But got some work done.

Got the train home. left 15 mins late on a much smaller than usual train. Late due to reports of a body on the line at Iver and someone acting suspiciously at Twyford.. No... that's just what happens in Twyford.

Got in my car. Felt achy and abused by the rail network.

So nothing much has changed in the time I've been away...  But at least I got to my meeting in time thanks to the services of a London cabbie.

The Highway Patrol

Anyone who still reads this will remember my general dis-enchantment with the "Train Managers" apart from 1 or 2 helpful exceptions.

I now have a similar irritation with the imitation policemen who turn up to every flat tyre incident on the M4.... aka the Highways Agency highway patrol.

Last week, they shut an entire lane of the motorway so that someone could have their tyre changed...

I know there are plenty of examples of lorries running onto the hard shoulder and flattening anyone in their way but just a bit more thought in this situation would have helped - it delayed traffic on the M4 in to London at rush hour by at least 20 mins.....

Grrr.. (as usual)..

TCF (the car fellow / treating customers fairly)....

LWW

FAO: Trainman

Delighted to hear your Bicester journey is going so well. I have to say, the M4 has been relatively easy and it gives me a lot of flexibility. Famous last words I guess.

Interesting to see how Beeching's cuts are being undone - the Cotswold Line and the back on the agenda doubling of the line through Kemble.

Best to avoid blogging at the wheel as Plod doesn't look kindly on it. Unless I could dictate to the internet and then I'd be a blogging nightmare!!

All the best

TTF

The M4-fellow

I'm giving some serious thought to changing this blog rather a lot...

I've been very silent for quite a while - partly due to a severe case of the "I can't be bothereds" and the fact that I've deserted Worst Great Western and have started driving.

This is down to cost and flexibility. I want to get home on my terms, not FGW's. That and the price increase to the trains has made me use the car. I actually save money!! £3 a day!

So the options that remain are:

1. Do a blog about driving... (things I've seen such as bad driving, police convoys, white van stories or waiting for the Park and Ride bus).

2. A really pedantic blog about how people mis-spell things or use incorrect punctuation. Especially on professional signs. I hear that someone else already does this so maybe there's another option yet to be identified.

Thoughts please.

Cold comfort

The new timetable is working well then.... 1st day and my train was cancelled. More embarassing was the fact that I had my most reverend and excellent friend Hitch (see blog) with me. I was hoping to introduce him to the high speed life I live when commuting.

It was not to be. The exciting, new, 7.15am train just didn't happen and it took the best part of 3 hours to complete the journey to work. Fortunately Hitch and I had a lot to catch up on so we didn't mind the slow trains as much as we might have.

It does seem to me that the change to the timetable just seems to confuse the whole network and we all have a bad day as a result.... So may I suggest something?

On the first day of a new timetable, work from home or take the car.... if you can....

http://hitchmo.wordpress.com/

TTF

I can't be bothered

I confess that, in recent weeks I have not been bothered to write on this here blog.

I must note that we've had some exciting new announcements on my little journey to work - "in this festive season, please do keep a look out for any suspicious items OR PEOPLE and report them to a member of staff or a police officer".

Yes, how festive.

Yes, officer, that man over there. The one who looks like he isn't from round here....

That's gonna work.

Grumpy TTF.