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.

Worrying sights

Sometimes on the train one is given a special treat when the train stops somewhere that it has never stopped before - this time it was just outside Goring - very lovely. The hills were very pretty in the Autumn sunshine and the colours of the trees were breath-taking.

However the really exciting thing was seeing the train driver walk past my window.

It's a bit like seeing the pilot of your plane walking on the wings.


TTF

PC or not PC

I heard a wonderful sounding programme advert on Radio 4 today..

"Is Political Correctness the new Orthodoxy?"

Political correctness stiffles thought and opinion. Welcome to a world of mediocrity, shades of grey and no real colours.

I feel bored just thinking about it.

TTF.

VISAMAN!

Sometimes it's lonely being a commuter. So you can imagine my joy when Visaman (ex Kingham commuter) got in touch. He has a boring drive to Swindon every day. And he's home by 6pm...

That's part time really.

Git. I'm jealous.

TTF

Bras

Now I know this is a bit strange sounding but please stay with me on this:


I was on the train this week and had to go to London for some meetings. I was working hard on my laptop, attempting to get the 3g card to work for more than 30 seconds at a time.

At Reading, a large young lady placed herself none too gracefully in the spare seat next to me, thus pinning me against the window.

I managed to ignore her in true British style but I did manage to note the items on the tray table in front of her:

1. Large chocolate chip muffin.

2. Ipod

3. Phone

4. Romantic novel.

She took a while to settle, eat the muffin, lick all the chocolate off her fingers (I am not joking) and then turn her attention to the Ipod.

She placed the earpieces in her ears, selected the playlist and then, to my shock, pulled her dress away from her body and placed the ipod in her BRA. She then did the same with her phone on the other side.

Now I don't want you to get the idea that I was watching her every move but I was shocked to the core when I saw out of the corner of my eye what she was doing.

Later on she started a very loud phone chat with some mate to whom she said "CAN I TELL YOU A SECRET?" (Imagine here the whole carriage silently willing the person at the other end to say "no"). "I SPENT £500 ON CLOTHES THIS MONTH AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH ON WINE AND OTHER BOLL**CKS".

Classy.

I tell you no lie that I saw her at the Burger King stand at Paddington.

TTF