Rail Replacement

Two words that bring into the imagination all that is good and bad. But what are these words, I hear you ask dear reader. Dare you ask? Are you ready? 

Train Replacement Bus Service

The four dreaded words emblazoned in glowing letters on a bus as it drives down the rural country lanes with dark, tall, ancient woodlands either side at night. The darkened double decker barrels down the road, pitching over the potholes while passengers precariously perusing paperback pulp. 

I remember being on a train from London Charing Cross bound for Battle. Independent and living in Battle. But I had to get back and the train slid to a halt outside of Sevenoaks. An announcement came on the tannoy, some coaches would take us from Sevenoaks to the other stations. You could imagine the drivers being woken from a Sunday evening siesta. The train moved, inching its way towards the terminal frontier of Kent. Three coaches for a whole train. This was pre-Covid. I think it was even before smartphones. As I found out as the coach came to a grinding halt outside of Sevenoaks but four miles south instead of North. The coach driver knew nothing as he gleefully told us he worked in the office. After 10 minutes of this, I walked out of the coach and said I was getting a taxi, anyone want to join me? The silence was deafening as they retired behind their papers and paperbacks. 

A walk to a newsagent in the next town, one down from the terminal train terminus. To get the information for a taxi. It would cost £90 to get home. Expensive but I could ask Network South East, possibly, and so just as we head off, taxi and I, with a vehicle big enough to take another six people. All empty seats awaiting the souls of all but one of the dwarfs (or is it dwarves, just like roofs and rooves). But then there was a call on the taxi driver's phone. Could we pick up some people from a coach up the road. Inwardly I chuckled, I had told the driver about what happened and I said yes to collecting them. 

By the end of the night and knowing more about the driver, we had dropped off six grateful passengers close to their homes, they paid their way and with a generous too and my travel to Battle paid back. I was left with £50. 

What did I learn from this, never look at a gift horse in the mouth when it is outside of a locked stable. 

Cherry Blossom over water

Cherry blossom fallen on a trickling low pressure fountain in a stone vessel. The constant sound of moving water certainly helps if it is situated closed to the staff toilets. 

But why does the sound of trickling water, descending over wet rocks, crashing over a waterfall help people to urinate?  

Starting Again 9th of May 2021 - scenes never photographed

A couple of days ago, Friday, after getting the second Covid jab. Given early'ish for carers. I had the Asta-Zeneca jab if you wanted to know. Listening to the radio, once again if you wanted to know - it was Radio 2, and Taylor Swift's Shake it off was playing. So I stop in front of the train crossing, the red lights flashing and no train in sight. The gates had already descended but they were shaking up and down. As if in time with the music. 

It is one of those times, that you wish you had a photograph or maybe a film camera. The gates bounced up and down, shaking it off.