Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.
So the weekend with my mother begins. Brought on, I should explain now, by the fact that it's twenty five years since my father's death and I wanted to visit his grave to pay my respects.
Had a very early bath. Worked the afternoon/evening shift yesterday and had overslept. This meant that mentally and physically I was in a zombie mindset. Awake physically but my mind still in the land of nod.
Although I'd planned this visit as early as February the timing had proved to be unfortunate as a friend of my wife's was moving house today and would've been helping out otherwise. The wife was going to spend the day with her anyway. As it was Cardiff though was going to catch the London coach there.
My wife's friend is a perfect example of how life can throw you curveballs when you least expect. About two and a half years ago she was married and comfortable. Then she discovered her husband was having an affair. She is now divorced and moving outside of Cardiff. This is in no way putting myself on a patronising pedestal above her. For she has shown a resilience in the face of a personal crisis that I didn't show when made redundant.
I remember when she first told my wife when she first realised her now ex husband's infidelity. Assuming they were going to chat about things that wouldn't interest me I was in her living room reading (The Heart Of The Matter by Joseph Conrad as it happens. Didn't like it) whilst they were outside chatting. Goes to show that occasionally reading isn't important as the world immediately around you. It was also rather ironic as told my wife I'd suspected (though did not know) that he'd been having an affair months earlier.
Which is why just before 11am my wife took me to the Cardiff and not Bridgend coach stop in Sophia Gardens.
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| Bright in Cardiff |
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| Coach Action |
So off we go. A pre recorded message informs us that there are two "emergency exits" at "the front and the back". The one in the front being how I entered the coach and would leave it many hours later in Victoria. How then is that an "emergency exit"?
We're also advised that there is a toilet at the back of the coach. What we're not advised was how the toilet door made an indiscreet noise horror film style to signal to everybody in the coach that it's being used.
Five minutes later we're in Cardiff castle for another pick-up point. Five minutes after that we're in the university section for another pickup point. I'd feel irritable but I was in the stage of being half asleep and half awake. There would I knew be a moment when I would nod off.
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| Not before stopping at Newport though |
There was a woman on the coach who started to moan about the stiffness of the chairs and the length of time it took the good people from Newport. Was expecting her to moan about the crying baby as well but that didn't happen. Suspect she knew the limits.
No more stops now before London. Explains why soon after we left the stop I entered the land of nod. Half an hour later woke up.....in England.
Passed Membury services. There was still a long way to go. I tweeted that Memburies are made of this. Would've got my coat there and then for that remark if I wasn't on the coach.
The lady next to me is reading a book. I'm envious. If I tried it then the coach would resemble a scene from the exorcist with the carsick vomit that would spew from my mouth.She then starts eating. Which a) makes me hungry and b)reminds me that the first thing I'd need to do on arriving in London is to arrange for a payday loan to buy a sandwich.
Eventually we approach London. The traffic jams begin and the weather is so grey that the coach's lights are switched on.
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| All very neon |
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| And to show how grey things were |
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| London is very fast becoming Blade Runner Country |
Eventually we get to Victoria coach station through the streets of Kensington and Chelsea. Some of which looked surprisingly shabby (though presumably expensively so). I would've taken a picture but my phone was running out of charge.
Got out. Wanted a sandwich but couldn't see anything. Bought a peanut Lion bar instead. Walked outside and eventually went into a shopping centre which sold all manor of things before revealing itself to be Victoria train station .
The underground journey was surprisingly easy. The two trains I needed to take came quickly, to the stops I needed and amazingly of all I had seats. From Victoria to Epping started to read the Helene Hanff omnibus. Finished the first book, Underfoot In Show Business and now rereading 84 Charing Cross Road. Thankfully it's still as good as I remembered it to be the first time
(A quick digression. When I was a London Underground commuter if a train stopped a relevant station we were advised to "Mind the gap". Now the voice says "Mind the gap between the train and the station". What other gap could it be?)
My mother picked me up at Epping station. Wish I could say I did constructive things that evening but was nodding off most of the time.
Besides my feet felt sore.
Until the next time.
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