Nightmare!

Robbie asked me very sheepishly if I would pick him up from the station late on Saturday evening when he gets back from the rail tour. I can think of better things to be doing at that time of night but I agreed on the strict understanding that tomato ketchup should be off the agenda for the foreseeable future. I didn't realise how soon I would have cause to regret banning that subject. When Robbie finally came to bed, he cuddled up to me and started talking about Barry Doe. What is the opposite of an aphrodisiac? It is not a pleasing thought at any time but at bed time it is a nightmare.

Barry Doe has annoyed Robbie and many others by repeatedly publishing inaccurate and unfounded criticism of Cross Country Trains. They say it is a big man who can admit his mistakes and apologise, if that is the case I suggest that Barry Doe would be at home in Lilliput. Having had thoughts of Barry Doe forced upon me, I lay there listening to Robbie's rant and feeling absolutely sick and tired of that man's name. I quite like reading Rail Magazine, but just recently it hasn't been good for my blood pressure (or Robbie's) and I began to wonder if I should ban it from the house and allow Robbie to buy his other favourite magazine instead. I know he sneaks it in 'under plain cover' from time to time, but maybe I should just let him get every issue because it would not annoy me as much as Rail Magazine has recently. Just in case you were wondering, the other magazine is The Grocer!

Getting back to Cross Country, I have thought of a good marketing idea for them. I think they should should take out huge advertisements in Rail to inform the travelling public that Barry Doe is banned for life from travelling on their services. I'm sure it would be a great selling point. Can you imagine sitting next to him on a long journey? That man is probably responsible for driving hundreds of passengers away from the railways for ever! Come to think of it if Cross Country did that the other TOC's would probably do the same. Perhaps they could find a remote stretch of preserved railway that he could travel backwards and forwards on just to keep him occupied - preferably on a remote island somewhere.