“I never travel without my diary. One should always have somethingsensational to read in the train.” - Oscar Wilde

Thursday 15th August

I didn't want to get up when the alarm went off, but if we were going to get the best out of the day we needed to get up and get going. Despite initial reluctance Robbie was out of bed and into the kitchen while I still clung to the duvet.

We were on the road before 9.30am and by 10.00am we were pulling into the station car park at Holt. For the third time this holiday we were at the North Norfolk Railway, sitting on the first train of the day with a cup of tea (coffee for Robbie) waiting to depart. What could possibly be better than this? I love the feeling of anticipation with the whole day stretching ahead of us. I don't mind if I travel on a coach or compartment that I've travelled on before, I don't mind which engine is out, and (unlike Robbie) I don't even care if we depart late, I just love the whole experience. 

The railway was very busy today and we had more than our fair share of badly behaved brats travelling on the trains. As a parent and step parent I know that coping with children can be challenging but it is up to the parent to set limits and to say 'no' and mean it when necessary. Why on earth do they think that it's acceptable for their 'little angels' to stand on seats, to yell at the top of their voices throughout the journey and to behave in a way that spoils the experience for everyone else. One little horror who rejoiced in the name Caspian had a father who was so pathetic that I wanted to shake him and tell him to man up and control his child. Who calls a child Caspian for heaven sake,  with a name like that its hardly surprising that the boy has issues. 

We spent the earlier part of the day dodging badly behaved children, but it didn't stop us enjoying the railway. There is something about Weybourne in particular that makes you feel calm and relaxed and the Ladies toilet is so wonderful that you can't help smiling. The black five and the 5619 were out today, they are both interesting, 5619 was making a strange blowing noise again today, we heard it making the same noise last Wednesday but it sounded fine on Sunday so I don't know what is wrong with it. 

I must admit that I tend to prefer diesels rather than steam so I always look forward to the last two round trips from Sheringham. Today we had a Class 101, Robbie likes it, but it is not among my favourites. To me it feels like being on a bus and I'm not into buses in the way that Robbie is. We sat at the front in the seats behind the driver and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. The view through the front windows enables you to see things which you would usually miss, so we took lots of photos. When we were departing Holt we saw deer running across the field and Robbie even managed to get a photo.

Lost for Words!

I was cross when Robbie woke me up this morning, I am never to keen to get up but today I was annoyed because I was having a dream about moving house and he made me miss the ending. I don't know where I was moving too or why I was moving, but I was angry with one of the removal men and I was just in the middle of telling him that I had employed him for his muscle power not for his oppinions and if he couldn't conduct himself properly he could take his spurs and leave because there are plenty of other cowboys who would be glad to get the work. That is when Robbie woke me, just as I was starting to enjoy it! I have no idea why I had that dream, I haven't moved house for 18 years and I have no plans to move. When I stopped to think about it, I realised it was 18 years almost to the day since we moved, but I hadn't thought about that before the dream. Spooky!

Anyway Robbie was very organised this morning because he is going to Cambridge via London today. I upset him by suggesting that it would probably be much easier to travel by coach instead, he was horrified by the suggestion and he informed me in no uncertain terms that people who work for train companies do not travel by coach. I could have reminded him that thanks to Network Rail, most regular rail travellers frequently find themselves travelling by coach. I didn't say any of that because my composure crumbled and all my attention was focussed on trying not to laugh. Robbie was standing there hands on hips looking deeply indignant wearing only a pair of socks and a tie! It was only later that I wondered why anyone would put on their tie before their shirt!

To Birmingham and Back Again

Yesterday passed me by in a blur of agony. Clearly I insulted my flu bug by referring to it as 'just a cold' on the blog on Thursday, and it decided to show me exactly who was boss. By Thursday evening everything ached and my thermostat had gone mad, and by Friday morning I was ready to curl up and die. It is now Saturday evening, I am still feeling fragile and breathing is a bit of a challenge, but at least I can face the bright lights of the computer again. So rather than dwell on my aches and pains I will write about something completely different instead.

Last week Robbie took me to Birmingham for the evening. This may not sound very exciting but it is a big event for me because it involves passing through that God forsaken place known as New Street Station – I really hate it and I avoid it at all costs. Our journey started at Northampton Station, it is a while since I have been there and it will be a while before I go there again, the parking charge is a rip off! I hoped it would be a more pleasant experience than when it was in the hands of Silverlink. The best thing about the station was the hot chocolate from the coffee shop. The station staff seemed a little more cheerful and they has swapped the severe 'border guard' look of the Silverlink uniform for the 'slept in look' of what must be the most boring uniform ever. The station itself looks more unloved and shabby than ever, I'm not sure anyone could love a building that looks and feels like a farm shed, but I feel sad that this is the first impression that travellers get of my home town. Oh well, it could be worse, Coventry station takes 'grim' to a whole new level.

The journey to Birmingham was good, we travelled on a 350, it was surprisingly comfortable and it was a pleasant journey. I can't complain, but however perverse it sounds I miss the good old 321's and I miss the Silverlink livery that always reminded me of a Cadburys Dairy Milk wrapper. So there you are you have proof that Robbie is not the only weird one in our family when it comes to trains. All good things come to an end and all too soon I found myself in New Street Station. It didn't seem to have changed, there were the usual announcements about platform alterations and breathless and confused passengers with a demented look in their eyes sprinting from platform to platform in search of their trains. I know they have to announce platform changes, delays and assorted misery, but why do thy choose someone with such a grating voice that it sounds like nails being dragged over a blackboard?

We made our escape from the gloom of the station to the grim reality of the street. I never feel safe in Birmingham and I struggled to keep pace with Robbie, nothing would slow him down because he was heading in the direction of food. He took me to The Big Wok because he was sure I would like it – I didn't really, but to be fair I was probably coming down with the flu by then. Robbie made up for my lack of enthusiasm, in the interests of good taste I will not detail all that he ate but I can't resist mentioning the beef curry. I watched him polish it off incredibly fast, it looked as if he was melting like an ice cube in the sun, but he said he enjoyed it. I am sure that man would eat absolutely anything!

We enjoyed our evening out at the theatre, but afterwards we had to head back to the glories of New Street Station. The 'welcoming committee' defending the ticket barriers looked distinctly unapproachable and uninterested. Their uniform also had that 'slept in look' - obviously London Midland are a bit lacking in the imagination and style department! We had a while to wait for our train but I was happy enough on the platform watching the train dispatcher (he was rather nice) and having a good look at the 323 that was waiting to depart. The London Midland livery was hideous, the world should not have to endure that much green, but as soon as the engine started I cold tell that under all that war paint it was still the loveable, quirky 323. I love the way it sounds like a slot machine when it pulls away, you can hear it best from inside the train, but even from the platform there was no mistaking the sound.

Finally our Pendolino arrived and we were safely settled on board. For the first time that evening I felt safe, I'm not sure what it is about Virgin, but I love travelling on their trains. Unfortunately we had to abandon the Pendolino at Rugby in favour of a smelly old coach. Virgin failed to announce that passengers for Northampton needed to leave the train at Rugby, but at least they had a couple of friendly looking 'care bears' on the platform to point us in the right direction. Rugby Station looks like a bomb site, hopefully it will all come good in the end, but it is hard to imagine it happening in my lifetime! The coach journey was cramped, uncomfortable and scary, the driver threw it around as if his sole intention was to scare us to death. We arrived at Northampton safe but shell shocked, and I can honestly say I have never been so glad to see my car and to feel in control once more.

Making Life Difficult

What could be better on a bank holiday morning than getting up at the crack of dawn to drive Robbie to Kettering in the rain just because there are no trains running from Northampton today. Quite a lot of things would be better, actually but I got the short straw, so I drove him to Kettering with Robbie rambling on about diversionary routes and amended train plans. He was extremely eloquent (but unprintable) when detailing the inadequacies of Network Rail. The return journey was nice and I enjoyed the peace and quiet of an empty car!

When I got home there was just time for a cup of tea before I had to take Emily to work. Robbie rang me later in the morning to give me a detailed account of his journey to Birmingham via Derby! It would have been so much easier if he'd taken the bank holiday off, but when did Robbie ever do anything sensible?

I had a call from Robbie to tell me that his planned return journey had fallen apart, I can't remember exactly what the problem was but he had all sorts of contorted plans to get back without travelling by coach. I wasn't impressed and I told him in no uncertain terms that he should just follow his normal route and put up with the coach replacement, and just for once he did as he was told! He didn't get home until 8.30pm, but if he had tried to get home by train I would probably have still been running around at midnight!

To Ski or Not to Ski? 24.02.08

Sam arrived home on Saturday afternoon, I was really looking forward to having him home again. He had only been gone for a week but when he got off the coach he seemed taller and more grown up than I remembered. His face was tanned and he looked happy to see us, his first question was fairly predictable - "What's for tea?" The luggage was unloaded from the coach and we headed home with Sam's huge case bursting with enough washing to keep me busy for a week! In fact the only thing that remained neatly folded was the black bag that I had given Sam to put his dirty washing in. Typical boy!

I had taken advantage of Sam's absence to sort out his bedroom, to reorganise his clothes storage and to remove all the clothes that he has grown out of. So many things were crumpled or out of place that by the end of the week it felt as if I had laundered every single garment that he owns. It is so frustrating to see how many things no longer fit him, it seems as if I only bought some of them a few months ago, but at 13 he is doing a lot of growing.

He said he had a good time in Austria, and I think he was quite pleased that he was better at skiing than he expected. Interestingly he said he wouldn't want to do it again, but that doesn't matter, it is nice that he has had a chance to experience skiing. He said the food was really bad, but he is not very adventurous when it comes to food. It is great to have him home again.

The Painstaking Process of Packing. 16.02.08

This was written on Thursday morning.

The packing for Austria continues, I think Sam is more or less ready now - and I am totally exhausted! Last night I labelled all his clothes and got everything folded ready to be put into his case, I still have a couple of pairs of jeans to turn up and a few things to iron, but that shouldn't take too long. Last night I took Sam out to buy the ingredients for his packed tea, etc. He is surprisingly rigid in his ideas about packed food, if it should be hot he will not eat it cold, so that rules out sausage, sausage rolls and all sorts of other things. He likes BLT sandwiches, but not unless they are very cold, the same goes for yoghurt, and similar things so we can't pack anything like that. In the end he bought a couple of cereal bars, some wholemeal snacks, some fruit and a jelly. According to Sam the only thing that will stay at it's optimum temperature on the coach is honey, but he can't bear to eat it in sandwiches, so today I have to pop out and get him a mini pot of honey and some Rivita and he will have to take a knife and do it himself! I don't suppose he will starve, so I'm not going to worry about it.

His school is making the arrangements excessively complicated. I have to deliver Sam in full school uniform with his luggage and his regular school bag. He has to do a full day at school but he can change into his own clothes at lunchtime, I then have to wait outside school at 3.35 collect his school bag and school clothes. It is potty, it is all about putting ticks in boxes so that the school can meet the government's mindless targets, there is no consideration for parents or pupils.

Saturday morning.

Well, my hopes of being almost ready for the trip proved very wide of the mark. Sam was allowed to take a rucksack and a small pillow as hand luggage and the rucksack needed to contain his packed food. He had packed his own bag and it was already bursting at the seems before I had even attempted to pack his food. I had to investigate but when I attempted to move the bag I could hardly lift it. I removed assorted unnecessary 'essentials' but I was speechless when I found that Sam had packed his safe complete with combination lock! I have worked with enough probation clients over the years to have picked up a few 'skills' and managed to open the safe to reveal to pens, a lip moisturiser stick and a selection of sweets. Much to Sam's disgust the safe was 'grounded' but he took most of the contents. He and I conducted a bit of a war of attrition regarding the packing, I packed, he re-packed, I put it back as I left it and he modified it again. This continued several more times, the main argument centred around a a 4 gang extension lead, three jars of honey and a years supply of Lynx toiletries that Sam was determined to take! He is so like Robbie sometimes! We also had a bit of a performance regarding his passport and health card, but finally he and his luggage was safely delivered to school. I returned at the end of the school day to collect Sam's school clothes and bag and as I left the boys were boarding the bus ready for their very long journey to Austria.

Railway Time 12.04.07

Robbie has an interesting and somewhat limited grasp of geography, it runs on rails. If a place has ever had any sort of railway provision Robbie will know about it, he will know of all the other places served by that line and he will be able to reel off all the significant dates connected with it. In Robbie's world if a place has never has a station it doesn't exist and he will have no knowledge about it. His brain only works in railway time and space, he will know the timing between two stations to the second but if two places are not linked to each other by rail he hasn't got a clue. I was therefore surprised when he randomly provided me with the coach time to travel from Crewe to Torpoint. He went on to provide the coach times from various other places to Torpoint. I couldn't help asking why anyone would want to go to Torpoint and he informed me that he had obtained the info from a document giving the replacement coach time between stations for occasions when the line is blocked. I felt obliged to state the obvious, Torpoint doesn't have a station, and the nearest station St Germans doesn't have much of a service. Apparently Robbie had overlooked this! He said maybe it was the nearest option for Saltash (clutching at straws). Sure, as the crow flies they are not that far away, but as a car journey it is about half an hour! I have left him pondering on the need for coach times to Torpoint.

This morning he told me that on Tuesday there had been problems getting from Northampton to London due to a fire at North Pole Depot. Now I am convinced he has a problem with geography. Or maybe that is why my trains are always late if everything runs via the North Pole!