I Sometimes Wonder Why

He was in quite a state when I first met him. He'd had an unhappy time and he hadn't been taking care of himself, he was completely lost. He was a mess, but despite his unkempt appearance there was something about him that made me take notice of him. I didn't intend to let him move in, it just happened, one day he turned up on the door step and by the next day I had agreed that he could stay.

He was cautious at first, it took him a few weeks to adjust to family life but even then he was high maintenance. It cost a fortune to sort his teeth out, he had dodgy feet too. We spent even more to make him look respectable again, but the expense didn't stop there. He has an insatiable appetite and he will eat almost anything, he would even eat the food off my plate if he got the chance! He is not exactly good looking but what he lacks in looks he makes up for in ego. He likes attention, but only on his terms and if things don't go his way he sulks and swears and lashes out at anyone who gets in his way. He acts as if he owns me, he is a bit of a flirt, but if I dare to pay attention to anyone else he is not amused. However inapropriate,  he will position himself right next to me and stick to me like glue making it impossible to ignore him.

He often sits there looking out at the world, flirting with the ladies and swearing under his breath at any male that he sees as a threat. Occasionally he takes himself off for a few hours, who knows what he gets up to, but he always comes back when he is hungry. He has some horrible habits, he is a little too open about his bodily functions and he eats things that are only fit for the bin, but when I tell him off he takes no notice whatsoever. He really does think that he is the boss and perhaps he is right. He treats me like a servant and I let him get away with it! I seem to spend my life running around after him, buying his favourite food, clearing up after him and making sure that he is well looked after. 

Why do I do it? because I love him, he is the best cat ever!

A Nasty Taste in the Mouth

Robbie is a bit of a mixture, in some areas of life he is very open to new ideas, in fact it is hard to keep up with him at times, but when it comes to changing a brand that he is used to it is a very different story. He is fastidious about hygiene and he has to have the right brand, 'flavour' and size of the many toiletries he uses. If a brand changes the shape or size of container, or heaven forbid if they change the fragrance I know that we will be in for a difficult few weeks. Last year we faced a couple of problems like that, his trusted brand of deodorant not only changed the shape of the container, they changed the contents.  I had to agree with him that the new fragrance was horrible, it made me cough and according to Robbie it wasn't nice on the skin. After lots of moaning he grudgingly agreed that he had to change and I set about finding a suitable replacement with the right smell and a container that met his specifications. I was lucky I stumbled across a less well known brand that met his needs perfectly - and peace was restored.

Then horror of horrors they discontinued his flavour of mouthwash. I scoured the town looking for it, but in the end he had to face facts and try another brand. I bought several, but he wasn't impressed, then we found one that met with his approval. It wasn't cheap and he gets through it remarkably quickly, but it was worth it for a peaceful life. Then towards the end of last year the supermarket had his mouthwash on offer, it was better than half price so I stocked up. During the offer period I bought about a dozen bottles, which were left in the kitchen for several weeks because there was no logical place to store them. In the end I prevailed on Robbie to find a space and put them away. Imagine my surprise when he told me last week that he had run out of mouthwash and he needed me to buy more - at full price! I couldn't believe it, and under close questioning he conceded that he may have put the bottles away and forgotten where they were, but he thought it was more likely that I was mistaken and perhaps I had brought my son's brand rather than his. I am rarely mistaken! He wouldn't let me search for it at the weekend as he had tidied up, but I had my suspicions about where it was and when I had the house to myself today I played hunt the mouthwash. I found it stashed away next to the freezer (not sure why) so he now has 9 bottles to keep him happy!

Tracking Down the Trousers.

When it comes to excuses my family have always been more imaginative than most, but Robbie is in a class of his own. When he asked me to brave Birmingham on a Saturday he knew very well that I would say no, the thought of visiting Birmingham at any time fills me with horror. So he needed a good excuse to persuade me to join him on a trip to Birmingham on a Saturday. He announced that he had left his trousers at work and he needed to go and fetch them. It was not as worrying as it sounds, the railways were not brought to a standstill by the sight of Robbie in his 'smalls', the trousers in question were his long awaited new M&S trousers and he'd left them on his desk. They could have waited until Monday, but having waited weeks for them to have his size in stock he didn't want to risk them getting lost. 


Robbie's track record when it comes to losing contact with his clothing is careless at the very least. His raincoat made an unplanned trip to to Plymouth without him last year when he left it on a train, he has previously left trousers, a hoodie, other sundry garments and his notebook on various trains. He has even dozed off and left himself on the train before! So rescue missions to recover missing items or a stranded husband are not uncommon. I grudgingly agreed to accompany Robbie on a trip to Birmingham to collect his trousers and we decided to make it a fun afternoon (not that 'fun' is a word that I would usually associate with a visit to Birmingham). 


It was interesting to visit Robbie's office, it is rather nice. We also visited a couple of shops, Muji where I bought a set of nesting dolls for my next art project and Cybercandy which is amazing. I have bought items from their website before, but it was nice to visit the shop and see all the confectionery products from different countries. I was most tempted by the cans of 'soda' they sell root beer and I love root beer! They also sell Tab, just seeing that can brought memories flooding back. Robbie promised me a visit Starbucks, I prefer Costa because they do much nicer tea, but Robbie likes Starbucks and I have to admit that their fruit toast is rather nice.  

It is the false shame of fools to try to conceal wounds that have not healed - Horace

We are on holiday and we should be away from the everyday cares of the world, but the news over the last few days has been so appalling that it has been impossible ignore it. News of the rioting and looting in London and other cities has made me feel so ashamed of my fellow citizens. There really is no excuse for mob violence, they have made people homeless and devastated countless businesses. They don’t seem to care that people have lost everything, homes, livelihoods and jobs are gone and so many communities have been deeply scarred.



Robbie and I have reacted differently, I don’t want to look, I just want to cover my eyes in shame, and Robbie on the other hand can’t stop checking for the latest updates. His work place has been affected, other rail companies have been badly affected, nearby shops have been looted and damaged, big city centre shops have suffered serious damage and normal life has been brought to a halt. I am thankful that we are on holiday because I would be so scared for Robbie if he was at work, it may sound selfish, but because of his spina bifida if he got caught up in any trouble even a relatively minor injury to his back could mean he would never be able to walk again. I just keep wondering why such young children are on the street running wild, what on earth are their parents doing?


Apart from keeping in touch with the news we managed make the most of the day. We went to Mundesley, there were lots of people on the beach despite some rather impressive waves. The highlight of Robbie’s day was a visit to the Beach Café for lunch, their food is excellent and the portions are so generous that even Robbie can’t eat any more. I am making him keep his distance because he had onion rings with his lunch!


We visited Stalham on the way back, we had to pop into Tesco for milk and bread and supplies for our packed lunch tomorrow - Robbie is determined that we have to go to the North Norfolk Railway. Oh well at least there is a nice bookshop there!

Feeling Invisible

When I was a very young child I enjoyed stories about a magical little man called Mr Pink-whistle who had all sorts of adventures because he could make himself invisible. I liked to imagine all the mischief that it would be possible to get up to if I was invisible. In books and comics invisibility is a common theme, from the Invisible Woman, the first female superhero created by Marvel (who just happens to be as old as me) to Harry Potter and his cloak of invisibility, the ability to disappear has brought them power, excitement and adventure. People will tell you that in real life it is not possible to become invisible, but it is, the difference is that in real life it is a very lonely and isolating experience.


There is a dutch artist called Desiree Palmen who creates amazing phots of invisible peope. I like the pictures, because they express visually how I feel sometimes, not exactly invisible, but not quite there, perhaps the right term would be overlooked. An infection in my inner ear left me with balance problems, dizziness and slight hearing loss. It has been like that for years and I cope quite well most of the time, but I don't cope well with crowds or noisy environments. I am used to the dizziness but sometimes in crowded places I feel very unsteady and vulnerable, it is almost like a shrinking feeling. It reminds me of Mrs Peperpot a storybook character created by Alf Prøysen who never knows when she is going to shrink.


The other day a friend of mine asked "if I ceased to exist would it matter?". She was not threatening to end it all, she was just feeling invisible and she was posing a very important question. I know quite a lot of 'invisible' people, people who for various reasons struggle to fit in. For some struggling with a disability makes them feel isolated especially when it is a hidden disability that is not understood by others. Mental health problems can be especially isolating and some people who are weighed down by worries, fears or sadness feel that life is going on around them but nobody knows or cares about them.  


We all take life for granted until something puts our future or the future of someone that we love at risk. Then we suddenly review our values and we realise that the things that the world thinks are important don't really matter at all and we learn to value the little things and the things that do not have a price tag such as love, friendship, time, health, warmth, sunshine and freedom. It is true that each life is just a tiny insignificant speck in the sands of time and that when someone dies the world carries on just as before. However the answer to my friend's question is yes, it would matter if she or any of those invisible people ceased to exist. 


It would matter to everyone who loves them and cares  about them. A person who ceased to exist would live on in the memory of every life that they touched, and most people touch many lives in one way or other. Someone who had hurt or wronged them would never be able to ask forgiveness or put things right and they would have to carry that guilt through life. If someone ceased to exist, the good that they may do in the future would not happen. They could not pass on the wisdom that they had gained from their life experiences or prevent others from making the same mistakes, they would not be there as living proof that you can get through the bad stuff. They could not encourage others or set an example for others. Finally if someone ceased to exist the people who love them would be devastated, they would always wonder 'what if ...' For some it may perhaps be one loss too many and the pain and grief may change their lives for ever. 


So why am I writing about this? Partly because April is National Autism Awareness Month. I have close family members with autistic spectrum disorder and I know how confusing and isolating life can be at times. However I also know that he is interesting, clever, loving and very special. Don't miss out, look around you for the invisible people, don't be afraid of difference, please don't pass them by. 

Theyre Back!

The Story So Far

Late last nigh when the house was quiet and Robbie and I were relaxing in the lounge, the missing Lego men reappeared. Robbie spotted them on the bookcase in the hall but they certainly hadn't been there earlier in the day, it is a mystery. The surfer and the karate champion have now been joined by a weightlifter. Robbie was so pleased to get them back, after a brief appearance in on the mantelpiece where they made a rather a rather odd addition to the crib they were taken to the safety of our bedroom, so hopefully their travels are over!

Taken Hostage

Robbie is a man of many passions, as well as his obsession with all things railway related, buses, die-cast models, music and vinyl records, he loves Lego and he has started to collect the little Lego men that are sold in individual packs. He already had the surfer and the karate champion and I bought him some more for Christmas, but his two originals went missing on Christmas Day. They were found on boxing day morning hidden on the bookcase with Wii games, so when we set the table for lunch Robbie put them on the mantelpiece to keep them safe. They made an odd addition to the crib, we now had 3 kings, a shepherd, a surfer and a karate champion visiting baby Jesus!

When we sat down to lunch Robbie noticed that his men were missing again, he was not a happy chap. In fact judging by the fuss he caused, I thought he had been abducted by aliens and replaced with an 8 year old! In the end he was pacified when I promised that I would find the Lego Men, but unfortunately that has proved more difficult than I expected. The prank seemed to have Sam's signature on it, but after close interrogation I am satisfied that he didn't do it. With a slight smile he said that he wished he had thought of it, because it was funny but he couldn't take the credit for this one! I questioned the girls too and I am not convinced that they know anything about it either. Having searched high and low I am wondering if they were accidentally thrown out with the debris from the crackers. Robbie on the other hand is convinced that they have been taken hostage and he is expecting a ransom note in the post any day now - or perhaps we will receive a series of postcards from well travelled Lego Men!!

A Moment of Panic

I was just getting ready to go to work yesterday when the phone rang. As always I had to sprint downstairs from the bathroom before the answer service cut in. A worried female voice at the other end asked if it was me, then she identified herself as Emily's friend Fi. Panic set in as soon as I realised who it was because Emily is away on holiday with a group of friends including Fi, if Fi was ringing something must have happened to Emily and her boyfriend. As it turned out Emily and everyone was was fine, they had all decided to cycle the Camel Trail from Padstow to Wadebridge, but Fi and her boyfriend were a bit slower than the others and they got lost. They did not have their mobile phones with them so Fi rang me from a pay phone to ask me to contact Emily. The others had to do a lot of cycling to find them, but in the end they were all reunited. I guess it is hard to keep a mobile charged when you are camping, but it shows how important it is to have a phone on a trip like that.

All Good Things Must Come to An End

On Saturday morning we made an early start and after packing the car we were on the road by just after 8am. It was refreshing to get on the road again after the very narrow (and sometimes scary) Cornish lanes. I was very sorry that our holiday was at an end, but since we had to go home I just wanted to get the long journey behind me.

It seemed to take forever to get to Exeter but eventually we were on M5 and Exeter was behind us. We stopped at the services and managed to lose Robbie. Sam Laura and I had all got back to the car, as sat there enjoying a long awaited cup of coffee and a snack I saw three trains go past, but still no Robbie. I thought there must be something seriously wrong if Robbie was missing out on trains, they were only FGW but even so trains are like magnets to Robbie. I tried to phone him but there was no reply, I seriously considered driving off without him because I didn't want to lose the advantage of an early start. Eventually he appeared and all became clear, he had been to Mc Donalds to by breakfast and there was a massive queue. He knew better than to buy anything for me, so I drove of as the others tucked into stinky breakfast snacks. I wish I could train Robbie not to hum when he eats, it really drives me mad but he claims he doesn't know he is doing it.

Robbie survived and we made steady progress towards Bristol and then on to the M4, we made a brief second stop at a service station, this time Robbie only escaped my clutches long enough to buy a Rail magazine before being escorted back to the car. The rest of the journey was uneventful, I got a bit irritated with the sat nav because it wanted me to go a different way and I knew that my way was better. That woman gets a real edge to her voice when I don't follow her directions, in fact I am fairly sure that she sighs when she says 'recalculating'. My ideal sat nav would have the voice of David Attenborough, I would follow him anywhere. To be fair the sat nav is a whole lot better than Robbie because it doesn't shout out when it sees a train, it doesn't fall asleep when it should be looking at the signposts and it doesn't time every journey according to rail times!

We got home safely at about 2.30pm, so we made reasonable time. Sam insisted on being dropped off at his girlfriend's house and as soon as we got back Laura went dashing off to uni to see her friend before she goes home. I was too tired to face unloading the car, we just took the essentials inside and after a welcome cup of tea I went to bed for a well earned nap - I love my bed. I had been looking forward to seeing Emily, but I had to wait until the evening to see her. Meg (the dog) and Dave and Oreo (cats) were pleased to see us, but I think it will take Dave a few days to completely forgive me for abandoning him, he thinks he is my shadow.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

It seems that Robbie is aspiring to become a Mills and Boon writer - in other words creating a work of fiction that doesn't sound real and expecting the readers to suspend their disbelief! He didn't get as far as writing it down but the more he repeated the story the less believable it became.

Robbie managed to upset me during the afternoon. I was having the day from hell, in fact it is no exaggeration to say that it was the week from hell. Things were going wrong at every turn, it felt like a line of dominoes falling over. I will not bore you with the whole list of problems, but the final straw was the car not passing it's MOT, needing several expensive repairs and not being ready until Monday or Tuesday. The frustration and expense had me really worried and when I told Robbie about it all he could say was that he was OK because he had his bus pass! I felt so upset that I put the phone down, so he was in a mood with me and I didn't hear from him again that day.

Robbie was due home soon after 6pm and after a dreadful week I was looking forward to a 'normal' evening. Six, seven and eight o'clock came and went with no Robbie and no contact. I guessed that he was out enjoying himself and he wasn't going to tell me because he knew I wouldn't like it. The trouble is that it is always possible that he could have had an accident or been taken ill and as time went on I couldn't put those thoughts out of my mind, so by 9pm I was angry and worried.

10pm came and went and there was still no contact so I got on with all the evening jobs and at around 11pm I locked the front door, took the key out and went to bed. I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew it was 11.30pm and I got a text thanking me for locking him out - he had forgotten his key! I got up and let him in, but I was in no mood for excuses and I went straight back to bed.

The next morning he told me that he had gone out for a drink because I had annoyed him. He'd caught the train to Rugby but had dozed off and only woken up as he was departing Milton Keynes for Euston (any excuse for a bit of cranking!). He then had to buy a ticket to get back home. He said he didn't bother to text me because he was annoyed with me. To borrow a word from my son - whatever! I hope his adventure was worth a night on the sofa!

Wishes Do Come True

I was busy writing a couple of evenings ago when a horrible though popped into my head. I looked up and asked Robbie what he had done with his flasher mac. I was met with a rather sheepish look and a reluctant confession, apparently he left it on the train a couple of months ago and it got stolen. I could easily believe that he could leave it on the train, he must have the most well travelled clothes in UK but I couldn't believe that anyone would steal it! Who would want a flasher mac - Inspector Gadget perhaps! I asked if he had checked lost property and he said that he had checked at Euston, Northampton and Birmingham without success. I hated that coat and many times I wished he would lose it, but now I hope he finds it again because if he doesn't he will spend £50 on a new one and I can think of a lot better things to do with £50!

Total Panic

I must have aged at least ten years last night. Sam went out to an event connected to his youth group, he left the house at about 5pm and everything seemed fine. He was getting a lift home with a friend and was due back at about 9pm but he didn't turn up. Robbie got increasingly worried and kept trying to call Sam, but he didn't answer his phone or reply to texts. Robbie rang me as soon as I left work, I was so worried, I tried to ring him but he didn't answer my calls either, so I drove around looking for him just in case he had wandered off after being dropped off. By nearly 11pm I was terrified, I went home to pick Robbie up so that we could go back and have another look at the church, it seemed to be in darkness but perhaps there was still someone there. I tried yet again to call Sam and this time he answered, he was on his way home, I was so relieved. He had turned his phone on to silent and lost track of the time, so he had no idea that we would be worried. His first question when he got home was "Am I grounded?"

After that episode we both needed a bit of time to unwind. Robbie sat in the corner with his headphones on listening to loud music on his laptop. I glanced across at him and almost burst out laughing, he was nodding his head and opening and closing his mouth he looked like a fish version of a nodding dog!

Oh Mr Porter What Shall I Do ...............

Robbie had been out playing trains, but I was expecting him back at around 5pm. The possibility of him getting lost didn't cross my mind because it was the inaugural outing of his high visibility coat, so he would have been impossible to lose. I phoned him at about 4pm and there was no reply, and he maintained telephone silence from then on. By 8pm I was seriously worried, but I still couldn't contact him, then at about 8.30pm he phoned sounding more than a little embarrassed. He had fallen asleep on the train on the way back from the south west, he missed his stop at Birmingham and ended up in the deep north! It could only happen to Robbie!

Conspiracy Theory

Robbie is still going on about his yellow T-shirt. He insists that I hid it because I was intending to demand a ransom for the safe return of his top. There are several flaws in his theory, but I can assure you that if I had hidden his T-shirt, he wouldn't have found it! I will admit to private fantasies about a mixed wash accident, but if I removed every item of Robbie's clothing that offends me he would spend his life naked! The truth is that he didn't look properly, I have kept a packet of chocolate fingers in plain view for over a week without him finding them and he still hasn't spotted the Polish Jaffa cakes that I bought two weeks ago!

You Can't Be Serious!

Last week Robbie insisted that I had lost his favourite yellow top, allegedly he had searched everywhere and he couldn't find it. I hadn't touched his T-shirt, and I knew that it wouldn't be far away so I didn't take much notice of Robbie. The next thing I knew he arrived home from work with a new seriously yellow top, it was so yellow it almost knocked you over! He claimed that everyone at work loved it - maybe they are all colourblind! I didn't like it, it gave me a headache just looking at it, and anyway after all the drivel emanating from the Liberal Democrat conference this week I don't want to see anything yellow for a very long time. Surprisingly as soon as he had replaced his 'lost' top the original reappeared, I have my own conspiracy theory about that!

Robbie has been in a serious strop recently, and in the process of acknowledging that he had said some deeply unpleasant things he offered to have his mouth sewn up, it will not happen of course, but it is such a tempting thought! Unfortunately Robbie and silence are strangers to each other.

People Who Don't Know Where They Are Going......

I have mentioned before that for many years I had a poster on my office wall that said 'People who don't know where they are going usually end up somewhere else'. It seems that Robbie is living proof that the poster is correct, he went to a meeting earlier this week, but he hadn't checked the venue and he found that he was in the wrong place! Fortunately he wasn't too far away and he was able to get to his meeting, but he has suffered a bit of teasing about it. I hope these little slips don't happen more often now that he is officially 'old'. No, he hasn't had a birthday, but his son Seb, will be 18 next week and that makes Robbie feel very old!

Ladybird, Ladybird, Fly Away Home.......

Sunday was so hot that I couldn't cope with being in the sun for too long. Sam and I went out in the morning, Robbie had decided last night that he didn't want to come with us, he wasn't in a bad mood he just wanted a quiet morning with his Sunday paper. Sam wanted to go to the car boot to look for books on photography and he found four really good books for next to nothing. We made a quick detour to Tesco to get a few essentials for Robbie and then headed back to the beach.

Robbie and I took a walk along the beach, there were so many ladybirds that it was making Robbie cross. They seemed to be attracted to his bright yellow top (perhaps they thought he was a huge flower!) He was fairly OK about them until they tried to go up his shorts, he took that as a personal insult and after doing an interesting little jig he called the insects some very insulting names! I paddled in the sea, I didn't have the excuse of paddling with children but it was fun anyway, the sea was warm and calm. Robbie sat on the beach and watched, he doesn't paddle, he prefers to keep his feet dry, after all if he got too close to the sea he would risk getting his favourite shorts splashed. Usually I pretend that I'm not with him when he wears his 'extra loud' shorts, but they have their uses, I have no chance of losing him on a crowded beach – however hard I try!

I Don't Believe It!

We have six children, and who is it that always gets into scrapes - Robbie!! I had a lonely, but very busy evening trying to catch up with all the jobs needed before our holiday and I was feeling very tired when Robbie phoned. It was his Corporal Jones voice (don't panic Mr Mainwaring) and if the pitch had got much higher he would have strangled himself. I am not sure if he was more afraid of the situation or the prospect of telling me, probably the latter! He stuttered and stumbled around the subject before admitting that he had 'got lost' in Birmingham New Street Station, found himself on the wrong platform and missed his last train home. Once again I had to make a mercy dash to Rugby to meet him, he got a train to Coventry and a taxi to Rugby!

Surprisingly for Robbie he wasn't very talkative on the way home, in fact he was snoring long before we got back to Northampton. It was 1.30am before we got home, he woke up as I reversed onto the drive, thanked me, humped out of the car and trotted into the house, leaving me to take care of myself. By the time I got in he had already made himself a pile of sandwiches and sliced up a mini pork pie. He was having an animated conversation with the cat who had managed to steal a slice of pork pie! I was so tired, that I headed straight to bed leaving Robbie and the cat exchanging insults while enjoying their midnight feast. Next time, I will leave him stranded!

You Don't Understand!

This a quote from Robbie this evening, to get the full effect you should know that he was waving his arms around and looking anguished as he said it. "You don't understand, they are mine, they mean everything to me and nobody should take them away from me". With all that drama you could be forgiven for thinking that he was auditioning for a part in Eastenders, but believe it or not he was talking about his lost socks!!

In The Dark

Coming second in favour of a train in Robbie's affections wasn't such a big surprise, but last night I found that I came second to Network Rail - now that was a surprise! He'd promised to be home by 8pm but there was no sign of Robbie, just a text to say he wouldn't be too late; it's a good thing that the cat is good company or I would start to feel neglected! I lost track of time and when I looked at the clock it was well past 11pm, so I expect him to ring fairly soon asking for a lift from the station. Some time later the phone rang, it was Robbie, but he was totally incoherent, I couldn't make sense of anything he was saying. When I had calmed him down and reminded him of the need to take a breath it became clear that he was lost. He had set out to walk to Birmingham International Station, but the route he knew was locked and in the course of searching for another way into the station he had got lost. I gave him some practical things to do and when he rang me back he had got to the station but by then he had missed his last train. There was one last train to Coventry due soon after midnight, so we agreed that he would get that and then get a taxi from Coventry to Rugby.

While the intrepid traveller was tackling the next stage of his journey, I set out for Rugby in the car. It was a very strange journey, familiar routes seem so different in the dark. I got to Rugby just before 1am and I didn't have to wait too long for Robbie to turn up. He seemed very subdued, maybe he expected me to be angry, but it seemed pointless to be cross, after all he didn't do it on purpose. We saw two foxes on the way back as well as other assorted wildlife, but the only thing I was interested in seeing was my bed. It was almost 2am when we finally got home, Robbie made me a cup of tea, but I was so tired that I was asleep before the tea arrived.

When the alarm clock went off at 5am I was so sleepy that I really didn't want to get up, but Robbie was determined not to be late for his meeting - with Network Rail. After last night I think they must be extending their sphere of influence, I have become accustomed to their various strategies to delay trains and inconvenience passengers, but they managed to delay Robbie before he even got to the train!