Do As You Are Told!

Last weekend Dave (the cat) and I had a nice quiet Saturday while Robbie had a fantastic time on a rail tour to Penzance. By the time Robbie got home I had gone to bed so I didn't have a good look at him until the Sunday morning. Most blog readers will know that he likes nothing better than trotting around in his pants - only in the house, it scares the neighbours if he goes out like that! Anyway I noticed that he had cuts and grazes on his legs and when I questioned him he didn't have a clue how they had happened. Robbie's legs are a bit challenging (rather like their owner!) and what would be a fairly trivial cut for most people can be a real problem for him because things take so long to heal, in fact they often get worse rather than better. So it is hardly surprising that I was determined to bathe the cuts and put some antiseptic on them before they had a chance to go bad. Robbie, who still deludes himself that he is Superman, had other ideas and he was equally determined that his legs would be fine without any attention. I gave up on him because I knew that he would meet his match later in the day, and sure enough he had only been at my mums house for ten minutes before a large tube of Germolene was produced and his legs were duly anointed. The tube of Germolene was sent home with us and Robbie promised to take care of his cuts and grazes. Taking care of his legs has involved me chasing around the lounge armed with antiseptic several times this week and until yesterday he was adamant that he would be fine. Yesterday morning he was forced to admit that one of the cuts was now green and nasty and looking very angry and will need to be dressed to prevent it getting even worse. The problem is that he is going on another rail tour in a week or so and I am wondering how to protect his legs from whatever he managed to scrape them on last time - shin pads seem a bit extreme for a rail tour!

Photos From the Rail Tour

50 Years Old and Still Awesome

We had to get up stupidly early on Saturday morning to catch a train to London in order to spend a day with the other female in Robbie's life, Royal Scots Grey. We were going to Edinburgh on a rail tour. It was refreshing to actually find a parking space at the station and miraculously for London Midland our train arrived on time and the journey was relatively uneventful. Euston was busy even at that hour on a Saturday morning, but we had time to choose some magazines and make the obligatory visit to the toilets. For once it was worth 30p in terms of cleanliness and facilities, but why can’t they choose paper dispensers that actually work, there is nothing more frustrating than being able to see that the toilet paper dispenser is full but having to battle to get it!

We arrived at Kings Cross in time to buy a much needed hot chocolate or in Robbie’s case coffee, before boarding the train. Robbie showed me to my seat and immediately abandoned me to go off and take photos of his beloved Royal Scots Grey. The train pulled away but there was still no sign of Robbie and for a few minutes I wondered if I would be making the journey without him. He finally turned up, he had been chatting to various mates on the train.

Tea and coffee was brought to our table, the waiter was absolutely gorgeous, and I realised that the trip may be more interesting than I had anticipated! I have to say that the tea was the worse I have ever tasted in my life, quite an achievement when you consider that Cross Country tea is unimaginably bad! Breakfast came and went, the waiter was considerably more interesting than the food, but Robbie happily tucked into all the food that I didn’t eat – except the porridge, that defied even his appetite! The combination of kippers and black pudding in close proximity almost reduced me to tears, the smell was too much to bear, but once the food had been cleared away I cheered up considerably. My good humour was in part due the two men across the aisle leaving the carriage for an extended period, one had a phone which alerted the whole coach to every incoming text and call and the desire to harm him had become overwhelming.

If breakfast was disappointing, lunch was tragic, even Robbie had to send food back uneaten and that is unheard of! I almost wished that we had got out at York and gone to the NRM or something, but at least I was able to look forward to getting to Edinburgh and finding a decent cup of tea and something to eat. The heating was on but it was incredibly cold for the whole journey, not helped by the catering staff needing to keep the door to the vestibule open most of the time. My feet were like blocks of ice, but Robbie was even colder than me. He kept himself busy looking out of the window collecting train numbers – so sad!! I had a book to keep me occupied and one of the passengers nearby was interesting to talk to. He was sitting next to a harmless but totally potty chap who was so obsessive about his specialist subjects (track bed issues and bogie design) that he made Robbie seem almost normal.

The costal views were nice as we travelled through Scotland, but the early start caught up with me and I found myself nodding off. When we arrived in Edinburgh Robbie (and everyone else) trotted off to the front of the train to take photographs of Royal Scots Grey. I was somewhat disconcerted to find a man playing the bagpipes next to the train, but we were in Scotland so I should be tolerant. When the piper finally finished playing there was loud cheering – I couldn’t help wondering if the people were cheering so enthusiastically because it had stopped! Robbie got his photos and we headed off to Café Nero for a long awaited cup of tea and something to eat. It was nice to meet some of Robbie’s friends and finally put faces to names.

When we headed back to the train I was right next to Royal Scots Grey when it was powered up. I can see why Robbie is so passionate about Deltics, it really is rather awesome! Robbie insists that RSG is a she, and considering ‘she’ is still going strong and looking amazing at 50 maybe he is right. I had high hopes of the evening meal on the return journey. After lunch they had asked us if we wanted soup (tomato and basel) or pate for starters. I don’t like basel and I don’t eat pate, so I had to forego the starter. We were told that the main course was steak and ale pie, this filled me with horror as I am tee total for religious reasons and I do not eat food cooked with alcohol. I was offered chicken as an alternative and I asked if it was just plain chicken and was assured it was. I was able to enjoy a bread roll while everyone ate their starter, then everyone was given a plate and served with very tempting looking steak and ale pie and their vegetables were served at the table. I sat there plate-less watching them eat, eventually a waiter came out and offered me a plate with a piece of chicken doused in some fancy tomato like sauce, I rejected it as I don’t like fancy sauces and strong tastes and I had specifically checked that it was just plain chicken. It was taken away and when everyone else had finished their main course I was presented with a piece of chicken on a plate with the vegetables already on my plate. The chicken was too pink for me to risk eating it so for my main course I had cabbage, I would have gladly eaten more cabbage but I was only given a tiny serving. We waited and waited for our afters, when it eventually came I was disappointed again. It was a brown songey thing smothered in the sickliest sweet caramel sauce with something that alleged it was cream around it. One taste was enough to make me gag, it was far too sweet and the so called cream was disgusting. So for my main meal I had a couple of mouthfuls of cabbage, a bread roll and one biscuit for cheese - thank goodness that I bought emergency supplies at M&S. I was longing for a cup of tea, but we had to wait until we were well past Durham before we finally got a drink.

So what were my highpoints of the day? I met some lovely people, I got to see Royal Scots Grey close up –it really is awesome, I saw the Emirates Stadium, that waiter really was very cute, in fact all the staff were friendly and helpful and they made the journey very enjoyable. There were only two low points, I was so cold and for me the food was a big disappointment, in fact it reduced me to tears! To be fair about the food Robbie enjoyed some of it especially the steak and ale pie. I would certainly go on a rail tour again, but next time I think I would choose the non-dining option. I have enormous respect for the staff, they work very hard to make sure that everyone has an enjoyable time.

Every Picture Tells A Story

When Robbie goes on a rail tour I get sick of hearing about it. Before he goes he talks about the route, the engines, the arrangements and what he plans to wear. When he is there he rings me to tell me where he is, what he is doing and being Robbie he makes absolutely sure that I have all the details. When he gets home he shows me the photos and tells me about it all over again and just to be absolutely sure that he didn't miss anything! He is always tired when he gets home because according to him he works very hard during a rail tour, but thanks to a photo taken by one of his friends I know just how exhausting it is. As they say, the camera never lies!!

I am not usually overjoyed about Robbie going off on rail tours leaving me on my own for the weekend with all the routine chores to do. I would rather spend our weekends together because weekdays are very busy and we have very little 'us time'. I guess the moral is to be careful what you wish for because Robbie has arranged a 'special treat' for me - he is taking me on a rail tour. I told him that I wasn't keen on going but he said that he loves Deltics and he loves me so I should love Deltics too! When that didn't work he pointed out that we are a similar age so I should like Deltics - that certainly didn't work!! I do quite like travelling by train but I would rather travel on a proper train with an electrical socket to plug my laptop in. As it was my treat it should have been my choice, but there was no way that Robbie would miss the chance to see his beloved Royal Scots Grey.

I Should Have Stayed in Bed

Robbie went off on a rail tour in the early hours of this morning, so I had the day to myself. I decided that I would get up bright and early and head into town for one or two important purchases that can not be put off any longer. My bed was very comfortable and it was hard to force myself to get up when another half hour in bed listening to Radio 4 seemed so tempting, but I overcame temptation and plodded off to the bathroom. Oreo was sitting at the top of the stairs begging to be fed, I ignored his pleas and sent him back downstairs. Oreo brings out Robbie creative side, I was very impressed by his use of alliteration the other day when he chased the cat out of the kitchen calling him a "Furry Fat F..............". Ever the opportunist Oreo noticed that I had not closed the bedroom door properly and when I came back from the bathroom he was curled up on the end of the bed next to my mobile phone listening to Traffic Line! He must have stepped on the phone and hit the speed dial and found the only number there that will be charged on top of my call plan - typical!

When I came downstairs I found that a scale version of the Alps had been created on our kitchen floor. This was further evidence of Robbie's unique approach to life. He had to stay awake until the early of the morning and he said he would make a start on the weekend laundry. The 'mountains' were Robbie's version of sorting the washing into various loads according to colour - all I can say is that he can identify trains by colour and livery far more accurately than he can sort laundry! I re-sorted the loads and restored some sort of order to the kitchen, then I went to town - not my favourite Saturday morning activity but I couldn't put it off any longer.

I accomplished quite a lot in an hour and by then I'd had more than enough of town it was far too crowded for my liking. The next job on my list was a brief trip to the supermarket, Well, it should have been a brief trip but it seemed as if the whole world had chosen that moment to go to Morrisons, so even parking the car was a challenge. Then when I got inside it looked as if I would never get out again because they had no basket only checkouts working and I refuse to use those dreadful self serve things that shout at you as if you are simple and then announce to the whole store that you have 'a problem in the bagging area'! Finally I got served by a real human being and I was free to enjoy a nice afternoon visiting my friend..

On my way home I had three missed calls from my daughter and two more from my son, so I pulled over and phoned them to see what was wrong. I was relieved to find that there was nothing wrong, my daughter just wanted to make absolutely sure that I would be home in time to give her a lift because she was going out with a couple of friends - nice to know I have my uses!

Why does he do that?

Those people who read the blog regularly will know by now that Robbie's thought processes are random to say the least, but he still manages to surprise me sometimes. His mind wanders at the most inappropriate times. I am sure he thinks that I have a pause button - like the television. At the weekend he interrupted an intimate moment to tell me about a bus tour next year, needless to say the moment was lost. I am sure his colleagues think it is funny to fill his head with this daft information, don't I have enough problems with him and rail tours without telling him about bus tours as well. So beware, I know who you are and I'm not amused!!

Decisions, Decisions.

It seems as if the blog has focussed a lot on aches and pains recently, I try not to sound too gloomy, but as I write about the ordinary events of family life it is hard to avoid writing about something as important as Robbie's struggle with back and leg pain. Over recent years his legs have misbehaved more and more frequently (that is true of the rest of him too - but that's another story!). He has written off so many pairs of trousers and jackets, but every cloud has a silver lining - I suspect he is single-handedly responsible for the improvement in Marks and Spencer's profits.

For quite a long time I have been trying to persuade Robbie to take his health more seriously and to make some adjustments in his life to make things a little easier. To be honest I get more attention when I talk to the dog (and she is deaf!) but finally we have reach the point where Robbie has had to take stock and admit that even a superhero would struggle to cope with the wide range of commitments that he was trying to cope with.

As well as a demanding job and a difficult journey to work every day, he had his rail tours, gigs, various union responsibilities, family commitments, a demanding wife, and one or two other little diversions that he would kill me if I mentioned on the b

log (yes even worse than milk floats!). Anyway Robbie has reluctantly admitted that he has to put his health and his family first. Sometimes just getting to work is a real struggle, but he never gives up, he loves his job, and he puts his heart and soul into his work, so that has to come first, before any of his other activities. He loves his trains too, I am sure if he had to choose between me and a deltic he would the deltic! Never mind, I know my place! He couldn't give up his trains and his rail tours, it would be cruel to expect him to do that, but he has promised to be more realistic about how much he can do.

So that leaves gigs and the union. In his heart Robbie knows that gigs will not figure very much in his future, but he isn't quite ready to put that into words. He would't be able to stand for that long and that ridiculous bouncing up and down thing that he used to do has to stay firmly in the past. I know it is hard, but I am sure we can find other ways for him to enjoy his music (I use the term music in it's broadest sense, to me the stuff he likes is just noise). The union was the most difficult decision of all. I make no secret of the fact that I disapprove of his union involvement, but I love Robbie and I am proud of the work he has done to support his colleagues in many different ways. Recently he has been very unhappy and stressed because there have been times when his health has stopped him from fulfilling his union responsibilities and there have been even more times

when his union work has encroached on his paid work to an unacceptable degree. In the end the union pressures were too much to cope with and something had to give. It was such a hard decision but Robbie has finally decided to step aside from his union roles and let others take their turn.

So if you see Robbie he could use a few friendly words because it has been a difficult few weeks, but beware, he doesn't like people to make a fuss so a dodgy joke or a chat about trains would be

far more welcome than an excess of sympathy. He may have had to face a few setbacks, but in his head he still thinks he is Superman!

Second Best

Robbie has been off on another rail tour this weekend. I wasn't keen on him going because his feet have been causing him a lot of pain lately, and of course I would prefer to have him at home at the weekend. He trotted off bright and early on Friday morning clutching his overnight bag and wearing his high visability jacket, he could hardly wait to get away. I got a couple of phone calls and a text or two, but once he gets on a train I come a very poor second. I was expecting him home early on Sunday, but to add insult to injury he stayed behind to clean a train. It is bad enough to be ignored in favour of a train, but when he even prefers a dirty old train to his wife I think it is time to give up!!

The Wanderer Returns

Robbie is back home after his railway weekend. He said he was really looking forward to being home because he had missed me, but he may as well still be away because he is sitting in the corner watching footage of trains on YouTube!!

I was quite looking forward to seeing him, but within half an hour he was seriously annoying me. I had been cooking him a nice meal, but he came and staged a takeover bid, I was getting increasingly irritated, but I kept my temper as he informed me that I had cooked the wrong kind of potato, I was making the gravy too soon, I had the plates in the wrong place, the milk in the fridge hadn't been rotated correctly and I have bought the wrong kind of cat food etc, etc. The final straw came when he accused me of setting the food out wrongly on the plates, apparently the peas were in the wrong place. It took a supreme act of willpower to resist the urge to throw it at him. He is impossible, if I had to spend more than ten minutes in the kitchen with him I would kill him.

It seems it wasn't just me that was out to get him, the Scottish midges got there first, he is covered in swollen itchy bites. Those midges certainly mean business, they reached parts that other midges can not reach!

A Question of Time

I was a little unnerved when I got home on Thursday evening and Robbie invited me to feel how sweaty he was. He was trying to prove to me how hard he had been working on the housework so that I would let him go out to play trains at the week end. I declined his offer and accept the evidence of my eyes, most of the jobs he promised to do had been done so I didn't need to 'touch and feel' option as proof.

Robbie was a little evasive about his plans for the weekend, I knew that he was leaving home on Friday morning and not coming back until Sunday. He admitted that he would be leaving at a stupidly early hour on Friday but it was hard to pin him down on the the time he expected to return. When pressed he said 'tea time' - that is extremely vague for Robbie who always uses the 24hr clock and tell me his time of arrival to the second. I didn't want to have another 'dinner in the dog' episode, so I pressed him to define tea time and I found that we have yet another communication issue , clearly 'tea time' in the north is very different to what I understand as tea time. Robbie will be home in the early evening, assuming that he manages to improve on his track record and actually turn up at the time he said he would.

The T Word

Wow, we had the most amazing last day on holiday. It was a beautiful day, hot and sunny with hardly a cloud in the sky. Robbie had breakfast outside while I went for an early walk to get some photos while it was quiet and the sun was in the right position. We had a nice day on the beach, the sea was a bit cold but once I was used to it I enjoyed paddling in the shallow water as I wandered along the beach. Robbie doesn't paddle, he just sat in his chair enjoying the sun and reading railway magazines. We had a nice walk this evening and I thought I had his undivided attention, but something set him off and he was back on his favourite subjects, trains, rail tours and railways in general. It would have been nice to have one day without the T word, but I guess you can't have everything!

A New House Rule.

Robbie never learns! After a less than perfect Friday evening we had a lovely start to Saturday morning. It is so nice not to get up in a hurry, to have time to relax and listen to the radio or just talk. That's the bit that Robbie has problems with - the just talking bit. He can talk faster and for longer than anyone else I know. If talking was an Olympic sport he would be a gold medalist. His problem is what he talks about and when he talks about it! We were cuddled up, just enjoying the moment, one of those times when words are not really necessary - and then he spoiled it. He looked into my eyes and told me that he'd had an email the evening before. I thought it must be something serious, but I was wrong. He went on to tell me that the email contained details of the next three rail tours. He embarked on a detailed account of the proposed route of one of the trips. He was very excited about it because he had not traveled that route before. I was far from excited! I made a mental note negotiate a new house rule - no trains in the bedroom!!

Living Dangerously

Robbie has really overstepped the mark this time. He went off on his rail tour on Friday and was due home at tea time on Sunday, I took that to mean 5pm – 6pm. While he was playing trains I was running around doing all those mundane things that you only notice if they don't happen, washing, cleaning, putting away, pet care, food shopping, cooking, filling the car up and picking people up or dropping them off. I know he thinks we have a succession of 'good fairies' to do all that while I sit around watching Judge Judy, but I have news for him, they didn't turn up!!

I had a couple of brief phone calls from him on Saturday, but I was busy and all he could talk about was the rail tour. On Saturday evening I took my mobile and the house phone up to bed thinking that he may ring me to say goodnight – he didn't. He didn't ring in the morning either, I was a bit hurt, but I got on with my work and I was rather distracted because my little nephew had been admitted to hospital with breathing problems. 5pm came and went and there was no word from Robbie, so I began calling and texting with no response. He has two phones so I found it hard to believe that they both had no battery or no signal, but I continued to call al evening with no response. He was coming from Preston, I know it is in the north, but surely it shouldn't take an entire day to get home!

At 10.05pm I got a text asking for a lift, so his phone was working fine when he wanted something!I picked him up at about 10.30pm, he didn't manage more than a couple of words and there was no explanation or apology for not answering my calls. When he got home he went prowling around the house looking for things that hadn't been done, he didn't find any – or at least if he did he had the sense not to mention it! For reasons best known to him he decided to potter around in the kitchen tidying things that were already the way I wanted them. I had moved the furniture in the lounge and everyone agreed that the room worked better that way, Robbie didn't comment on it, but after I had gone to bed he moved it back. Clearly he has a death wish! This morning I put it back to the way I wanted it – two can play at that game!

Men!

I have been abandoned for the weekend again because Robbie is off on another rail tour, he is going from somewhere in the north to somewhere else in the extreme north and back again. He left early this morning and he will be gone until Sunday evening. By that time 'as if by magic' the food shopping will have been done, the washing will be done and all the boring weekend tasks will have been delt with – and Robbie will get home and tell me how tired he feels! Men!!

Insanity!

Photographer: Ian Britton - FreeFoto.com

On Saturday morning we were still snowed in, but Robbie went to extraordinary lengths (and expense) to get himself to Birmingham International in time to join the charter trip Carlisle (via Settle and Carlisle). At one stage it looked as if he wouldn't get there, but in the end he made it in time. He was surprised to find that as he went north there was less snow, then no snow until they got past Crewe, then there was beautiful white scenery to enjoy from the comfort of the train. It was well past midnight when he got home, he was cold and exhausted but he'd enjoyed the day.

Birthday Boy

It was Sam's 14th Birthday on Saturday. Having a birthday so close to Christmas is a bit hard on him so we always try hard to make it special for him. Of course if he had been born on time his birthday would not have been in Christmas week, he was due on 8th December – but I admit that a December birthday was a bit of bad planning on my part!
Robbie had been to a gig in London on Friday evening and it was close to 12.30am when I picked him up from the station and he was off again on a rail tour at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning. Sam was fine about Robbie going out on his birthday, in fact it suited him because Sam and I were going clothes shopping and Robbie has very fixed ideas about clothes. Sam had most of the things he had asked for, dvd's, books, converse boots, a phone and other bits and bobs. I was still feely pretty diabolical because of the combined effects of my asthma and my flu bug but Sam and I went to town and had a good time. He bought the clothes he wanted including a ridiculously expensive pair of pants, a hat that looks quite good on him and a smart coat. We also went to see Grandma and Grandad and Sam had another lovely present, a pair of Vann's trainers.
Robbie was quite late home, but we saved Sam's birthday cake until he got back, Robbie's rendition of 'Happy Birthday to You' was memorable to say the least, but the main thing was that we were all together for Sam to blow out the candles. I think Sam had a good day and Robbie certainly enjoyed his rail tour, he hasn't stopped talking about it since he got back.

Undivided Attention?

I went back to the doctors yesterday because this cough/breathing problem just will not get better. I am not impressed, I have to have a week off work and I have been given a third inhaler and steroids. Oh well, if it makes me better it will be worth it.

Do you remember Robbie's promise about me having his undivided attention until next February? It seems we have a different interpretation of 'undivided attention' because Robbie is off to a gig tonight and he will not be home until midnight and tomorrow morning he will be leaving early to go on a rail tour! He hasn't been around to help with the shopping for weeks, so I hope he will be OK with beans on toast for Christmas dinner!!!

Talking to the Wall!

Robbie is still talking about the lovely breakfast he had on Sunday. If he thinks I am going to spoil him like that he can think again – but if he wants to cook for me I wouldn't object! He said that the people he was with couldn't understand what he was saying, it doesn't surprise me, my mum still struggles to know what he is saying. Everyone thinks it's funny because Robbie talks enthusiasticly and very fast, after about two paragraphs worth my mum will look at me and ask what he said - I can usually sum the whole lot up in one sentence!

I wish Robbie would accept that he is not superman, I have written about it before but he really has to recognise his limits preferably before he falls over. When he got home on Sunday he'd obviously had a great time on the rail tour but he was struggling to walk and he had a lot of pain in his legs. The said that his legs felt as if they didn't belong to him, I can't imagine them belonging to anyone else, they are like him – unique, but if he wants them to keep working he needs to treat them with a little more respect and at least rest them for an hour or two on a long journey like that. I tried to tell him that but I may as well talk to the wall!!

He is off to the North today, to York I think, needless to say it involved an early start and I expect he will be late home too. By the time I get to see him in the evening he is so tired that he nods of mid sentence, but at least I can look forward to the weekend, I may be able to have a whole conversation with him!

Train to the North and Back Again

I have got another horrible cold and my breathing really hurts. On Saturday morning I woke up feeling sorry for myself after a very bad night. Robbie was away 'plating trains' so I rang him to remind him that I want to be cremated not buried! The they had made a very early start and rail tour was well under way heading toward Blackpool, Robbie was concerned that I felt rotten and he offered to come home. I gratefully accepted his offer and he was left stuttering and spluttering trying to think of a convincing reason why he couldn't come home. I didn't really expect him to come home, but I couldn't resist making him squirm. I dosed myself up and got on with my jobs which included taking Sam to his friend's party and doing some food shopping. The party was at a go carting circuit which must be run by the secret services because it is so badly signposted that we couldn't find it and everybody was half an hour late.

I spoke to Robbie later on Saturday evening and he assured me that he would get home as quickly as he could in the morning because he was worried about me. Sunday morning dawned and by 10am I still had not heard from him so I rang him, he said he had just woken up and he was sitting up in bed enjoying a cup of coffee. He told me that he would be on his way home after breakfast. By 3pm I was starting to wonder when he would be back, I rang again and he said he had just finished his breakfast and was having a coffee – he hadn't even started his journey! He finally got home at about 7pm and he was still talking about his wonderful breakfast – what is it about Robbie that makes everyone want to feed him? On the way back from the station we needed to stop for fuel, it had been raining and when stopped the car the wipers were not straight, Robbie protested loudly, he couldn't possibly refuel a car with wonky wipers! He sat there arms folded demanding that I should straighten the wipers, I didn't and he muttered and moaned all through the refuling and payment process.

Running Late

Robbie has been so tired recently, he is very busy at work but I think mainly it is the legacy of the flu bug that we have had because it left me feeling exhausted too. We have had a couple of occasions when Robbie has struggled to get up when the alarm went off just after 5am, but this morning we both managed to go back to sleep and when we woke up it was half past seven! Panic ensued, Sam and I leave for school at 7.45am so there was frantic activity in order to catch up. I left with Sam only ten minutes later than usual and he got to school in good time. I then had to head back to pick Robbie up to get him to the station as quickly as possible – not an easy task in rush hour!

He settled himself in the car and began talking about car design - I turned up the radio and he took the hint! Then we got on to the subject of buses and coaches, believe it or not we managed to have an argument about the difference between a bus and a coach! Always one to choose just the 'right' moment to drop a bombshell Robbie announced that he was going 'out to play' on Saturday. Apparently he absolutely has to go because the HST is on an unusual diagram and it probably won't happen again. I was unimpressed, I would rather he finished the fence instead, but he keeps putting it off. I said that he seems to be always out, but this was denied strenuously, he said that he hasn't done his usual HST trips this year. I reminded him that he often goes away for the weekend to do the rail tours, but he said that that was different, it is (allegedly) hard work, not like going on the HST. The answer seemed simple to me, and I said that maybe he should give up the rail tours. He erupted with a tirade of loud and incoherent protestations. Clearly giving up the rail tours is unthinkable – I think he would rather give me up! Poor Robbie, he has such a hard life, how could I possibly deprive him if time with his precious HST. I expect that by Saturday he will have persuaded me to get up at the crack of dawn to take him to the station!