After Maria and Jules' comments on yesterday's post, I thought I'd do a little photoblog of my journey to work this morning.
If nothing else, it saves me from having to think of anything to write, and you know what a lazy bastard I am.
Here's Maria's comment:
"I rather like the image of Mr. Grumpy trousers shuffling out of a nice warm house in the dark and scraping ice, probably muttering.
And the train...I always picture you sitting by men with Star Trek logos now or little old ladies with shopping bags...
No heat would suck, though. That ruins the nice image of you in soft train lighting taking photos out of the window....
And walking along...puttering on the way to work.
Nope, can't see a grumpy trouser man in sight.....Right"
… and Jules':
"I hate to rub it in Mr Grumpy Dacks but if I told you how I got to work this morning - no smart arse it wasn't by outrigger canoe but I do have one parked next to my car and I could if I wanted to, as the school is just down the big river to the left- no I can't - it will just get you more snotty than you already are!!!!
Oh how I would love to be in London - well for a few weeks!
Bad luck re the rugby - hee hee!!!!"
Thank you, ladies.
If you would care to join me on a little expedition …
Oh, and for comparison, this link shows you how lovely my walk to work can be in midsummer.
But midsummer it ain't.
So …
4:40 AM.
Wake to the sound of two loud and exceedingly annoying alarms, inconveniently located in the furthest reaches of the bedroom.
Leap out of bed, screaming profanities …
Shower and hairwash …
Dry hair and get dressed …
Exit nice warm house, bleary-eyed …
5:10 AMScrape ice off the windscreen.
Drive into Norwich.
That's my crappy train on the right.The 5:40AM to London.
Note the lovely blue sky … er … freezing black void.
Once again we have no heating.Just as in hot weather the air conditioning always fails.
The train is pulling in to Colchester.
Still dark at 6:50AM.
In a few minutes it is standing room all the way up the aisles.
7:53 AMLate as always.
Disembark at London Liverpool Street Station.
Buy paper.Head out on to the street to start my walk alongside The Thames …
… but not this morning.
This morning I am going to amuse Rich by taking the tube part of the way and walk across Green Park and St. James's Park.
You are about to find out why I walk almost five miles every morning after my drive and my train journey.The alternative is the tube … the "scenic route" as we call it.
Welcome to Hell.
Those people not coughing are drenched in repulsive perfume.Even in the cold they are all sweating.
In olden days when I took the tube regularly, a woman sneezed a whole lungful of snotty phlegm all down the back of my lovely cashmere overcoat.
They loved that in the dry-cleaners'.
After six stops on the Central Line and a desperate, thrashing fight down endless underground passages to change to the Victoria Line, I eventually emerge into Green Park, just by The Ritz.At last!
Sanity.
"The sun is up. The sky is blue. It's beautiful and so are you …"
Singing Dear Prudence (Hi, Prudence!) I amble across the park toward the Parasite House and St. James's Park and my office beyond.
Here are a couple of shots for Lynn, to make up for hiding it behind gates yesterday.The Parasite House from the top of The Mall.
… and from the bridge in St. James's Park at around ten to nine.Just time to buy coffee and a croissant before bumping into the office door and realising I've left my electronic keytag on my bedside table again …
In a few hours I'll have to do the whole damned thing in reverse.
Hey ho.
26 comments:
Its funny how comments can inspire a post or inspire you to change a post as I did this morning with the chucky omlette post after reading your s and full's comments. In fact its stayed with me all day and now I have Thursdays post ready to go as well.
I couldn't stand the cattle crush of teh tube, I can see why you walk to work after getting off the train, its no place for a claustrophobic.
And after the cramped hours on the train, stretching my legs with a nice long walk is bliss, Kate.
I loved that photo of Omelette!
Hee hee hee.
Hehehee. Sorry, but I have to giggle at the crowded train. They truly are hell, but I used to find the whole situation so surreal.
Cheers, as you know I've been struggling for blogging fodder, and, like Kate, this may well have inspired a 'getting to work' photoblog.
Great pics, as always. Thanks, Boss.
Hey, GG.
They were much worse in Tokyo, I'll bet!
It'll be nice to see what my much-missed Very Personal Secretary is up to these days.
Aw, shucks! *grins stupidly*.
I've really missed blogging pals too. FINALLY have a computer at home again so you'll probably get sick of me.
Hehe.
Welcome back to Blogville, GG.
Put your feet up. I'll go fetch you a coffee.
Crikey, Dive,
You do love living dangerously old son.
Tonight I left work at 6:34 pm and headed for the hills in the benno renno, ( that's English for mon voiture).
As there had been a crash on the freeway earlier in the afternoon, the punters had decided to head up the hill via the back way.
Ripper; I thought !
I covered the 19 kilometres in 13 minutes and blew away some cobwebs.
Ken rang and said that he had some atlantic salmon to throw on the BBQ before the chooks got to it, so to speak.
Sounds like a small glass of Petaluma Chardonnay will open itself and we will all have time on our hands.
If I had gone past any palaces on the way home, I couldn't have noticed at 130 kph, but tomorrow I will wave just in case.
Better find some ice ? - What's ice ?
Ice I've got plenty of, Monsieur B.
Though what are you Aussies doing drinking Petaluma Chardonnay?
Or do you have a "Petaluma" there as well as in California?
At least I can get fresh Atlantic Salmon here, so I'm not too jealous … yeah, right!
Thank you for my lovely photos Dive they're great. Ah the Royals... you gotta love 'em don't you. Well, perhaps me and not you then Dive.
I enjoyed your route to work, very interesting. Perhaps we should all do that. Although i work from home, i go out on jobs - reports - so could do the same. The phlegm thing made me reach.
My pleasure, Lynn.
And yes, we agree to differ on the Parasites, hee hee.
It would be great to see some photos of your assignments. Give it a go.
I love "welcome to hell." All of these poor slobs--they have no idea they're on someone's blog.
It is impossible to read those lyrics and not sing it in your head! Someone very dear to me nick- named me, mostly for the "can you come out to play" line! (giggle, giggle, wink, wink)
Hee hee, Prudence.
As I came up out of the dank underground station into the beautiful sunshine of Green Park it just popped right into my head.
So I sung it at the trees and at a couple of fat joggers.
makes all the sense in the world, sugar! once i ditch this robocop boot and cane, i swear, i am out walking with my camera all around this lil burg...just to see it with new eyes!
(thanks for your comment, the kid reads them *hugs* btw, did you see the clip yesterday?)
I'd love to play the clip, Savannah but it won't play on my computer (drat). Which song was she singing?
And I can't wait to see more photos from somewhere warm and sunny. The ice age is coming here for a few months and I need warmth.
it was my daughter, sugar, being interviewed at her school ;-) she was dressed up kinda/sorta like siouxsie
Woah! Cool, Savannah!
... and you didn't even mention the other train-grump area of your life - mobiles . I did, over at mine.
Ooooh … Don't get me started on that one, Lynn.
Hee hee.
Or my other bugbear: it's half term and tonight's train home was - as well as late - filled to the brim with screaming, shrieking, arguing, snotty, ignorant kids and their moronic, obese parents bellowing down their stupid mobile phones.
The word "inconsiderate" doesn't even begin to scratch the surface.
The words "Where's my gun" and "Shut the fuck up or die!"are nearer the mark.
Grrrrr …
he he Dive i know what you mean and i'm a doting mother. Mine were never like that...
I had to leave a supermarket the other day because some whiney child in the trolley was whingeing loudly directing her mother where to go in which aisle, each time the mum went another way the child complained in a screechy high pitched wail. The mother pandered to it the whole way, which annoyed me enough but the noise...! I had to go. Morrisons was one less customer.
It took me awhile to catch up on the blog because I was stuck on the fact that you actually get up at 4:40 and leave the house at 5:10. A half hour? You can shower, shave and be ready to go in a half hour? That just seems amazing to me.
And...wow..all that humanity in one place and you just know some of them will touch you after they've picked their noses or snagged some popcorn kernels out of their molars.
Hi Dear
I have been silenced by a total communications black-out here - only way to shut me up i guess!!!
Fell on the floor laughing at your post and yes i feel "terribly" guilty about my teasing (not). I must admit you would have to drag me kicking and screaming out into that frosty cold morning. But bloody hell the views at the end are to die for!!!
You have inspired me to post my trip to work - it is only 2 minutes so it could be covered in one or two photos max - must get onto that.
My outrigger is here - do you want me to send it??? You could always paddle to work - keep you warm!!!!
Cheers Moixx
Lynn: see today's post.
Maria: I have it down to a fine art now, after all these years: wake up, leap out of bed, stagger to the bathroom, shave and shower and hairwash, dry hair get dressed and leave the house all takes exactly 20 minutes, leaving ten minutes to check the trains online and my emails.
And never mind popcorn; it's the twats who stand outside the station puffing desperately at their stinking cigarettes, then squeeze on to the tube and rub themselves all over me while coughing into my face who I loathe.
Jules: Bummer about your connection.
Those views do make it worthwhile. If you check the link in the post you'll see my regular walk which is even nicer.
And paddling an outrigger up the Thames to Westminster is a splendid idea!
I don't think my friend and fellow Aussie Jules was entirely sincere about the rugby ('fess up Jules) and my suggestion to you is to migrate to Oz in your winter - as it's summer here, so you won't have to scrape ice off your windscreen!
I will never bitch about MY commute again. Also I have decided to go back to driving to work as I just cannot take being squished like a sardine and practicly kissing the guy next to me all the way into work. I will take the train/shuttle on occasion but I do like the comfort of my own car.
Thanks for sharing dive
Thanks, David. That's good advice.
Rich: commuting on public transport is such a joy. You're lucky to have the option of your car … driving into central London from my village 120 miles away through rush hour traffic would be even more insane than my train journey!
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