Monday 31st August, Tonbridge station,
Oh dear….. I rather naively thought that any travel problems I might encounter would start once I had boarded the clipper Stad Amsterdam – you know violent sea-sickness, running out of socks, falling overboard - that sort of thing.
But no. Not more than 20 minutes after kissing my wife a fond farewell from Penshurst station and the train to Redhill (where I change for Reading and then Plymouth) came to an abrupt halt. According to the driver, Redhill station has been shut owing to severe signal failure and so the train is going, non-stop, back to its original starting point at Tonbridge, two stations further back down the line from where I had boarded…
This is not helpful.
My 8 pm tryst with the clipper’s tender, so wonderfully arranged for me at the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth harbour by boat-master Ruurd, now looks highly unlikely. I shall have to try my luck traveling to Plymouth via Tonbridge and London Paddington, instead.
There is one good piece of news, though. While on holiday in Switzerland last week, I invested in this splendid waterproof coat (see me modeling it above) which can, so the lady who sold it to me, survive even the most hostile four hour gale. Now I’m in it, what do you think? I reckon even a meteorite shower would struggle to make much of an impact…
When the guard came through the train selling tickets (there is no ticket office at Penshurst station) he casually glanced my way, but then, strangely he moved on passed, and ignored me completely. I guess if my aspirations as an author ultimately fail, there is now, thanks to this glorious technicolour coat, the glittering prospect of masquerading as a railway worker and gaining free travel for life….
More anon.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment