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April 17, 2024

One week at a time

Filed under: diary — Trefor Davies @ 10:40 am

One week at a time, as they say. This week it’s a couple of nights in London. Arrived early at Lincoln Central stayshun and the train was conveniently already at the platform waiting for me. It was probably waiting for other passengers as well but that’s not my lookout. In fact I’m not looking out, as I’ve just said.

Lincoln used to have two railway stayshuns, the other being St Marks. St Marks, which is where I first arrived in Lincoln, is now a shopping centre so not much use to anyone. I guess people must shop there otherwise the shops wouldn’t be there although Debenhams went ages ago and has not, to my knowledge, been replaced. I’d need to go there to find out but that would be an unnecessary journey, as the poster used to say.

My journey to London Town is necessary. At least I choose to label it thus. I have four meetings to attend. Well a lunch, a few beers, a dinner and a meeting to be precise. Not in that order. Reverse the last two. Tomorrow morning will be spent at leisure. 

If the weather is fine, I’ll be spending my time, just walking in the park. Hyde Park. Tomorrow doesn’t start until four pee em. Couldn’t shift the lunch to tomorrow which would have made sense but hey…

Sounds as if the train is gradually filling. Most of the train is behind me so I am relying on a not very acute sense of hearing. Boarded at the front as it will be nearer where I need to be for the connection at Newark Northgate. Not that it is a biggie as I think I have at least half an hour to wait in Newark. Maybe more.

Lots of my posts involve being on a train. I guess that is one way of filling the time on an otherwise dull journey.  I could stare out of the window. No matter how often you’ve done the journey there is always something new to see. Sometimes, when seeing something new, I wonder weather the train has been repathed, as I believe they say, but reality is that I don’t often stare out of the window so it is quite easy to come across something new when you do. Mostly it is just fields anyway.

On the Azuma train the last two seats in first class do not have a window. I quite often sit there as it is quite cosy. Private. You are the first to get served with teas and coffees when the trolley comes out.

At precisely nine eleven the train pulled out of the station. Another on time departure by East Midlands Railways.

I sometimes get John Betjeman moments where I describe what I see as the train whizzes by. Obvs I don’t have the same poetic pedigree as him. The turn of phrase and the tone. We all have to aspire to something 🙂.

Thies train is very much not high speed although the bloke carrying the flag at the front does seem to be working very hard, perspiration rolling down his cheeks. Fair play.

The fields between Lincoln and Newark are a harrowed brown, green and one or two in between where new growth is just emerging. Still water on the ground. It is officially springtime. The best time of year.

A pickup truck races along behind a hedge on a path that will intercept the train. He is on to a losing battle and will have to stop at the railway crossing. Slow down boy, don’t go too fast.

Have big dreams, you will grow into them. Begin on the train. <Poster in the carriage. This is interesting. I’ve never dreamt big but I’ve always assumed big. Assumed success rather than set it as a goal. 

I guess the question is what is success? I know people who are multimillionaires but who had to spend most of the time their kids were growing up working all the hours under the sun.

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