Back on the LNER,
You don’t know how lucky you are, boy
Back on the LN, back on the LN, back on the LNE are.
Not set off yet but weirdly looking forward to my bacon roll. Bey a con as we say in the dialect. They don’t do butter on the train but hey…
I will leave the flatlands of Lincolnshire for the great metropolis that is the City of London. Heart of empire. Beating heart. In times gone by, pre empire, this would have been an arduous week’s travel on horseback. I would have to have found some companions heading in the same direction and would be carrying a sword. Egad.
Now it is two hours by Azuma with a bacon roll, a cup of tea and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice (joking). I get there earlier than necessary. On these occasions I am wont to repair to the British Library whereupon a lah tay may be consumed. You are welcome to join me. The treasures room is well worth a visit.
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We race by large golden fields of wheat that suggest harvest time is nearly upon us. Our tomatoes are nowhere near ready 🙂The onions are coming along ok though.
At Cottage Lane the cars line up at the crossing whilst the train speeds by and we, in turn, wait at the signal outside Newark for the go ahead to roll into Northgate station. A few people board at Platform 3 and someone slides into the seat opposite. I have already put on my Bose phones and put up the shutters. It is too early for conversation.
Carriage E is unusually busy. Not full but only one or two seats showing availability on the journey to Kings Cross. Everyone must be cramming in the meetings before the summer break.
I get mixed signals about how the economy is doing and therefore people’s willingness to spend. The telecoms business is doing well but other sectors are definitely showing signs of slowing down. Campsites, for example, are very much down on bookings for the summer. Phones have stopped ringing in the automotive business. People hunkering down trying to pay their mortgage and energy bills.
Food as well. Four tins of Heinz Baked Beans costs four quid in the supermarkets. Wasn’t so long ago they were going for two pounds fifty. Can’t say I’ve noticed other prices because I never really look at the cost. Just for some reason remember the price of beans 🙂
My attire today is Hawaiian shirt and shorts. Summertime and the living has to be easy. I also have a track record of this at industry events which is where I am off to this afternoon. Folks would be disappointed if I rocked up in a suit. I do own a linen suit which is what I will be wearing for a funeral tomorrow. Not today though. It is the summer for goodness sake.
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Hit the ‘burbs. Nearly there now. Meeting Tom for a cawfee off the train. British Library probs.