Its January again

Christmas has now been and gone and its January, and time to be good again eeeuuugggggghhhhhh :o(.

oh well...

I said last week (last year now) that the train journeys would make an interesting post, so see what you think?

On Tuesday morning I got to Chelmsford station and the train (the 7.03) I wanted was running late (why I dont know because it actually starts from Chelmsford!), so I got a later train (only by six minutes).

The train was ever so slow between Manor Park and Stratford, apparently it was because of a mixture of signal problems and congestion at Stratford.

I finally got to Stratford and fought my way to the underground platform, there was a train already in but it was rammed to capacity so I waited for the next train which arrived three minutes later.

The next train arrives and I get on, and finally get to work at 08.55, my journey which only normally takes 45 minutes took nearly 2 hours.

My boss comes in to Liverpool Street too and his journey was just as long and arduous as mine, but he decided to get the C2C to/from Laindon for the rest of the week.

Tuesday afternoon my boss let me leave at 3.30, I got to Liverpool Street and just as I get to the escalator (I was literally about to step onto the escalator) and one of the station workers dives in front of me and pulls a tape barrier across because of platform overcrowding. Apparently there was a broken down train that had to be moved and then another train had to pick up the passengers (or customers as we are called), before it was safe to let us go down to the platforms. There were tannoy announcements saying that there was overcrowding on the Central Line platforms but still people were walking up to see why they couldnt go down the escalator!

I was chatting to the worker as I was waiting, and he comes into Liverpool Street on the overhead trains too.

Thank goodness the delay was only about five minutes, when I got to Stratford and I only had to wait a few minutes for a train to Clacton-on-Sea.

Ooohh Ive just got an e-mail from my Mum who wants me to mention everyone...

...so hi Mum, Mums fiance, Mums cat, sister, sisters fiance, nephew, both brothers and brothers girlfriend (dont think I missed anyone out there), and as an aside there is thick snow in Holland at the moment!

back to the trains, got on the train and it was half empty when it left Stratford and I had two seats for myself ;o), I finally got to Chelmsford just before 5 so the journey wasnt too bad.

On Wednesday morning

I got to Chelmsford and got an earlier train, and just as we are pulling into Shenfield the driver says that the signalman just told him that the train is going to have to terminate because of congestion at Stratford, so we all trudge off of the train and onto the other platform which is luckily on the same platform bank that we were on and waited for the train from Southend Victoria, luckily this came after a couple of minutes, got on the train and slowly got to Stratford (not as slow as Tuesday thank goodness), there was an underground train in and again it was rammed decided to wait for the next train, the next train pulls in practically empty and I actually got a seat (I was astounded ;o)).

Wednesday afternoon I left at 3.30 again and got to Liverpool Street, this time I was able to get onto the underground platform with no problems, got to Stratford there was a train in on another platform but couldnt see where it was going to as the train to Southend on my platform was obscuring my view. The Southend train finally goes and I see that the other train is going to Braintree, I was annoyed as getting it would mean that I would get home a few minutes earlier! By now the train was packed, and I thought I might as well wait for the Clacton train, so wait I did...

...the train again pulled out half empty, I had the three seats to myself as well as the three opposite until we got to Shenfield and a family got on (taking one of my three seats as well as the three opposite me), the Mum was saying how she was going to visit her Mum tomorrow (New Years Eve) and I dont think her hubby wanted to go with her! Again I got to Chelmsford just before 5.

Thursday morning was uneventful as I got to Stratford without having to change trains and got on the underground train that was in.

Thursday afternoon the office shut at 1 (as it was New Years Eve) so I got myself some lunch before getting the underground to Stratford. Got to Stratford found that there was a train going to Norwich luckily it was going to stop at Chelmsford. I sat down started undoing my coat and felt one of my buttons fall off! Because it was an intercity train with a table I couldnt immediately see where the button went. So I waited for no-one else to be walking down the aisle before getting up to see if I could see where it had gone to. I got up and wouldnt you know it some one came to walk past me, so I sat down again to wait for him to go.

Got up again had a brief look on the floor (thought to myself its got to be somewhere) got down on the floor and this womans bag was under the table :o( I still couldnt see my button.

So we are just about to pull up into Chelmsford and the woman whose bag was under the table had got up and I had another glance and still couldnt see my button. I thought to myself oh well thats that gone, and a kindly lady asked me if I was looking for my button (I was trying not to be to obvious too - perhaps being on the floor on my hands and knees was the giveaway) and I said I was and she had it ;o) phew that was a relief.

Have just reminded James (Im being serious now) to sow the button onto my coat as I am really useless at sowing things :o( .

Hopefully the engineering works wont overrun, but Im not banking on it!

Oh forgot to say Happy New Year! ;o)