Puzzled to distraction by recent revalations and future possibilities. Woke late after an excellent sleep, but couldn't settle to usual Sunday chores. Tended to cat as planned, and then hurried to the station, having decided to bring forward the trip to Exeter via the diversionary route, taking in Westbury, Castle Cary and Cogload Junction.
Some amazing weather (between showers) made the journey outwards across the Somerset levels quite picturesque. First decent length journey on a Class 220 too, and despite the usual problems of seats not lining up with windows and so on, I was much impressed. Decent legroom too! Will be spending much longer on a Voyager or Super Voyager if Virgin ever deliver tickets for Wednesday!
Misdirected by a Virgin employee at Exeter St. Davids who disagreed with the information display and its view of the train formation. Rather busier on the return, but equally pleasant journey. Read a great deal to prevent difficult thinking - finishing 'The Mayor of Casterbridge' on the journey.
Later, invited for home made pizza and given a rather good bottle of wine in return for my cat feeding assistance. Its been an odd weekend of disquietening thinking and pleasant events. I need to do ironing. Back to earth with a bump...
Woke up to bright sunshine - had doubts about braving the replacement bus service, but decided it was too nice a day to waste. Had planned a low key trip down to Southampton, and thence to Lymington Pier. Another little branch I'd not seen before, and a bit of track through the New Forest which I'd not visited for a long time!
All ran incredibly smoothly. Noted the services running to Taunton via Westbury. Might be an interesting diversion to get a 220 or 158 along that way before the diversions are over? Brief rainstorms at Southamtpon, waiting for the chaos surrounding an earlier fatality at Redbridge to subside. Did so soon after my arrival, and it was off to Brockenhurst, and then to Lymington on a 4CEP which according to fleet lists should have been a 3CEP! Strange. I didn't hang around at Lymington Pier - not much to do for an hour there really, so headed straight back - braving the awkward "didn't I just see you?" moment with the Guard during his ticket check.
Very smooth journey back, despite getting the very same 150 I had on the way down. Almost ran out of reading material however, which would have been a disaster. Coach driver back from Temple Meads was rather boisterous, much to the concern of one or two passengers. He would bark "STAY THERE!" at them as they waited to get on whilst others alighted, then when they finally got on board would be disarmingly nice to them.
Booked hotel for an evening in Edinburgh, despite my nagging concern that Virgin have yet to deliver the free tickets promised.
Despite a fragmented and strange week, I'm left with vaguely positive feelings. Along with mild overtones of confusion and doubt. Its an unusual mixture, of the sort that only advanced office politics can generate. Had a very positive and forward-looking meeting which left me with much to consider, and more to wonder about.
No sign of free tickets from Virgin. Investigated some Edinburgh hotels, fed a friend's cat and settled in to look for trips for tomorrow. Agitated and headachy evening.
To Swindon for a Software Update Seminar from Capita, our supplier. First contact as a member of our working group, so naturally there was some confusion as to how a lowly Admissions guy would have any knowledge of XML schema! The presentation was mixed - I was very relieved to see that the Admissions stuff seemed to be ready for Co-ordination in 2005. Likewise, I was much encouraged by the move to XML data transfer between schools and us - with more sensible rules for dealing with addresses and other information which differs between the two records.
Other parts of the presentation were lacklustre, over-detailed or just plain unnecessary. Since we are paying, wondered if this was good value, but then decided it was by virtue of the fact I'm reassured about the Admissions software!
Both my taxi drivers from the station to the far-flung hotel where the seminars were held wanted to tell me about Swindon. That was actually kind of fun - the first one was particularly well informed and gave a good historical account of the social effect of the railway arriving here. Our route seemed to consist of endless, very similar looking roundabouts, so I applaud the drivers skill in knowing which traffic island he had circumnavigated at any particular juncture!
Lost::MikeGTN
I've had a home on the web for more years than I care to remember, and a few kind souls persuade me it's worth persisting with keeping it updated. This current incarnation of the site is centred around the blog posts which began back in 1999 as 'the daylog' and continued through my travels and tribulations during the following years.
I don't get out and about nearly as much these days, but I do try to record significant events and trips for posterity. You may also have arrived here by following the trail to my former music blog Songs Heard On Fast Trains. That content is preserved here too.
