Today was the first day I've felt almost normal, so I decided it should be the day for one of my pointless but entertaining epic dashes to get mileage and new track. After haggling over a Portsmouth ticket yesterday, and coming away with a rather expensive but completely unrestricted one, I set out on the 0628 for Bristol expecting a long day.
Pleasant enough ride down to Portsmouth. Last visit I went straight to the Harbour for the ferry crossing, so this time I hopped off at Portsmouth & Southsea and explored a little around the station, which is an unusual split-level half terminus and half through station affair.
Next leg was a run up to London Waterloo via Petersfield on what turned out to be a 5WES unit. I'd forgotten how comfortable these were, and despite being based on the Mk3 coach design, how much better they'd turned out. It was also somewhere on this journey that I decided that I could get back to Portsmouth by another route later... But doing another route home meant missing out on the planned London to Guildford via Effingham Junction leg. So, on arrival at Waterloo I threw caution to the wind and made an absurd double-back to Guildford, staying for only a quick coffee and a brief potter around the station environs.
Returned to Waterloo and crossed London under a threatening bruise-like sky. Spent some time exploring and people-watching at Victoria, one of the terminii I use little - so it retains the mystery of the 'big London station' in my imagination. Wondered if I'd get 377s back, but instead got (what I think was) a 4VEP and a 4VOP. Southern units confuse me - I'm learning, and will no doubt have it sorted in time for the complete withdrawl of slam-door stock. Granted, at current rates that could give me some years however!
So, left via Gatwick and Three Bridges on a Portsmouth/Bognor Regis train, which divided at Barnham. Now, this happens all day every day, but I really felt the pain of the South Central staff - offering repeated, detailed explanations of where people should be on the train, but still finding people in the wrong place, or just plain ignoring them!
Arrived back in Portsmouth in good time for the 1724 to Bristol. Now the fun starts. It was solidly packed most of the way, and despite starting on time, leaked minutes for no reason at all! By Trowbridge we'd just stopped. Later heard that someone had been taken ill on the platform and the train preceding us had stayed until medics arrived. More delays due to lost paths near Bristol brought us in 41 late by my reckoning.
Still, I set out for an epic day, and fifteen hours of travelling later I arrived back, tired but happy enough. I've never quite been able to explain why I do this kind of thing - best guess is that it's the nice, safe suburban version of explorers who get themselves lost to see if they can get home!
I arrived back in #lemmings this morning after my wander to the railway station, and was immediately and unceremoniously kicked. Strange. I'm not sure why. Whilst I'm sometimes a bit cranky in there, and borderline intolerant at times, I hadn't been for some days! Anyway, in post-kick surprise and general befuddlement I crashed xchat, and on logging back in decided to just join irc.gimp.org channels, rather than get involved in anything on #lemmings. It could be nothing, but it might not and I had no energy for that possibility.
This got me thinking about IRC in general however, and something mr_science recently said in that very channel about friendships made there being somehow 'more real' than many real world links are. I now totally agree, but I also think its something rather unique to #lemmings (and to its predecessors, dating back to Ximian's Monkeytalk server).
The inhabitants of #lemmings are a nice, slightly deranged and (I include myself here!) rather older than usual bunch of IRC users. The chat is usually pleasant, and I've never seen such thought go into the sometimes difficult politics of keeping a channel free of abuse or unpleasantness. I know that during many rather tricky times over the past couple of years, when 'real life' friends have either been absent from my life, or have found my sometimes bleak approach to matters hard to take, the #lemmings have generally happily accepted me. Even this week, feeling like crap and stuck indoors, my only human contact has been via #lemmings. Scary, but true.
Strange it took an unexpected kick to make me think about this, and to really start to understand mr_science's view about the place. I'm not sure whether the kick was intentional, a joke I failed to see, or even not meant for me, but the fact I'm dwelling on it speaks volumes about the channel. It also illustrates my tendency to 'minimalise' my life to the point that all my eggs are in one basket. Dropping the basket becomes of course, quite a disaster.
Built in a couple of 'rest days'. Holed myself up with books, computer and TV and concentrated on getting better. Noted a steady improvement over the past couple of days, including some decent sleep which was much needed. Woke today feeling much improved, hopefully in time for the grand office quiz this evening - a rare chance to get out in Weston.
Decided on some more Southern Region wanderings tomorrow, so headed for the station to attempt to haggle for a cheaper ticket. Failed, but the Saver Return gives me a few more journey options. Might aim for an early start tomorrow, sleep permitting.
Also called at Sterling Books on my return journey - I've been almost obsessed with Thomas Hardy's novels lately and needed another. I'm sort of surprised because school destroyed 'Tess of the D'Urbevilles' for me. (in fact, the only novel which survived the school treatment was 'Wuthering Heights'). Picked up a nice Macmillan edition of 'The Mayor of Casterbridge' - it's not particularly old, but its a nice edition. Agreed with the shop owner that a set of those editions would be nice. Why do I feel my obsessive/compulsive collecting side awakening?
Dr Richard Dennis: London's Enthusiastic Analyst
Posted in London on Tuesday 2nd March 2004 at 10:00pm
Took the long way round to London, which is just about the only economically viable way if you haven't planned a few weeks in advance and want to travel on a weekday morning! In fact, the route via Salisbury to Waterloo is not really much longer in terms of time, and is a pleasant enough journey in many ways. Arrival at Waterloo is often going to be far more convenient than Paddington too.
Arrived, feeling better than for several days but still a bit feeble. Set out, leaving Waterloo by the grand main entrance (not something I do often!) and then over the Thames in bright sunshine. Wandered a bit, arriving in Gower Street and finding UCL's Darwin Theatre in good time.
The purpose of my trip was to attend
Richard Dennis' lunchtime lecture - "George Gissing - London's Restless Analyst". The talk was well attended, and notable guests included Robin Woolven and Pierre and Helene Coustillas. Richard expanded on his 'Prejudice against Flats' talk from the Gissing Centenary Conference, giving a more general view of GRGs movement around the city in relation to the social status of the areas he inhabited, finding many parallels in the movement of characters from the novels. The talk was also well illustrated, particularly with excerpts from the Booth maps. Again, a pleasure to hear Richard speak, and wonderful to see his unbounded enthusiasm for Gissing still growing!
A little more wandering after the lecture, but didn't feel up to much heroic exploration. Tried to get a trip on the North London Line (and thence to Waterloo via Richmond) but was thwarted by a gas leak at Kensal Rise. This scuppered my plan of getting a quick look at Kensal Green - another vast Victorian cemetary, my second this week morbidly enough! Instead, found myself wandering through comfortingly familiar grounds at Clerkenwell. Stopped for a pint at the City Pride, then headed for Waterloo via The Drain. Had a quiet and pleasant journey home. Feeling pretty exhausted now. Resolved not to do anything tomorrow.
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.
