Archives: trains

Jack was not for sleeping last night. Louise says he can tell when he’s in one of his moods from his face; a certain smug smile, & he had that smile as he was waking up yesterday & while at home, it seems, never lost it. He was out to be annoying. It was only broken when Louise suggested that he move to a bedroom of his own if was not keen on sleeping – he could have his own bedroom to stay up late in so as not to disturb Eve & Jude. He was upset by that & we at last got him to accept that such behaviour is not really acceptable. Then again, perhaps not – we have to see how today goes.
Slightly alarming is the prospect of actually getting home tomorrow. There is a train strike & I know I stand a reasonable chance of actually getting a train in the morning as it’s not the same company that is having the dispute, but I’ve got to figure when they may be a return train. Especially tomorrow when I need to be back to assist Louise with the party for William. I will have to take ‘unpaid leave’ as a worst case scenario. BAH!

Standing about, waiting for an age in Littlewoods Index Shop to get some silly storage boxes. Well we need them, but I’ve just been told that they do not have in stock – counter to stock systems… So I thought I’d do a bit of typing while the look for the 2nd choice… Joy.
I was going to head off for Halifax again after work, to go to good ol Woolworths again – pricked by the mild panic of a need to get something for Xmas for the kids, there were a couple of items that might have been thought good. I was supposed to get a couple of things sorted in Manchester & head home. Plans not gone well – trains have left & I’m still here – hey ho.
Need to get back to sort out the attic a little. We’ve got Hattie coming round to fit a radiator up there now – yeay! I have to do a little rearranging to ensure that access under the floorboards is good… Still – having a radiator up there should help the damp on the walls that has developed due to the rain getting in by the chimney again – darn – last months fix has proved not to :( They are coming back again this week to reassess & see if some of the leading does in fact need to be repaired due to a hole somewhere. Bah.
My birthday t’morra &I’m hoping that the digital camera I’ve ordered may have arrived in the post. Would be exceptionally pleasant if it has. A great toy to play with, methinks. More immediate than film based medium – & thus a lot more throwaway as well.

On Train

Well that went well… They in fact did not have anything in the way of storage crates whatsoever -so I missed 2 trains for nothing. Called in to Louise to report abject failure & to tell her where I was. She was not impressed hat I was not home yet, as she seems to have Hamish & Amber around as well -full – stressful – house. Bum. Ok – I’ll not even mention the fact that I could have tried Argos – but the queues wer even worse there – heh. Maybe next time, maybe never.

Joy – my weekend for a Saturday shift.

Not a good day for travelling on the trains.

This morning, with no announcement to the effect, the train was half an hour late (probably consequently turning into the train that was due the half-hour after during the journey). I was late to work.
I left work late as my excellent computer decided to delay its clock by quarter of an hour during the day, at some point. I set off for the train station in the full knowledge I would miss the train I was going for. So, I go to the platform where the net train is due, get on & it leaves suspiciously early. Turn out not to be my train at all, but one going on a local loop. It ends up at Rochdale, but not before the one I would have caught has since passed through. Only By a matter of minutes, suggests the timetable. I suspect that the train I was incorrectly on departed late, so I wonder if it was on time, whether I would have caught my proper connection.

So – here I am typing on a coach, as the next train – unannounced like, did not turn up, but waiting on the platform when I noticed a rail replacement train pull up to the station; went to investigate & found that a coach for Todmordem was not long due behind that one… Oh, replacement coach – so that looks like a planned rail replacement (with no announcement).
Joy
I am now startlingly late. I hope Jack does is not attempting to stay awake as he will be irritable & delirious by now…. sigh.
I should have been home an hour ago by now & I still have a way to go.

Coach is slow. It makes me ill.

Weird… I actually finished our/to be the kid’s room last night. The walls are all now painted – 2 walls pistachio & 2 walls varnished lining paper. I might get a couple of days rest while I recoup & maybe sort out a few bits & bobs; reviews & alike.

We should be able to sleep back upstairs again. Louise & I have had to resort to the sofa bed, as it’s been a bit smelly. The kids have not been too put out by this – perhaps a little confused, but they liked ligging on it in the mornings before it got put away.

Do I have a sense of triumph at having finished the room? No, not really; more bemusement. The kids could be in there in a couple of weeks as we are now plotting an expedition to Ikea so that we can get them a bed each. Not sure what other furniture we might need, but we cannot plan for too much at the moment. We will move into their small room while I sort out the decorating of the attic room. A setback up there is the fact that we have leak around the chimney breast again. With all the heavy downpours we’ve had recently a seriously damp patch has appeared. The builders have been called again to have another look at things, but we worry. Louise was talking of having the pot removed & roofed over, but how would that leave us if we wanted to put a fire in? I would like that option to remain. Not that I want a ‘real’ fire – having tended some in my time their a bother in a world of convenience. I do not have the patience to fret over keeping something going & cleaned out like some flipping pet. A mechanical (pet fire) which you switch on & off with gas would be my ideal there. Time may come.

Eve has been a little manic now & then recently. Canniness are still teething. They’ve both been a little over tired of recent due to disrupted sleep – Eve through her teething & Jack as he’s woke a little earlier than he should. They’ve coped well with it though – not really grumpy or anything & still playing together quite well. Jack did get a bit frustrated with his trains last night though, as they would not stay together in a, …uh, train. They are a set not designed for uneven carpets – so they keep coming apart – which makes him howl with frustration.

Eve’s language continues to develop & amuse. Not a good example of her language skills, but; as she woke from her afternoon nap yesterday, she pleaded, “Tooaaasssttt” – to which Louise asked if she would like her to do some toast? “No, crisps!”. Sigh.

Spent last Friday night knocking up a new page on my website that would host all my mental meanderings I type on my morning commute. I did actually finish it as well (this is what you are reading!). Was the last of my BBEdit demo application tho. Back to the basics of the ‘lite’ free version… sigh…
Oh, & the pipes sprung a new leak for us… joy. This time’s where the pipes used to go to the old boiler – the stopped end of that bit of piping. Fortunately it’s an easy spot to get to, so a margarine tub has been strategically placed so that any drips can be caught. There is further damage to the ceiling, but as they are coming to repaper it at the end of the month because of the previous damage (work to be paid for by the insurance) then… who cares… I have been turning the water on & off at the stop tap all weekend to minimise the emptying of the margarine tub. Hattie comes today to fix again.
Jack was a ‘coiled spring’ yesterday – ready to go off… He was playing on the computer for the most part, but any provocation & he resorted to slapping. I think I only have myself to blame as he was hitting me earlier in the day as I had told him not to do something (probably as it was either dangerous or silly – I forget now what) & he hit me, so I said don’t (as is annoying) or I’ll have to hit you back. He did not, so I did – & thus the ‘game’ starts there. Sigh.
–Train stops at just past Walsden today – evident why as I look out at some dumb sheep who have got out of the field & are on the line. The driver has to get out of the train to report them. (Bad sheep-naughty sheep – we’ll tell your farmer on you.) Off we go – bye-bye sheep–
Jack & I had a good days work in general though. He woke well, & was in a good mood. He played some kiddie stuff on the Internet (roaming the BBC ‘small kids’ section).
Oog – this is an old train & I don’t think I can type anymore as aside from all the movement making it difficult, it’s making me queasy.
Train home – ‘1st class’ section – nice table to put the eMate on. Yes, well – Jack broke off from the Internet without to any probs so we could go for the seemingly traditional excursion for the supermarket. No histrionics at the cafe :) The afternoon was spent up in the attic – tidying up. It’s still rather a mess. Dust everywhere. The Dyson hoover got a good workout & Both Jack & I got splinters cleaning the floorboards with a damp cloth; he somehow in his leg, me, more normally, in my finger.
Jack like cleaning up – it’s a good game to him.. who are we to argue – heh. He kept going for a good while – essentially as long as I did, & did nothing really untoward or foolish. There was that point when we butted heads re hitting me, but that was out of the attic, & we managed to calm down & get on with things. It was only later, after tea, that the ‘coiled spring’ arose.
Eve spent a lot of the afternoon asleep. She slipped into slumber in the pushchair on the way home. Louise was not feeling great either – sleepy & raging headache – so she took the chance to have a little snooze – leaving Jack & i to get on with things… As I said, a good afternoon’s work. Got a lot cleaned up, but a frightening amount still to clean…
Then cometh the decorating…
After work today I set out for B&Q to get a new set of taps for the bathroom as one of the bath taps is falling to bits (the one I tried to stop dripping last month or so & made matters worse). So, got a chrome set instead of a gold set, as before. Gold bathroom fittings – yuk… They look ‘dirty’ to start with – what a dead (tasteless) loss. All I have to do now is worry about fitting these new ones, dither, put off & call Hattie to ask her nicely if she can fit us in some time to do it.