I felt very grumpy today as I sat on a cold and windy platform waiting for a train for 2 hours  - unstaffed station so no Waiting Room, and no-one to ask what was the delay. I phoned an info number which was given, so found out that there was an electrical fault further down the line. Everyone else who was waiting gave up and got a taxi or rang for a lift but I didn't have either of these options.

It was quite obvious that something was wrong though, because there were virtually no non-stopping trains whizzing through the station either. I've had similar experiences with buses when I've suddenly realized that no buses at all are running in either direction, not just the one I want to catch.

Trains seem to be far better these days at communicating with their "customers" and telling them what's going on - perhaps they might extend this to providing similar information at the unstaffed stations? But, of course, they're the responsibility of a different company. 

You know that dirty sticky stinky baby smell, right?  Well it smelt like that.  That's all I meant to actually communicate.  Seriously gross anyway; straight down the toilet!

Andy D,
You were so unlucky to be stuck in that station for so long. To be in the wind for so long would make anybody grumpy.
You are fine by now. At least you did not have that ghasty drink from a machine.

Blimey I was actually quite lucky yesterday. Just looked at the BBC news pages and it says:

"Many rail services out of Birmingham have been cancelled after heavy rain. Virgin West Coast has not been stopping at the Birmingham stations and has been using an alternative route via Nuneaton and Rugby. The lines from the city to Rugby and Wolverhampton were closed and services from Shropshire have been stopping in Wolverhampton."

At least I got back to Brum last night, I could have been completely stranded. Although if I'd got as far as Wolverhampton, I could have got a bus or a taxi.

Aha! Good old google turns up Barrett's Milk Teeth. But are these the admirable old-fashioned version or the nasty new-fangled baby's-bottom-smelling ones, increpatio? I wouldn't want to be caught out.

Hmmm. I can't say I can remember coltsfoot rock, tinners. I think it must have been after my time. I heard dark rumours of coltsfoot jelly being handed out by other people's mothers, the Fabian Society sort with artfully distrait hair who would give you dandelion and burdock salad if you didn't keep your wits about you.

A small rantette as a footnote others' more serious rail problems. Signal problems last night between Cricklewood and Mill Hill Broadway (oh the romance of those names, Crick-Le-Wood, Windmill Hill). Plenty of information given out but no trains at all for an hour and then lots of brightly lit empty ones going straight past, 'not for use due to repositioning'. Being 'repositioned' is what most of us were after . In these circumstances it's amazing how your heart can lift on discovering a discarded Evening Standard in a rubbish bin with a couple of uncompleted Sudoko puzzles.

As my thank you to everyone for your support during my hour of need, here is a pic of

The New Floor

I like this fashion for plain wood floors. I'm still at the fitted carpet stage myself, but it's beginning to look old-fashioned, and isn't as easy to clean as wood or tiles - not as healthy, either, I shouldn't think.

I'm a bit torn about this.  A large proportion of my ground floor is tiled Mediterranean-style.  Very hygienic but when cleaning - as with wood floors, you do two things instead of one.  Sweep then mop or polish.  My living room and dining room are carpeted and obviously easy just to vacuum.  Tiles and wood are definitely healthier especially for people who have dust mite allergies etc., but they're a bit cold especially in the winter.  Noisy too.