Trains, taxis and incestuous threesomes
Feb. 17th, 2005 10:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
emonyHeck of an interesting journey home tonight. By interesting, I mean I got to the station just after 5pm, to find that the 16:56 train was running late and would arrive at Sunningdale station at 17:04. Oh good, thought I. I might even be early! Hah. The train, in fact, arrived at 17:06, which was just about the time my usual train arrives anyway (my usual train was running late too), and I got to Ascot (one station down the line) at about the same time I usually arrive. And there ended my train journey. Now, usually I got from Ascot to Aldershot, wait at Aldershot for 20 minutes or so, then get another train one stop down from Aldershot to Farnham.
Tonight, however, there was an "incident" at Guildford, so the train to Aldershot from Ascot was cancelled. By "incident", I think they mean some poor bugger jumped in front of a train, but I don't know for sure. Anyway, no trains from Ascot to Aldershot, since that's the London to Guildford line. Well shit, thought I. I'll have to wait until the next one comes, at 6pm. It was about 5.10pm at this point. The station attendents said at first that there was a train coming through at about 5.30pm that was due to terminate, that they were going to rearrange so it would carry on straight down to Guildford instead of terminating at Adershot.
However, they realised fairly soon that this train was already running half an hour late. Not really a viable option. So - they called us all over to the front of the station, and arranged for taxis to take us - at their expense, of course - to our stations of destination. In my case Aldershot, from where I could get the train down one station to Farnham.
The taxi was going fine. There were five of us in my taxi, one going to Bagshot and four of us going to Aldershot. Naturally, being British, once we group of perfect strangers were squashed into the back of a taxi together, we spoke no words at all and all stared out of our individual windows, avoiding eye-contact and trying not to inadvertantly touch each other.
The first chap was dropped off at Bagshot, and we continued on our way to Aldershot. As we drove down Frimley High Street ... the taxi broke down. "I break down," the drive told us. "Break jam. Not safe." And so, we pulled over at the side of the road and waiting for a replacement taxi to arrive, while the drive looked under the car, under the bonnet, and had a cigarette.
We stood around in the cold, smiling and making occasional conversation about the weather, and how jolly annoying it was that we couldn't get where we wanted to be, and weren't British Rail a bit crap, until finally, after about twenty-five minutes, a replacement taxi arrived. By this point, the train from Aldershot to Farnham, which left at 18:09, had gone, the next one not coming for half an hour. We sped down to Aldershot (at the expense of South West trains) and the two people for Aldershot got out.
Myself and another girl who was also going to Farnham decided that since we'd missed the train to Farnham, and it wasn't far from Aldershot anyway, we'd just stay in the taxi and split the cost, since South West trains weren't paying for Aldershot to Farnham (taxi company's fault. Bastards). Once we got to Farnham station, however, the other girl insisted on paying, since she could charge it to her work.
I was home by 18:35, only 20 minutes later than usual, so all things considered it wasn't too bad. And it certainly made things a bit more interesting than usual!
Aside from that, the day was fairly standard. I ordered some fax cartridges, and tonight I watched A New Hope on DVD. Mmm :) Luke/Han/Leia. It's so there, it's almost scary. Good stuff. And now I'm off to bed, nice and early for the first time in goodness knows how long.
Tonight, however, there was an "incident" at Guildford, so the train to Aldershot from Ascot was cancelled. By "incident", I think they mean some poor bugger jumped in front of a train, but I don't know for sure. Anyway, no trains from Ascot to Aldershot, since that's the London to Guildford line. Well shit, thought I. I'll have to wait until the next one comes, at 6pm. It was about 5.10pm at this point. The station attendents said at first that there was a train coming through at about 5.30pm that was due to terminate, that they were going to rearrange so it would carry on straight down to Guildford instead of terminating at Adershot.
However, they realised fairly soon that this train was already running half an hour late. Not really a viable option. So - they called us all over to the front of the station, and arranged for taxis to take us - at their expense, of course - to our stations of destination. In my case Aldershot, from where I could get the train down one station to Farnham.
The taxi was going fine. There were five of us in my taxi, one going to Bagshot and four of us going to Aldershot. Naturally, being British, once we group of perfect strangers were squashed into the back of a taxi together, we spoke no words at all and all stared out of our individual windows, avoiding eye-contact and trying not to inadvertantly touch each other.
The first chap was dropped off at Bagshot, and we continued on our way to Aldershot. As we drove down Frimley High Street ... the taxi broke down. "I break down," the drive told us. "Break jam. Not safe." And so, we pulled over at the side of the road and waiting for a replacement taxi to arrive, while the drive looked under the car, under the bonnet, and had a cigarette.
We stood around in the cold, smiling and making occasional conversation about the weather, and how jolly annoying it was that we couldn't get where we wanted to be, and weren't British Rail a bit crap, until finally, after about twenty-five minutes, a replacement taxi arrived. By this point, the train from Aldershot to Farnham, which left at 18:09, had gone, the next one not coming for half an hour. We sped down to Aldershot (at the expense of South West trains) and the two people for Aldershot got out.
Myself and another girl who was also going to Farnham decided that since we'd missed the train to Farnham, and it wasn't far from Aldershot anyway, we'd just stay in the taxi and split the cost, since South West trains weren't paying for Aldershot to Farnham (taxi company's fault. Bastards). Once we got to Farnham station, however, the other girl insisted on paying, since she could charge it to her work.
I was home by 18:35, only 20 minutes later than usual, so all things considered it wasn't too bad. And it certainly made things a bit more interesting than usual!
Aside from that, the day was fairly standard. I ordered some fax cartridges, and tonight I watched A New Hope on DVD. Mmm :) Luke/Han/Leia. It's so there, it's almost scary. Good stuff. And now I'm off to bed, nice and early for the first time in goodness knows how long.
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(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-17 02:24 pm (UTC)Secondly... scary is just about it.
Still, Han <3 *g* Ohh, I think I need a Han icon.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-17 11:18 pm (UTC)Han is the greatest ever :)