Weekend travel and mobiles

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Hi

Did not get anywhere near a computer in the past 48 hours..busy multitasking like all of you I suppose.

I travelled yesterday from East London to Southampton by train. Travelling a 9 am on a Saturday morning is not easy.
With few commuters aroound you you are constantly being reminded that you are the one working and all others are probably still in bed.

The weekend brings out all types of people onto the public transport. Very typically the middle class parents who want to take their 7 year old for a London trip. They all look alike. The parents in jeans and casual sweaters or fleece jackets, mum carrying a rucksacr full of all "keep it, just in case" items as well as a water bottle, dad with a leaflet for some museum or some activity centre trying to discuss what he is going to achieve by today's trip and the kids looking as much disintersted as possible..its not cool enough to excite them...I am sure.

At Waterloo I was too early for my next train as I just missed the previous one by 20 seconds. Nothing more painful than the automatic doors slam on your face and the platform staff very appropriately and rather loudly admonishing you "keep off the door please; the train is about to leave." That gave me a good excuse to ensure adequate calorie intake with yummy Danish pastry.

On the train I sat opposite a very fit grandmother... she did not return my smile. She frowned everytime someone's mobile phone went off which was precisely 6 times before the train started and then only 3 times until I alighted. I wonder what she will do when she travels in the regular peak hours when I always wonder if the person on the other side of the phone actually can hear what is being said to him or her as practically every other person is busy narrating boring details of their today's work achievements! and plans for tonight's takeaways. Any way soon my mobile went off.. only once..and I clicked it on swiftly.. but that did not avoid a stern glare and a sustained look of disapproval. Oh well Now I know how I look when I glare at my co travellers when ther mobiles irritate me!

But for once there were no emergency weekend repair works and no enforced bus travels between BAsingstoke and Winchester.. thats great!

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