Friday 22 August 2014

A Thought at Twilight.




I spent the day working on updating the war memorial site and listening to people sniggering worldwide at my Win 8 problems.  It may indeed be 8.1 but I have yet to work that out.  This is a Bank Holiday weekend, one of the biggest of the year.  Today many disappeared to get away from it all and spent the day with millions of others doing the same thing.  One day people will learn something about this.  I did many years ago when I arrived at Kings Cross station on my way to Edinburgh.  The queue was long and the trains were coming and going, station staff attempted to keep order in the queues but not always successfully.  This was a busy Friday and not the situation I adore. Eventually one of the staff shouted that an extra train had been put on over on platform whatever, and pointed in that direction.  Half the concourse ran over there and crushed themselves onto the train.  I waited thinking, stupidly, that this meant less people and more room on our train.  Wrong!  I got in and sat down.  In those days open coaches had four seats, two facing forward, two backwards, with a table between them.  Acceptable when quiet not so when trapped therein for four hundred miles through the night!  I do not know how I survived but I did.  I had to and folks were standing all along the train!  When we arrived at Newcastle the other train came in also at the other platform and I could see they too were standing crushed together all the way.  I never travelled at a holiday time again, bank or otherwise.  I chose off peak as it was quieter.

My holiday consisted of taking a walk after seven as the sun was going down in a vain hope of getting a good picture of the sky.  This was a mistake as the camera is full of dust and I have had to faff about with the one decent shot. The colour is now w bit iffy but reflects something of what was out there.  The cool off the day, especially after it has rained, gives off a distinctive aroma as the flora (or is it fauna I can never remember) absorb the water after the dry day and fill the air with sweetness, well in my mind anyway.  The streets are quieter, except in town centres, less traffic, no children, and walking where I have not wandered for a while refreshes this dulled mind greatly.  Simple pleasures for the simple minded.  Cheap too!

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5 comments:

Carol said...

Sounds like the train ride to Hell to me. I hate flying at holiday times too, and the roads can be horrific. Here they have a holiday road toll on the news. Sad but true.

Enjoy your Bank holiday weekend Adullaman.

Adullamite said...

Carol, Holidays make me stay at home.

Lee said...

I go into hibernation during public holidays...well, more than my usual hibernation. I stay well clear of the masses.

I wasn't sniggering at your Win 8 problems, Mr. Ad-Man...you had/have my sympathies. My patience level when things don't work the way I believe they should is very low. :)

Adullamite said...

Lee, You hibernate....?

Lady Di Tn said...

Love the photo and I cannot see any dust so you must have a little OCD in yawl. With going on the downhill slide, I too have found better use of public holidays than crowds and travel. Only the wise go off season. Peace.
BTW Owen would love to come fix your problems but alas I do not have the coins to send him. Muddle on Solider of Windows.