The journey homeward on Friday August 10th, 2009 had its moments of interest as well as concerns and although I did not achieve as much as I might have done during the three days, the trip went much better than anticipated and I kept expenditure to a reasonable level for my present budget.
Arranging to take the lunch time coach home means that it is easy to waste a morning as one is caught between relaxing and then rushing and getting everything ready and then having nothing to do for a couple of jours. I did not feel like writing or reading but did a little of both before the preparing of food and packing. Deciding I needed a cold drink, I left the hotel about half an hour earlier than I needed to. I could have gone for the drink and hoped that the key card continued to work, and similarly taken the fan back to the desk, but took the decision to leave in one go, buying the drink from one of the hotel drink‘s machine and drinking the can outside in what had become a pleasant sunny morning. I advised the hotel reception that I had left the fan in the room and detected a note of surprise and approval that I had taken the trouble to mention this, I called at the nearest local tobacconist store for two Euro draw lottery tickets and headed for the 73 bus to Victoria.
Both were unsuccessful ventures with only one of the lucky dip number coming up and the bus so overcrowded that I decided to go by the Tube.
There was quite a queue for the lift from Kings Cross to the Underground train level so I crossed the road and walked through the far end of the front of St Pancras for the lift, even though it meant walking all the way back as the Victoria and Northern lines are at the other end of the station where they have always been. The new concourse either side of the entrance to the Piccadilly, Circle and District Lines was a great crush of people queuing for tickets with another crowd at the two lots of automatic ticket machines. The first machine went off line for the young woman in front and this is second time this has happened, the other occasion was the previous day with only getting the ticket for the journey to the hotel on the first evening not proving a problem. Then a machine refused to take one of the pound coins so I decided to use a card and the queue was slow to move as visitors unused to the machines took their time, I needed only a few seconds and the man behind congratulated that someone else seemed to know what they were doing. If he only knew.
I had worked out that by placing the grip on my rucksack over the retractable handle for the case I needed only one hand to pull the case and rucksack together and this was a great boon and demonstrated once again my slowness in working out solutions which could make life a lot easier, I arrived at the coach station just after twelve and found that the coach for South Shields was at the end gate instead of one at the middle. The 12.30 was for Leicestershire and 1.30 for Mansfield.
Earlier I had listened to an interesting programme about the role of MI6 since end of the cold war. The programme had the appearance of being independently made with former spy chief and politicians refusing to answer certain questions and yet I had the feeling throughout that it was in fact MI6 spin. Understandably there was considerable coyness about the use of informants and the intelligence gathering process and the use of semi independent private agency to undertake work not authorised under Parliamentary democracy. I suspect the programme was designed to put the blame squarely on the American administration and on politicians for not warning the Iraq information was limited and potentially out of date, and that if operatives were aware that the USA was torturing suspects, or complicit in having them tortured it was done without the awareness of the politicians or senior civil servants. I did believe the point that those within the UK security network UK worked together rather than being distrustful as portrayed in the Le Carre books.
Arriving early at the coach station I found a seat close to the door to the coaches although those for Leicester had to wait twenty minutes before being allowed on. There were two young men who were puzzled that the departure board mentioned South Shields and not Sunderland their destination. They had travelled down the previous weekend on the overnight and then worked a ten hour shift and they were going home after what had been a major new experience for them. An elderly lady in a wheel chair with a companion or family member arrived and was equally anxious and she was closely followed by a young couple where the female not only gave the orders to her partner but wanted to take control of everyone else’s situation. I got the front seat in the aisle behind the driver which provided excellent leg space and a magnificent view of the road ahead
For the first part of the journey to Milton Keynes I had an almost continuous conversation with the driver who initiated much of the conversation. There had been a bad accident on the MI around the junction to Luton which had closed to Lanes of the motorway going north. There was contact checking of the traffic information and communications with drivers ahead and behind to relayed the latest position which was that the area had been cleared and traffic was flowing again. However there was a new problem as we approach as it looked as if a large van and collided with a private car which had been driven into the hedgerows. However the delay was only that of minutes as vehicles slowly down to see what had happened.
There were four no shows at Victoria and no one to be picked up at Golders Green so that reduced travelling by a good fifteen minutes. Similarly there was no one to pick up at Thirsk another half an hour saved and this service did not call at York. The omens appeared good. At Milton Keynes a couple got on with no double seat available, as I had feared, so I volunteered to move if an aisle seat was available. Fortunately there was one close to the front. The driver expressed disappointment to find that I had moved.
There was further delay because of traffic volume in the Nottingham area which removed the gains that had been achieved. A second driver was taken on at Trowell and we were half an hour late at Sheffield but still had a thirty minute break. I enjoyed a mug of tea for £1.85 having earlier eaten rolls filled with pate and a small pain au chocolat. The driver left us for home at Middlesbrough where he hoped to be at his social club within 2O mins. He had Sunday off. The other additional driver also left here and a new driver, who I subsequently learnt was doing the overnight run to London took over. I had enjoyed a good chat with the man next to me who left at Hartlepool the stop after Stockton. I had moved back to seat behind the driver at this point and it was on reaching Peterlee that the drama commenced. Peterlee is a sprawling newish community with a central bus station in an isolated position rather than the traditional town centre. The coach only sometimes calls there.
As one or two passengers departed the coach a young woman, not more than twenty enquired if this stop was Stockton, some thirty miles and half an hour before. She had not been asleep but misunderstood the driver and clear had not been on the route before. Usually those travelling on their own are telephoned or phone contacts who will pick them up at a coach stop. It was upsetting that the girl found herself in the predicament and my instinct was to advise that she stayed on the coach to Sunderland where it was likely she would find transport to Stockton if she had no one to collect her and where there were staff. This was the subsequent view of the driver who could have got her to Stockton if necessary on the overnight trip if there was no other solution. However a woman getting off said there was a bus from Peterlee to Hartlepool and from there a but to Stockton so the girl who appeared desperate for someone who could help her went to her for assistance. My anxiety then as now was whether there were buses operating at that time of night, after eight in the evening. The three other passengers remaining on the coach shared the concern but there was nothing we could do more than worry.
It had rained in Shields shortly before arrival but fortunately had stopped and I was able to get home without getting wet. Climbing the hill with the luggage was not the ordeal it had been before.
It was then time to take advantage of the all night supermarket for fruit, salad and fresh milk. The rolls prepared for the journey but left on the day room table had not gone mouldy and were distinctly only because of the smoked salmon, otherwise they would have been edible. I had eaten the second pain au chocolat on leaving Sunderland and eat the remaining pate filled roll on return with a coffee having had a can of coke with a glass of ice immediately on arrival.
The television sound continued to work and I watched a film with Sean Connery and Meg Ryan, The Presidio 1988, but went to sleep for at least an hour missing the ending and somehow managed to drag myself up to bed leaving the unpacking, the washing up and sorting out of papers from the trip.
Saturday had three dimensions, 20 20 cricket finals day, held this year at Birmingham, the opening weekend of the Premiership football season and writing, printing and reflecting on the trip to create one or two volumes of sets as a permanent record and memory.
I had considered going straight to London to Birmingham for the Twenty Twenty but this would have been quite a venture without a car, finding and getting to accommodation and then getting home on the Monday. I decided that my budget was not good enough although Sussex had reached their second one day finals day in the year. The first semi final commenced at 11.15 and continued until 2 and then the second commenced at 3pm until around 5.30 with the final under lights 7 to 10. The afternoon interval provided opportunity to go for black print cartridges where I bought four for £8, saving £2 on the single item by single item price. I also acquired a new desk lap so I can read the typing keys when the light is poor and found one at Wilkinsons for £4 plus something like 53 pence for two forty watt bulbs.
Sussex played against Northants in the first semi final with Northants being a ground never visited and a team did hitting the headlines except for the very popular Monty Panesar. Sussex bowlers contained Northants to 136 for 6 which was never going to be much with the 150 being the average score for 20 20’s at the ground. The Sussex approach was a cautious one and did not achieve the required runs until the final over. The game was not a great spectacle except for Sussex supporters who were anyway nervous after the defeat in the Final of the Friends Provident Trophy. The second semi final between Somerset and Kent was similar with Kent never scoring enough and Somerset having the batting power to win comfortably.
The final between Sussex and Somerset lived up to the Razzamatazz which this year was based on the theme the magnificent even with seven commentators, magnificent seven music cowgirl dancers and riding a an automatic mustang. No doubt there were plenty of beef burgers and spare ribs on sale. The star of the Sussex innings was the West Indian Smith who scored 59 runs from 26 balls with seven four hits and three sixes, There were 13 other four hits which made the total of 172 runs for seven wickets a challenging one with Somerset having to score an average of over eight and half runs an over, They had the man who could do this Marcus Trescothick who I had seen get 100 in a pro 40 game the previous season. He looked as if he would win the match singled handed scoring 3 sixes and three four in an innings of only 15 balls and a total of 33 before being caught trying to hit the ball out of the ground. However after he was out Somerset famed for having a strong hard hitting batting line up failed and were all out with16 balls to spare for only 109. It was Sussex‘s day.
I only watched a few minutes of the opening match of Premiership season as title challenges Chelsea were only able to bat relegation survivors Hull.2.1 in extra time. In the afternoon I did listen to Sunderland at Bolton watching the cricket with the sound off. The new forward line up of Darren Bent and Kenwyn Joes is clearly going to work well. Bent scored within five minutes the only goal of the game and if Sunderland had gone into interval four or five up it would have been a fair reflection of the play. Sunderland have also acquired Cattermole from Wigan who appears he will play a similar role to Nosworthy in the championship year. With the reserve goal keeper playing well and making two excellent second half saves, one in extra time, Sunderland have the spine which if injury free should see them comfortable in mid table without relegation worries and possible causes some surprises in individual games. They entertain Chelsea midweek but I have decided not to go and will pick and chose games as the season progresses. They should have a good crowd being the only Premiership club in the North East this season.
Boro had a good 3.0 win away from home while Newcastle at home before a depleted home crowd won by three goals all scored by Shola Ameobi. However they do not look a team and with Ashley still haunting the club, along with Barton and Smith I will await their departure before attending a live match. After two games Newcastle and the Boro are likely to remain serious contenders for returning to the Premiership at their first attempt.
While sport and watching was the priority I printed out the information considered appropriate in support of my notes on the trip but left further writing until late evening. I enjoyed cereal in the morning a soup and a role midday and then two pieces of fish in crispy batter with a vegetable mixture and a small carton of cherries. I did was going up but little else activity. Sunday was likely to be a similar day and I will leave the sorting out of the glasses insurance and other similar household and personal matters until Monday.
Arranging to take the lunch time coach home means that it is easy to waste a morning as one is caught between relaxing and then rushing and getting everything ready and then having nothing to do for a couple of jours. I did not feel like writing or reading but did a little of both before the preparing of food and packing. Deciding I needed a cold drink, I left the hotel about half an hour earlier than I needed to. I could have gone for the drink and hoped that the key card continued to work, and similarly taken the fan back to the desk, but took the decision to leave in one go, buying the drink from one of the hotel drink‘s machine and drinking the can outside in what had become a pleasant sunny morning. I advised the hotel reception that I had left the fan in the room and detected a note of surprise and approval that I had taken the trouble to mention this, I called at the nearest local tobacconist store for two Euro draw lottery tickets and headed for the 73 bus to Victoria.
Both were unsuccessful ventures with only one of the lucky dip number coming up and the bus so overcrowded that I decided to go by the Tube.
There was quite a queue for the lift from Kings Cross to the Underground train level so I crossed the road and walked through the far end of the front of St Pancras for the lift, even though it meant walking all the way back as the Victoria and Northern lines are at the other end of the station where they have always been. The new concourse either side of the entrance to the Piccadilly, Circle and District Lines was a great crush of people queuing for tickets with another crowd at the two lots of automatic ticket machines. The first machine went off line for the young woman in front and this is second time this has happened, the other occasion was the previous day with only getting the ticket for the journey to the hotel on the first evening not proving a problem. Then a machine refused to take one of the pound coins so I decided to use a card and the queue was slow to move as visitors unused to the machines took their time, I needed only a few seconds and the man behind congratulated that someone else seemed to know what they were doing. If he only knew.
I had worked out that by placing the grip on my rucksack over the retractable handle for the case I needed only one hand to pull the case and rucksack together and this was a great boon and demonstrated once again my slowness in working out solutions which could make life a lot easier, I arrived at the coach station just after twelve and found that the coach for South Shields was at the end gate instead of one at the middle. The 12.30 was for Leicestershire and 1.30 for Mansfield.
Earlier I had listened to an interesting programme about the role of MI6 since end of the cold war. The programme had the appearance of being independently made with former spy chief and politicians refusing to answer certain questions and yet I had the feeling throughout that it was in fact MI6 spin. Understandably there was considerable coyness about the use of informants and the intelligence gathering process and the use of semi independent private agency to undertake work not authorised under Parliamentary democracy. I suspect the programme was designed to put the blame squarely on the American administration and on politicians for not warning the Iraq information was limited and potentially out of date, and that if operatives were aware that the USA was torturing suspects, or complicit in having them tortured it was done without the awareness of the politicians or senior civil servants. I did believe the point that those within the UK security network UK worked together rather than being distrustful as portrayed in the Le Carre books.
Arriving early at the coach station I found a seat close to the door to the coaches although those for Leicester had to wait twenty minutes before being allowed on. There were two young men who were puzzled that the departure board mentioned South Shields and not Sunderland their destination. They had travelled down the previous weekend on the overnight and then worked a ten hour shift and they were going home after what had been a major new experience for them. An elderly lady in a wheel chair with a companion or family member arrived and was equally anxious and she was closely followed by a young couple where the female not only gave the orders to her partner but wanted to take control of everyone else’s situation. I got the front seat in the aisle behind the driver which provided excellent leg space and a magnificent view of the road ahead
For the first part of the journey to Milton Keynes I had an almost continuous conversation with the driver who initiated much of the conversation. There had been a bad accident on the MI around the junction to Luton which had closed to Lanes of the motorway going north. There was contact checking of the traffic information and communications with drivers ahead and behind to relayed the latest position which was that the area had been cleared and traffic was flowing again. However there was a new problem as we approach as it looked as if a large van and collided with a private car which had been driven into the hedgerows. However the delay was only that of minutes as vehicles slowly down to see what had happened.
There were four no shows at Victoria and no one to be picked up at Golders Green so that reduced travelling by a good fifteen minutes. Similarly there was no one to pick up at Thirsk another half an hour saved and this service did not call at York. The omens appeared good. At Milton Keynes a couple got on with no double seat available, as I had feared, so I volunteered to move if an aisle seat was available. Fortunately there was one close to the front. The driver expressed disappointment to find that I had moved.
There was further delay because of traffic volume in the Nottingham area which removed the gains that had been achieved. A second driver was taken on at Trowell and we were half an hour late at Sheffield but still had a thirty minute break. I enjoyed a mug of tea for £1.85 having earlier eaten rolls filled with pate and a small pain au chocolat. The driver left us for home at Middlesbrough where he hoped to be at his social club within 2O mins. He had Sunday off. The other additional driver also left here and a new driver, who I subsequently learnt was doing the overnight run to London took over. I had enjoyed a good chat with the man next to me who left at Hartlepool the stop after Stockton. I had moved back to seat behind the driver at this point and it was on reaching Peterlee that the drama commenced. Peterlee is a sprawling newish community with a central bus station in an isolated position rather than the traditional town centre. The coach only sometimes calls there.
As one or two passengers departed the coach a young woman, not more than twenty enquired if this stop was Stockton, some thirty miles and half an hour before. She had not been asleep but misunderstood the driver and clear had not been on the route before. Usually those travelling on their own are telephoned or phone contacts who will pick them up at a coach stop. It was upsetting that the girl found herself in the predicament and my instinct was to advise that she stayed on the coach to Sunderland where it was likely she would find transport to Stockton if she had no one to collect her and where there were staff. This was the subsequent view of the driver who could have got her to Stockton if necessary on the overnight trip if there was no other solution. However a woman getting off said there was a bus from Peterlee to Hartlepool and from there a but to Stockton so the girl who appeared desperate for someone who could help her went to her for assistance. My anxiety then as now was whether there were buses operating at that time of night, after eight in the evening. The three other passengers remaining on the coach shared the concern but there was nothing we could do more than worry.
It had rained in Shields shortly before arrival but fortunately had stopped and I was able to get home without getting wet. Climbing the hill with the luggage was not the ordeal it had been before.
It was then time to take advantage of the all night supermarket for fruit, salad and fresh milk. The rolls prepared for the journey but left on the day room table had not gone mouldy and were distinctly only because of the smoked salmon, otherwise they would have been edible. I had eaten the second pain au chocolat on leaving Sunderland and eat the remaining pate filled roll on return with a coffee having had a can of coke with a glass of ice immediately on arrival.
The television sound continued to work and I watched a film with Sean Connery and Meg Ryan, The Presidio 1988, but went to sleep for at least an hour missing the ending and somehow managed to drag myself up to bed leaving the unpacking, the washing up and sorting out of papers from the trip.
Saturday had three dimensions, 20 20 cricket finals day, held this year at Birmingham, the opening weekend of the Premiership football season and writing, printing and reflecting on the trip to create one or two volumes of sets as a permanent record and memory.
I had considered going straight to London to Birmingham for the Twenty Twenty but this would have been quite a venture without a car, finding and getting to accommodation and then getting home on the Monday. I decided that my budget was not good enough although Sussex had reached their second one day finals day in the year. The first semi final commenced at 11.15 and continued until 2 and then the second commenced at 3pm until around 5.30 with the final under lights 7 to 10. The afternoon interval provided opportunity to go for black print cartridges where I bought four for £8, saving £2 on the single item by single item price. I also acquired a new desk lap so I can read the typing keys when the light is poor and found one at Wilkinsons for £4 plus something like 53 pence for two forty watt bulbs.
Sussex played against Northants in the first semi final with Northants being a ground never visited and a team did hitting the headlines except for the very popular Monty Panesar. Sussex bowlers contained Northants to 136 for 6 which was never going to be much with the 150 being the average score for 20 20’s at the ground. The Sussex approach was a cautious one and did not achieve the required runs until the final over. The game was not a great spectacle except for Sussex supporters who were anyway nervous after the defeat in the Final of the Friends Provident Trophy. The second semi final between Somerset and Kent was similar with Kent never scoring enough and Somerset having the batting power to win comfortably.
The final between Sussex and Somerset lived up to the Razzamatazz which this year was based on the theme the magnificent even with seven commentators, magnificent seven music cowgirl dancers and riding a an automatic mustang. No doubt there were plenty of beef burgers and spare ribs on sale. The star of the Sussex innings was the West Indian Smith who scored 59 runs from 26 balls with seven four hits and three sixes, There were 13 other four hits which made the total of 172 runs for seven wickets a challenging one with Somerset having to score an average of over eight and half runs an over, They had the man who could do this Marcus Trescothick who I had seen get 100 in a pro 40 game the previous season. He looked as if he would win the match singled handed scoring 3 sixes and three four in an innings of only 15 balls and a total of 33 before being caught trying to hit the ball out of the ground. However after he was out Somerset famed for having a strong hard hitting batting line up failed and were all out with16 balls to spare for only 109. It was Sussex‘s day.
I only watched a few minutes of the opening match of Premiership season as title challenges Chelsea were only able to bat relegation survivors Hull.2.1 in extra time. In the afternoon I did listen to Sunderland at Bolton watching the cricket with the sound off. The new forward line up of Darren Bent and Kenwyn Joes is clearly going to work well. Bent scored within five minutes the only goal of the game and if Sunderland had gone into interval four or five up it would have been a fair reflection of the play. Sunderland have also acquired Cattermole from Wigan who appears he will play a similar role to Nosworthy in the championship year. With the reserve goal keeper playing well and making two excellent second half saves, one in extra time, Sunderland have the spine which if injury free should see them comfortable in mid table without relegation worries and possible causes some surprises in individual games. They entertain Chelsea midweek but I have decided not to go and will pick and chose games as the season progresses. They should have a good crowd being the only Premiership club in the North East this season.
Boro had a good 3.0 win away from home while Newcastle at home before a depleted home crowd won by three goals all scored by Shola Ameobi. However they do not look a team and with Ashley still haunting the club, along with Barton and Smith I will await their departure before attending a live match. After two games Newcastle and the Boro are likely to remain serious contenders for returning to the Premiership at their first attempt.
While sport and watching was the priority I printed out the information considered appropriate in support of my notes on the trip but left further writing until late evening. I enjoyed cereal in the morning a soup and a role midday and then two pieces of fish in crispy batter with a vegetable mixture and a small carton of cherries. I did was going up but little else activity. Sunday was likely to be a similar day and I will leave the sorting out of the glasses insurance and other similar household and personal matters until Monday.
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