The Scotrail Sagas

Image: BBC Online

I felt quite ruffled yesterday. Having to be in Glasgow last night disrupted my planned schedule of events big time, and I felt frustrated with things all day. It meant I could get no work done at all; no packing or preparing for the London trip, and on a lesser note, I missed the Vic Galloway Show!

The whole day got off to a bad start. Not even the large Americano (that’s a black coffee to you and me) and a bacon roll managed to cheer me up.

I don’t think I slept well either. My bedroom is like an oven because of the angle it faces the sun’s arch, so in the evening the heat that gets retained makes it impossible to get to sleep in sometimes. Please don’t suggest leaving the window open. I live in Leith and the couple across the road who last tried that, paid for it with their DVD recorder, purse and wallet.

Through to Glasgow then, on the 18:30 Scotrail train. I met up with my mates in the Sir John Moore pub and shared one hundred dozen or so laughs. We ate: TGI Fridays being our restaurant of choice. I’d not had one of their Jack Daniels steaks in a long time so I plumped for that, but it was nowhere near as rare is I had opted for. Disappointing, but the company was good.

I left the guys at about 22:45. I realised that there was no point in me hanging around as they were going to another pub afterwards and I wouldn’t have time for another drink, so I headed back round to Queen Street for the 11pm train. In my experience it’s always best not to get the last train of the evening anyway; it’s usually the worst of the lot for drunken incidents.

But I didn’t escape. The train was quite busy when I boarded but there was one spare seat that backed onto the toilet in the front carriage. Shortly after Falkirk, a couple arrived to sit opposite. I had my earphones in so was happy to ignore their drunken chat. As we passed through Linlithgow her face whitened and she left her seat.

It was the smell I noticed first. I turned own the volume of my iPod and could hear her hacking and retching away in the toilet behind me. Since we were pulling into Haymarket anyway, I decided to brave it and breath little until we got to Waverley. I was first off the train.

Today’s my final day at the day job before I leave for London and then go into the dental hospital next Monday. I’ve still to pack but I am organised. Little time left for any writing before I go, so I’m preparing for my poetry blitz of London.

Have good one, y’all!