Toasty Temps & Tasty Food Trumps Trying Train Travel...

I know these blog posts get out of order... Sorry about that...

Hope that doesn't make you too crazy, or worse, not finish 'the story' if it takes me more than one post to get it all out.

I have discovered that blogging about real life is very much like real life, a little disorganized at best and downright troublesome at worst.

Some posts are easier to finish than others... either because I just have less words (perhaps we have not experienced that yet...) or because there's nothing to upload or download or create links to.

I had the most amazing time last week at Bore Place/Commonwork... traveled down on Wednesday and made my return journey to Henley this past Monday.

The trip down "they" made me go through London rather than my usual route... I had planned my packing and the luggage I used... everything... based on the fact that usually I have only two short sets of stairs to do (Twyford & Redhill) with lifts in Reading. The time of day I was traveling the trains would not be too full... I could keep my bags nearby.

Well, in Henley no one was around so that I could purchase a ticket, nor did I see the conductor once I boarded the train. Fortunately someone was working the ticket booth at Twyford, but, he said I had to go through London.

Oh man! Not the end of the world really, just that I knew I'd have to ride the tube partway and while it does see daylight in places, my experience thus far is that it is located in the bowels of the earth, sometimes there are lifts down and back up... sometimes not.

As it turned out, in this particular case... not.

I have learned, to find a rail/tube worker to ask for assistance in where I should go, what line to take etc. It is much faster than me trying to locate the tube map display... figure out where I am, where I need to be, how to get there... Not that I can't figure it out, it really is pretty simple and straightforward. The various tube lines are color coded with corresponding colored lines on the floors that lead you to the correct platform. Thank God then, I am not color blind! I have found my way alone before, but, while I am taking my own sweet time, trying to do it "all by myself" I can conceivably cause myself to miss the next train.

So. Unless I am up for that particular kind of adventure that comes from missing the right connection, I just ask. The rail/tube people hardly ever steer me wrong. And, as I've mentioned before, they seem to know everything by heart. This time, the first guy I asked did not know, but pulled out a map, from which he determined that I needed to catch the green line and I headed off in the direction he said, sure enough, found the green line on the floor and I was golden...

Or rather, as it turns out, I should have been following the golden (yellow) line, because that was in fact the right one and the green line was not.

You are wondering if I figured that out before I got on the green line tube?

Negatory.

The tube always seems busy, sometimes you are packed in there like sardines nose to nose with a stranger. That's not always so bad either! Hee hee.

Just kidding... really.

Sometimes your nose is in someone else's armpit. And you are hoping you are not wedged in next to a pick pocket. Or someone infected with some terrorist induced virus, or God knows what else.

Am I the only person who thinks of these things?

There is really no such thing as personal space on the tube. Except last Wednesday wasn't so bad. I had my pocket book over one shoulder and pulled around front... my backpack appropriately on my back and the duffel bag Stuart had lent me over the other shoulder and kind of to the right side. (I had tried putting it to the back before I left home and nearly fell over backwards!) When I walked out the front door, Melissa was laughing her head off at me.

I do make for good entertainment sometimes, even when I'm not trying. Glad I can be of service to humankind in that way.

(BTW. It is true, that if you roll your clothes you can fit way more in, just remember it will weigh more-I don't know what possessed me!? I wanted to be clean, dry and have things to do... I am banning myself from rolling next time.)

So, I was sitting... on the front edge of a seat because my backpack was taking up the comfortable part and looking at the little map on the other side that lists the stops in order and straightaway I had a sinking feeling something was amiss. It looked like the yellow and green took the same path for a piece, so I was hoping somehow miraculously I'd end up in the right place. It takes a couple stops before I can make sense of what I'm hearing the announcer saying and make it jive with the map thing...

Yessiree. I should be on yellow and not green.

Aaaarrrggghhhhh!!!!

I got off at the next stop... located the yellow line, got on that tube, made it to Victoria, climbed out of the bowels of the earth and discovered I needed to be at platform 15 in less than 5 minutes and it was only, oh, say 500 miles away! (well, it might as well have been, the way my little legs felt at that point.) I made it to platform 15 and verified that it was calling at Redhill, the guy said yes, leaving right now do you have a ticket?

Ahhh yes... I do... I could tell from the way he was looking at me that he wanted to see it, plus, another big clue was that he was not opening the gate for me to pass... and so I started to dig... then I said, are you really going to make me get it out? He just kinda smiled and opened the gate.

What was that about, anyway? My accent probably.

I literally got on the train, found a spot and the train pulled out of the station. Redhill here I come!

Whew.

Train out of Redhill was from the same platform I came in on.

Glory hallelujah!!!

Called the Relyon taxi company (en route thanks to that trusty cell phone) in Edenbridge, and arranged for a ride out to Bore Place... almost there!

Any UK people reading? Relyon is a great company, very friendly and helpful, the nice lady who answers the phone always calls me dear! Very reasonable fares too.

So, finally. An hour later than planned, I arrived at Bore Place.

Despite the fact that they were in the middle of a huge party for local families, Jacqueline, the Commonwork Director took time out to show me around the place; introduce me to Chef Andrew, who had put together a smorgasbord of decadent delights in the fridge for me; and help me get all my stuff over to the Small Barn which would be my home away from home... away from home... for the next few days.

Elaine had a fire going in the woodstove for me, a huge basket of fruit on the table and a host of 'staples' in the fridge and larder... organic milk, butter, jams, juices, granola, fresh bread, a variety of coffees and tea...

When I was in college one of the projects I did was the design for a carriage barn renovation for the lady who owned the property my folks rented. The carriage barn was where she stayed when she visited Vermont. I spent some of the next Summer working with my Dad, a skilled finish carpenter, as he implemented that plan. The layout and feel of the Small Barn at Bore Place was uncannily similar to Lillian's barn in Jericho, Vermont, right down to the sleeping loft.

It was like coming home.

My time there was so, so wonderful, and there are a few posts coming to tell you all about it. Lots of pictures too. For now, I'll just say this... it was as if everyone and everything was in a conspiracy... to bless me, and I truly was.

susie