I suppose one ought to take the attitude of 'mustn't grumble'. But almost everything that went wrong on my journey home was really down to my own stupidity.
I left work. Because we are now on 'Amber Alert', the side entrances have been locked and we have to queue to get through the tiger traps in the front entrance. Fortunately, not at the time I leave (or arrive) but at lunchtime. And it's a long roundabout route just to go for a fag . Sigh...
I walked to the river just missed a 77A. Countdown said the next 77A was terminating at Trafalgar Square, which wasn't good enough, especially considering that my Oyster Pre-pay was low, and I had very little cash in my purse. Fortunately, the bus came, and it said 'Aldwych' on the front.
It wasn't very crowded but it was horrendously hot, so I was quite relieved to get off and walk up to Covent Garden, where I met Plácido Domingo, and I walked into a door, then decided to walk towards the river to get a 59, only to discover that I don't have a clue where the 59 goes from. But the countdown indicated that a 77A was coming that was terminating at Trafalgar Square, but actually an 11 came, so I got that, thinking I would get off at Trafalgar Square and get the Northern Line from Charing Cross, only I was in a dream world, so I missed Trafalgar Square, despite it having lots of statues and fountains, so I thought the 11 goes to Victoria, so that doesn't matter, then I realised that I had - without precedent - passed Downing Street without realising and peering down, but I got off the bus and went to Westminster to top up my Pre-Pay and get a weekly travelcard which will make economic sense, and then I couldn't remember whether I wanted Eastbound or Westbound, because I have only being using the District Line in the Westminster/Victoria vicinity since 1989, with previous intermittent experience, but I guessed right but the next train was five minutes so because I was in a state of over-excitement I attracted suspicious glances by pacing round the platform. Then the train came and was packed, and then we were held in the station, waiting for a member of staff to come down and let us leave the platform due to faulty safety equipment, and more people piled on making it hotter, then I had to run for a train at Victoria, and a group of Norwegian students got on at Pimlico and surrounded me but they got off at Vauxhall, then when I got to Brixton and saw a taxi with a registration including a '45' and I thought 'I want that one' then remembered that it was actually a 45 bus I wanted not a cab and I officially gave up CNPS on 30 June having failed to progress past 70 so I am officially the worst CNPS-er.
When I got off the bus I walked to the crossing and the main road lights went amber and red, usually a cue for greenman, so I started crossing, only to realise there was no crossing phase, so I nearly got run over, and was about to cross the other carriageway when the lights changed again and I saw a fleet cars hammering towards me at well over the 40mph speed limit so I didn't cross then I almost didn't notice the greenman to cross my road because I noticed one of the local neighbourhood robbers.
But I don't really mind the not-very-nice-journey, but I wish I hadn't walked into that door...
