A Series Of Unfortunate Events
The original intention was for me to come back to Grimsby on Monday evening. However, there was an awful lot that needed doing at work before I could leave and I didn't get home till 7:30pm. By this time I really couldn't be doing with train travel, so I stayed in Sheffield.
I got up bright and early on Tuesday, at the crack of noon, and packed some stuff. Which was tricky. Turns out that my big luggage bag has gone missing and I was forced to pack a week's worth of stuff into the little rucsac I had used to carry my books at college. This turned out to be a couple of t-shirts and some underwear, which was clean but still wet, and my advent calendar.
At not long after 3 I was ready to go. I checked train times and discovered that the trains were once every hour, the next one due to leave in ten minutes. I was obviously going to miss it, but I figured I could take my time getting to the station for the next one. I got on a bus and headed for town. I'm not quite sure what they are doing outside the train station but the road works meant that it took quite a while to cross the road. Not that it made any difference because I still had half an hour to go before the next train.
I wandered over to the ticket machine and chose my ticket. I inserted my switch card at the correct point... which was declined.
Oops.
I'd been expecting some money to go out of my switch account, but hadn't expected it to have gone already. It left me with £1.50 in the bank, which isn't enough to get a train, not even to Grimsby.
I still had plenty of money in my other bank account, but it's an e-savings account, which meant that I needed to go online to transfer money. Now, in a city like Sheffield, there must be an Internet Cafe somewhere, but I wouldn't have a clue where.
So, I got myself something to eat and waited for a bus to take me home. Somewhere around this time it got dark and really fucking cold. It also got really busy on the roads. I finally got back home about 4:40, rushed upstairs to my computer (past a slightly confused malsain), transferred some money and headed out again.
Another bus back into town followed by crossing the road in front of the station again. This time the lights were really against me. I reached the station in time to see that my train had been due to leave three minutes ago, but was running six minutes late. Ok, just need to get a ticket.
The fast ticket machines were in use, but there was a big queue for the main counters. I figured that the machines would still be quicker. They weren't. I'd given up on the machines and got to the front of the queue for the service window before either of the guys at the machines finished fannying around. I swear that one of the guys didn't even buy a ticket in the end and the other one spent a good two minutes just staring at the screen.
Finally got a ticket and ran on to the platform - just in time to see my train pull away. Nice.
To while away the time I popped in to Smith's and bought a book. Since it was absolutely fucking freezing, I bought a hot chocolate from the little sandwich/coffee place and sat inside there where it was marginally warmer.
While I was being served hot chocolate, the guy next to me was having trouble with the 'Customer Service Assistant' that was serving him. Here is a brief transcript of the conversation:
Guy: Hey there boss, have you got any vegetarian sandwiches.
CSA: Um. I don't know. They've all got veg in.
Guy: Yeah these ones at the front have meat in too. Can you make me one then.
CSA: Er, okay. What do you want in it.
Guy: Do you have Brie?
CSA: I think so...
Guy: What about Rocket.
CSA: Er... thats like salad stuff isn't it.
Guy: ...
CSA: (walks over to the sandwich making station and holds up a leaf) Is it this stuff.
Guy: Yeah. And some egg too. How much will that be?
CSA: Oh, it wont be much.
Guy: How much is not much?
CSA: A couple of quid?
Guy: (staring in disbelief) No, I mean, what is the exact price.
CSA: Oh! Er... hold on (wanders over to the sandwich making guy and gets him to take the order again, while he disappears out of the shop)
I assume he eventually came back and the guy got his sandwich, but I wasn't really paying attention by then.
My train came, I got on it, and I arrived at my parents house a little after eight. Five hours to travel ~90 miles - go me!
I got up bright and early on Tuesday, at the crack of noon, and packed some stuff. Which was tricky. Turns out that my big luggage bag has gone missing and I was forced to pack a week's worth of stuff into the little rucsac I had used to carry my books at college. This turned out to be a couple of t-shirts and some underwear, which was clean but still wet, and my advent calendar.
At not long after 3 I was ready to go. I checked train times and discovered that the trains were once every hour, the next one due to leave in ten minutes. I was obviously going to miss it, but I figured I could take my time getting to the station for the next one. I got on a bus and headed for town. I'm not quite sure what they are doing outside the train station but the road works meant that it took quite a while to cross the road. Not that it made any difference because I still had half an hour to go before the next train.
I wandered over to the ticket machine and chose my ticket. I inserted my switch card at the correct point... which was declined.
Oops.
I'd been expecting some money to go out of my switch account, but hadn't expected it to have gone already. It left me with £1.50 in the bank, which isn't enough to get a train, not even to Grimsby.
I still had plenty of money in my other bank account, but it's an e-savings account, which meant that I needed to go online to transfer money. Now, in a city like Sheffield, there must be an Internet Cafe somewhere, but I wouldn't have a clue where.
So, I got myself something to eat and waited for a bus to take me home. Somewhere around this time it got dark and really fucking cold. It also got really busy on the roads. I finally got back home about 4:40, rushed upstairs to my computer (past a slightly confused malsain), transferred some money and headed out again.
Another bus back into town followed by crossing the road in front of the station again. This time the lights were really against me. I reached the station in time to see that my train had been due to leave three minutes ago, but was running six minutes late. Ok, just need to get a ticket.
The fast ticket machines were in use, but there was a big queue for the main counters. I figured that the machines would still be quicker. They weren't. I'd given up on the machines and got to the front of the queue for the service window before either of the guys at the machines finished fannying around. I swear that one of the guys didn't even buy a ticket in the end and the other one spent a good two minutes just staring at the screen.
Finally got a ticket and ran on to the platform - just in time to see my train pull away. Nice.
To while away the time I popped in to Smith's and bought a book. Since it was absolutely fucking freezing, I bought a hot chocolate from the little sandwich/coffee place and sat inside there where it was marginally warmer.
While I was being served hot chocolate, the guy next to me was having trouble with the 'Customer Service Assistant' that was serving him. Here is a brief transcript of the conversation:
Guy: Hey there boss, have you got any vegetarian sandwiches.
CSA: Um. I don't know. They've all got veg in.
Guy: Yeah these ones at the front have meat in too. Can you make me one then.
CSA: Er, okay. What do you want in it.
Guy: Do you have Brie?
CSA: I think so...
Guy: What about Rocket.
CSA: Er... thats like salad stuff isn't it.
Guy: ...
CSA: (walks over to the sandwich making station and holds up a leaf) Is it this stuff.
Guy: Yeah. And some egg too. How much will that be?
CSA: Oh, it wont be much.
Guy: How much is not much?
CSA: A couple of quid?
Guy: (staring in disbelief) No, I mean, what is the exact price.
CSA: Oh! Er... hold on (wanders over to the sandwich making guy and gets him to take the order again, while he disappears out of the shop)
I assume he eventually came back and the guy got his sandwich, but I wasn't really paying attention by then.
My train came, I got on it, and I arrived at my parents house a little after eight. Five hours to travel ~90 miles - go me!