Goodness me, but it was a palaver getting home on Thursday evening. Midland Mainline trains are on strike on Thursdays at the moment, I don’t really know why. So. I thought I’d catch the central train which goes about 15 minutes later than my usual Midland train. I don’t usually catch it because it’s the Liverpool to Norwich train, used as a commuter train given the time it runs, and it is usually very crowded.

Freyja dropped into the library just as I was leaving with some very overdue books she had out on my card. We legged it down to the station, where she hived off to go to the Spar for supplies, and I legged it to the platform (I am always running late for trains!) ¾ only to find that the train was delayed by 15 minutes. So no need to hasten Freyja on her way. Tried listening to my Japanese CD, but the platform announcements were too distracting. #The train got later. And later. When it eventually did arrive, it was only two carriages long. And full. There were more than two carriages worth of people on the platform :-S And, of course, not everyone who was already on the train, got off. We squished on (there would have been more room if they had taken off the snack trolley, which couldn’t move anyway!). But even so, the train pulled away with people waiting forlornly to board, their noses pressed up to the door. I fear there was nearly a riot (I was on the train at this point), both on and off the train. The Central trains often do only have two carriages, but that particular one often has three. And they must have known that the Midland Mainline trains are on strike on Thursdays and that that particular train would be over-subscribed! It’s enough to drive you back to the car! (Except that where I would park the car is an interesting question. All the places I used to park it are residents’ parking only now. I’d have to park outside Freyja’s place and take the bus. Or walk).

Uncle John has come back from the Van Hospital. His operations appear to have been successful. He seems happy enough. He got back at lunchtime today, ready, I hope, to take The Builder for a hard day’s buildering in Dronfield tomorrow, and was lolling about in the driveway when I was leaving for work. Thus making it hard for me to leave, but I managed to squeeze out. I have been working both days this weekend. Gathering money for Jersey, Christmas, Japan, Melbourne, Japan. Though I don’t suppose one weekend’s worth of overtime will actually cover all of that, lucrative though it is. More Saturdays are in the pipeline. Happily, only one Sunday. I know they pay well, but I doooo like Sundays off.

Nearly time to go home. There are lots of fireworks outside. Bonfire night is actually tomorrow, but most people are having their celebrations yesterday and today.

Austin has a new friend. Her name is Kaori (which I think is pronounced something like Kah-oh-li, but all run together). I had a very, very brief typed Skype with her last evening, via Austin. It had to be brief – for a start off it was something like quarter to 2 in the morning in Nagoya. Secondly, I only know about 20 words in Japanese, most of which are mutually exclusive in a conversation – Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, for example!