London

I have to say that I didn't really want to go to London on Monday.  I seem to have done quite a remarkable amount of traipsing around lately and a bit of time not leaping on and off various bits of public transport seemed like a nice plan.  But needs must.  It's not a bad way of starting back at work after three weeks off, a meeting in London.  And the train tickets were booked and paid for (and even for the right day this time!!!!). And besides - people were expecting me.

So off I went.  I caught the 9:30 train, which was a pleasantly laid back start to the day.  I trundled happily down through rather nice sunshine. I got to London on time and set off on foot for Liverpool Street Station, near where the meeting was to be held.  It's not a part of London I know, so I was armed with a map.  I still managed to get slightly mislaid, however.  And the sunshine was nice and warm, but the wind was cold.  I was beginning to wish I had brought a pair of gloved by the time I arrived!

I rather enjoyed the meeting. It was the inaugural meeting of a new User Enhancement group.  We had a lovely lunch and an interesting conversation.  They (from a commercial background) definitely seemed to learn things; we from the academic sector also learned things. It was, all in all, a useful afternoon.

Roger was also at the meeting and we had, quite coincidentally, booked ourselves on to the same train returning to Chesterfield.  The meeting finished with quite a bit of time before the train was due to leave and we couldn't catch an earlier one.  So we repaired back to Bloomsbury and had a late afternoon tea in the tea shop at the London Review of Books.  We had a stroll through the British Museum.  And managed to catch our train back to Chesterfield.

The Builder, in the meantime, had spent the evening at a rather fractious Allotment Group meeting.  I think I had the better time of it!

And now I am properly back at work.  The M1 was closed this morning between Junctions 29 and 30, which drew the inevitable chaos into Chesterfield.  Took me 25 minutes to get from our place to the first main roundabout (usually takes 6 or 7).  Once there, the roads were clogged up with trucks, which was when I began to suspect something amiss on the motorway.  So I diverted off the main road and went up through town and down around the back roads.  Was quite a nice little diversion in the early spring sunshine.  Still took an inordinately long time to get to work though.  Ordinarily, if I leave in the car at 7:15 I am sat at my desk by about 8:00.  Was 8:30 this morning.  And yes, I know I usually come by train.  But Thursday is my Japanese class evening and I tend to bring the car if I can.  Makes it easier to get home again in the evening.  But had I known about the M1 before I left home, I would have come on the train.  The Builder could have come and got me this evening!!