Happily Ever After

Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running

Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.

Strictly Scotrail

by Russell Turner - 20:11 on 30 January 2017

Scotrail’s trains, I discovered on our trip back from a sparkly weekend in Glasgow, are designed for hobbits. Leg room was in almost as short a supply as seats, although having reserved ours at least we didn’t have to stand all the way to Inverness, unlike some unlucky travellers.

So many people clogged up the carriages that the refreshment trolley was unable to leave its start point at the front of the woefully inadequate three-carriage train. Fortunately it was stationed close to our seats, so buying a sandwich was not a protracted process.

The steward couldn’t explain why it was so busy – I blame Strictly. Several fellow passengers on the way down (which was much less busy until we changed trains at Perth) were excited women of a certain age, and some Strictly chat could be heard on the way back. Whatever, the show was worth the effort, despite the annoying child seated behind me who wafted her 10 paddle around at every opportunity, and the obvious fact that some of the judges’ comments and celeb banter were not being made for the first time.

The dances were spectacular, even when viewed from up near the rafters, the band and singers were on form, and Ed and Katya not only did Gangnam Style but also successfully performed the American Smooth lift that nearly ended in disaster on TV. Great stuff. A bonus was that Matchgirl had booked us into an hotel only five minutes’ walk away, even in sparkly red slippers, where post-match analysis could be shared with Paul and Cathy who’d travelled north from Liverpool way. Talk later turned to the three athletes’ running camp in the Algarve in March and a proposed cross-country skiing trip to Norway. I suspect I’ll be the cat-sitter for that one.

We returned to the usual modest welcome from The Pride, but the girls must have missed us – no-one stayed downstairs overnight.

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