Train to Manchester

I’m blogging on the train to Manchester, on the way to see David and Chanel for the weekend. I left Glasgow in the frozen darkness early this morning, but here in the Lake District it is sunny and very pretty on the trans-Pennine express. The fields are frosty, glistening in the sunshine. It has been a social and Christmassy week. On Wednesday James and Gordon spent the afternoon at the Brew School at Innes & Gunn in Ashton Lane, where they had a fun time. We had a coffee in Byres Road first, and when the boys went to make their beer I had a wander round the shops before heading home. Then on Thursday I had lunch with Ally W which was lovely, I was hearing all about her exciting plans for South Africa in the new year. We ate in a new wee café in Dumbarton Road called Derby and the waitresses were really friendly although they managed to get both of our orders spectacularly wrong! They were very apologetic (in fact they wouldn’t stop apologising!) and gave us free coffee. I still can’t drive of course due to my plaster cast but it was very easy to get to Ally’s by direct train from Cambuslang to Exhibition Centre. 

I found myself on the train again last night as I travelled to Christine’s Choir Christmas concert in Kilmarnock. Gerry picked me up from Dunlop Station and drove me the rest of the way. I haven’t been to the concert since before Covid and it was lovely to attend it again. There were many familiar carols and a few that were new to me, a good mix. Gerry and Christine very kindly insisted on driving me all the way home afterwards which was very much out of their way but was great for me to get home in time for a nice early night, ready for my early start this morning. 

I was a bit worried that I might sleep in this morning, without James to wake me up! James left on Thursday for a hill-walking weekend based in Ullapool, with Cornel and Kenny. It just as well that the cottage in Ullapool is cosy, because it’s cold everywhere this weekend, but especially in the north.

So I set my alarm for 7 a.m. to make sure that I was in plenty of time for the 9.09 a.m. train from Glasgow Central to Manchester. When I arrived at Cambuslang station it turned out that all of the trains on the Argyll line were delayed, so I took the advice of the station manager and jumped on a bus: this went very well and I got into Central in good time for my train. The train was strangely quiet considering that most seats had “reserved” signs - where were the people? At first there was just me and a group of pleasant young girls who offered to share their Prosecco with me! It gradually busied up from Carlisle onwards, and a party atmosphere ensued, but then there was an announcement; because of an earlier (unspecified) incident, the train is short staffed and will terminate at Preston. I will need to change there to a slightly later train. Oh well.