Blog: My Exciting Life On The Buses

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Living in That London is usually a DELIGHT, helped along to a massive degree by the huge web of transport links that allow you to be WHISKED from one glamorous hotspot to the next in the wink of an eye. Except, it seems, on a SUNDAY.

Now, I travel THE NATION by train on a fairly regular basis and I very quickly got used to the FACT that the controllers of The Rail Network are EXTREMIST PURITANS who HATE the idea that anyone would want to travel ANYWHERE on a Sunday. It is THE LORD'S DAY, they seem to think, everyone should be locked indoors preparing themselves for another week functioning efficiently at the workstation. Suggest to The Rail Network that people want to use public transport for reasons OTHER than moving to and from your designated workplace on a Monday To Friday and they will first SCOFF, then FROWN, and then bellow "The trains PARTLY run on SATURDAY, you syphillitic PLEASURE MONGER! What MORE do you want?!?"

But I had not noticed their influence creeping into the public transport of Swinging London. I should have guessed when they managed to gleefully close The Victoria Line at 10pm on a school night for most of last year ("GO TO BED!") but it was only yesterday that I saw what was occurring, for LO! Yesterday there was NO EXIT from North East London by train or tube. The Central Line STOPPED at Liverpool Street, The Victoria Line was closed COMPLETELY, and The Overground also was SWITCHED OFF.

This left two options - the BUS, or the rail-replacement BUS. Which is really one option, isn't it? It thus took me AN HOUR AND A HALF to travel the five miles across town using a bus, a train and two tubes. It would have been quicker to WALK to whole way!

But anyway, when I arrived it was WELL worth it, with a small but DETERMINED band of lovely people with whom I first of all DRANK and then went upstairs to do My Exciting Life In ROCK. In theory this was the last time I'll be doing the show in London, but somehow I think it may life again as it's SO much fun to do. This one was especially jolly - I must admit I was a bit AFEARED for the first ten minutes or so, and had to keep thinking to myself "Slow DOWN, be CALM, it will be FINE" but as I went along (and, actually, as the sun went down outside and the room got a bit darky) i really got into it and had a FINE old time, and was disappointed when I realised I was on the very last little bit.

Afterwards there was time for a bit more chat before it was time to begin the long journey home, which didn't take NEARLY as long as going back. Clearly THE MAN wanted me home in time for an early night ready for work!

posted 23/3/2009 by MJ Hibbett

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