I was reminded this week of why I love homeworking. Forget the isolation. Who has time for worrying about that when you are working to a school deadline? I had to go into London to interview someone. Theoretically it was only about 10 stops straight down one tube line. After the usual marathon that is the school RUN! [I noticed that daughter two had something that looked remarkably like eyeliner on at the last minute when there was nothing I could do but issue a stern warning], I dropped the baby at nursery, passing by the sponsored Pudsey treadmill event that the staff were doing, parked the car and did a 15-minute sprint to the station. I was congratulating myself on how smoothly everything was running as I beeped my new Oyster card on the machine [I've been using my partner's for ages since I temporarily mislaid my own].
I jumped onto the train, fearing it was about to depart. Fifteen minutes later we left the station with a report of trouble further down the line. Something about a power failure and long delays. It seemed to be all happening at the other end of the line so I sat tight. We queued for about 20 minutes outside Leytonstone station. Once we got to glorious Leytonstone, an Italian man got on. He was saying something rather passionate in Italian to his mobile phone which went something like "I swear, I pay £40 a week for a ticket and I've been waiting an hour at this station. I'm not kidding." People all around me were dialling the office and wearily changing all their work plans. An announcement came over the tannoy: "We would like to apologise for the severe delays. We are held up at a red light until further notice." As an afterthought, the tannoy person added: "We are seeking a driver for the train."
The tourists on the train looked bemused. Hardened Londoners barely looked up. A few homeless people got on the train and squatted on the floor with a couple of cans of beer. They got a bit annoyed when some people tried to move them. "Bloody Indians," said one. The other chided him: "I've met some lovely Indians. I love all people. All I ask is that people have manners. We need more love. That's where we're going wrong." No-one looked up.
We detrained eventually when another train turned up. Presumably the hunt for a driver had proven fruitless. The train moved. People [tourists?] cheered.
We passed platforms knee-deep in people trying to get onto the train. The driver warned of even more severe delays in central London. I got to my stop around an hour later than planned and 45 minutes late for the interview. However, I had been able to contact my interviewee and he was still there. An hour later I was back on the tube. The route back was not quite as torturous, though we had several unscheduled train changes and the lady beside me from Yorkshire looked at me in disbelief as I recounted a long litany of train disasters [an hour on the Victoria line in deepest summer in 100 degree heat with people needing oxygen afterwards was a particular highlight].
I recalled when I used to commute regularly with three children all in different settings - school, nursery and childminder - and roadworks. If I missed my train I used to ring my partner and say something along the lines of "If I have to do this any longer I will die". I would arrive bedraggled at the office to find them making what they thought were ribald remarks about late starts and long lie-ins. If only. I recalled having to take taxis back home from the station to make the after school club deadline. I recalled a whole host of cancelled/delayed trains and getting on a train which said first stop Tottenham Hale on the board and then announced en route that it was a non-stop train to Stansted [about an hour from where the school was].
I emerged from the tube and breathed heavily. I got home and had to work double time to catch up on all the wasted time on the train. Thank the Lord for homeworking, I thought. It might be more dull, but dull is good when you are running your life to a very tight schedule. Remind me to avoid the whole of east London come Olympic year. This is only the beginning.
del.icio.us
|
Digg
|
Newsvine
|
Reddit
There are currently no comments on this post.