I asked for one to Paddington, but the booking clerk replied...

[venta]

Those who enjoyed reading about travels with an inflatable panda may be interested to know that there are regional variations.

On Tuesday morning, Putney and I headed out of London. I had thought that Sunday's experiences might have been because people were all festivalled up and weekended out, but we were still finding lots of friends on Tuesday; almost the whole bus wanted to talk to us on the way to Paddington. A bloke driving the opposite way in a clapped-out Fiat gave us a round of applause as he paused in a traffic jam. (At that stage, there was a breeze blowing in through the bus window, and Putney was having trouble keeping his paws on the seat.)

Even the platform staff at Paddington - usually so forbidding - said hello, although we were left to ourselves on the train.

In Reading, however... in Reading, people cannot see if you if you are accompanied by an inflatable panda. There was not a smile, not a wave, and people I needed to talk to did their best to avoid me. I stood at a bar waiting to be served, while the girl behind it manufactured various excuses not to notice me.

Having grown used to my minor celebrity, it was quite disconerting. I think Putney enjoyed the rest, though, and snoozed gently on the pub floor while people came and went around him.

Comments

[stripey-cat.livejournal.com]

I'm not surprised: I took public transport from Oxford to Exeter (via Reading) with Cuddly Tiger riding in the (open) top of a case. There were some smiles and comments on the bus in Oxford, total silence on the commuter train, and (once we'd changed at Reading) a determined conspiracy not to look at the mad-woman. Seriously, people were picking up their kids when they tried to come and have a look at CT. Once I pulled out a half-knit sock to work on I was entirely invisible to everyone over the age of eight.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Good heavens. I probably wouldn't have commented if I'd seen CT peeping out of a case, but only becase I regard packing furry toys such that they can see where they're going as such normal behaviour that it's not even commentworthy :)

I'd probably have smiled at him if he looked friendly, though.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

As more comments appear on this post, I start to wonder how much of my low self-esteem and social inadequacy comes from the town I grew up in.

And now I am being cold called by Virgin media who won't listen when I tell them that they have the wrong number for some bloke, who are based in Thames Business park at the end of London Road. Arghghgh. Reading, leave me alone!