venta | Entries tagged with commute

I seem to spend a lot of time when out and about thinking something that basically boils down to "honestly, why do people have to be such dicks?"

( Read more... )

See? All over London there are people who are being given ample opportunities to be dicks, and are not taking them and are instead being nice people.

Crossposts: https://venta.livejournal.com/547265.html

This morning, outside my flat, a small dinosaur was having a tantrum. A mouse was carrying a guitar on its back. A superhero was having some sort of wardrobe malfunction fixed by its mum.

I think it's fancy-dress day at Montpelier School :)

As I walked down to the tube, I passed pirates, more superheroes, a cowgirl, and a gratifyingly small number of princesses. Also a tiny Japanese girl wearing a black dress, a massive red bow on top of her head, and carrying a garden broom (I have no idea).

A number of children trailed past wearing the uniform red caps of a different school with a distinct air of martyrdom.

Hmm. This morning, I very probably shouldn't have gone to work. However, Monday's forecast snow was a non-event, the weather didn't look that bad, and I'd promised to deliver something to the office for one of my colleagues. So off I went.

Walk to Ealing Broadway in the lightest of light dustings of snow. Catch train to Reading. Arrive at Reading. Collect bike.

( And that's when it went wrong )

And do you know what? I still love snow. As I arrived at work, I stopped to watch a red kite wheeling around the sky, snowflakes tumbling all around it. Even Reading looks pretty in the snow :)

Current Music: Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra - Theatre Is Evil

The thing about a hard frost is that it really makes you realise how many spiders there are about...

( Frosty webs )

And as hard frosts go, today's was very macho indeed. The countryside around Slough was all freezing fog rolling greyly across white fields. Every leaf and every blade of grass was crispy with ice.

The roads and pavements were icy in London, too. I saw a small child skid spectacularly and fall sideways off his bike. Just as I was fearing that I was going to have to fake being a responsible adult and check he was ok, a voice came round the corner behind me.

Voice: Are you OK? Did you hurt yourself?
Child: That was great!
Voice: Are you all right, darling?
Child: Yes! That was a fun one! Woooooooooooo-hoo!

He was grinning like a loony. I admire his fortitude.

Current Music: Frank Turner - Love, Ire and Song

This evening, I am off to have fun (Mark Thomas @ The Royal Opera House). Which means I have to leave work early. Which means I had to get to work early. So this morning I was out the house before 7am.

( You better button up your coat )

Current Music: Frank Turner - Poetry of the Deed

At least once a week, I trundle straight from work onto a train and head off to a dance practice. Being the sort of person who likes meals at nice regular intervals, I pick something up in the station as I pass through. A few years ago, that basically meant Burger King or Upper Crust. These days there are the heady alternatives of M&S Food and Subway. My default choice for some time has been Subway, because it's hot (ie more like a meal, in my book), made from something at least resembling real food, and inexpensive.

For ages, I've been wondering why stations never sell proper, reasonably healthy, takeaway meals - a bowl of rice and curry, a bowl of pasta, a plate of noodles... sometimes you can get soup, but the UK's highstreets are mostly very low on decent street-food options.

( Step forward Stewed! )

Yesterday, walking round the lake at work, I saw an interesting sight. I tried to take a photo of it, but it was a long way away and I only had a camera phone.

( Blurry photo! )

( And an unrelated photo from this morning )

Current Music: El Guincho - Alegranza

Shortly after moving to Ealing two years ago, we noticed that one house on the walk to the station had a peculiar habit. ( The Wall )

Current Music: Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes

Public Service Announcement (for anyone who uses Reading railway station with low-to-moderate frequency[*]).

( They've re-numbered all the platforms )

[*] I reckon if you actually frequent the place you'll already know, and if you rarely visit it then you'll just read the screens and signs and be fine :)

Edit: They've also replaced Cow Lane Bridge, which is of less global import, but comes with an exciting time-lapse film. Fun if you want to watch armies of little orange people and cartoony diggers replacing a bridge.

Current Music: Sarabeth Tucek - Get Well Soon

Yesterday morning, I rolled up to Reading railway station (in a train). I hopped off, dumped my bag in my cycle's basket, donned hat and gloves, unlocked the bike... and discovered it was ensnared in the neighbouring bike's lock. I could have broken it out, but it would have required dismantling part of my brakes. I didn't have the tools on me, and I would have been reluctant to take it on anyway - my brakes are a bugger to set correctly, and they are currently right for the first time in about 18 months.

I left a note saying "Please be careful!" on the other bike, and got the bus to the office. Last night, my bike was still captive, and my note still poked out jauntily from the gear changer.

This morning, the offending bike had departed and my note had migrated to my bike's basket. On the back of it is written an extremely profuse apology, and an offer to refund me any money I might have had to spend on a bus or taxi. It's signed with a name and a phone number.

Faiths in human nature restored: 1

(It's one of life's little ironies that yesterday I was somewhat bitter that some inconsiderate bastard had forced me to stump up for a return bus fare. Now that I've been offered a refund, I concede that £3 is not a huge deal to me, and feel it would be somewhat churlish and petty to demand it back :)

Current Music: Lemon Jelly - Lost Horizons

Well. Eugh.

Today is raw cold and drizzly in Reading. It's like a mission-statement for November.

And a warning that for the next 3-4 months, cycling to work isn't going to be a lot of fun.

Brr. Must buy new gloves.

So, cycling persons... I need a recommendation. I want to buy a rear pannier, but I want one that turns into a rucksack when it's not on the bike. I know these exist, because I know someone who's got one. But they seem to be very thin on the ground (or, possibly, are known by a particular name which I do not know and thus cannot google for). Needs to be large enough to fit a 15" laptop and a bunch of other stuff, and should have a few zippy pockets.

I am currently using a Hamax pannier rack - I don't know how much variation there is in racks, or whether there are different systems for fixing, so any advice on that would be welcome.

If you're going to do the classic LJ-answer-thing and tell me why I don't want what I think I want but should instead buy something totally different, please read the detailed bit below :)

( The small print )

In other cycling news, I finally decided I was brave/balanced enough to put my seat up to the proper height for the length of my legs. Whereupon my nasty very-uncomfortable-saddle problem promptly vanished. Which just means I should have listened to