spent the day on the train heading south. calm and peaceful most of the time, feeling smug for not driving.

changed at birmingham new st along with most of the known universe. people fighting to get off trains, people fighting to get on. no-one listening to anyone else.

but we were adopted by an extremely friendly guard bloke called saj in a long virgin rail grey and red coat who grabbed our bags and hurried us through the bowels of the station to our next train. he put our things on the train and took his glove off so i could give him a christmas handshake. any longer in his company and he'd have been on the christmas card list...

arrived in the cosy calm of the oxfordshire countryside where there was no mad pre-christmas panic buying but some concern about the youth of today. i want to know who was doing the kicking...