Tramp

Now I know we are supposed to call tramps homeless people or street drinkers or other more politically correct but less evocative things, but there was this tramp. In Stockwell. Grey skin, thick with ashy dirt, long matted grey beard, long matted grey hair, grey track pants, dirty shirt not done up, huge belly. He came out of a telephone box (one of the new kinds with clear glass doors and an advertisement on one window) and poured a bottle of very yellow frothy liquid down the drain outside, leaving his filthy belongings on their trolley in the phone box. Living in the box I guessed. Life. But not as we know it. 

Birthday

In the beginning of the relationship of Hurricane the Tempest (that's me) and the Panther (that's him), way back in October, I put a note in my calendar that said Panthers bday. He added a little bit into that entry that I saw at some point one day that said I hope we are still together then. 

This weekend we had a big party hosting everyone he knows for his birthday. BBQ on a hot afternoon with music provided by a couple of DJs. Bothered some of the neighbours a bit, council noise team came round. We said goodbye to the last guest at 3am. Jolly good time had by all. Including the Panther, which is pretty difficult as a host. 

People love a revolving door

From a small half hour study I have concluded that faced with a revolving door, a wide open door and and automatically opening door the vast majority of people will still opt to exit or enter through the revolving door even though it is one of those sorts that fits more than one person in each segment and stops if people get too near the edges. People must love the revolving door still! 

Commuting woes

I find myself at Canada Water overground station in a state of total upset, unable to stop tears coming because of the stress of trying to get to work. It's completely ridiculous. I have been travelling for an hour and a half now. I have been in crowded buses and walked faster than it at the end. I have missed the more straightforward connection that would get me there on time and taken an alternative route through the abject chaos that is Londonbridge at the moment. At London Bridge at 8.56 there wasn't a train to Peckham until 9.16. There used to be a train every 10 minutes. The unhelpful guard disagreed but I have been using that service for 10 years. So I went back to the overground from London Bridge to Canada Water only to find the next train was over 10minutes away and not due until 9.23. 

Second day in a row. Several weeks in to a absolute hatred of our transportation system. I'm over an hour earlier today and the journey is worse than when I leave later. More crowded, no seats, more grumpy. I feel lack of control. Perhaps I should cycle (it's a damn long way is the main issue and I'm not that good at it at the moment).