under another sun

Glasgow to Seaford today. Up early so I could immediately smash the jar holding teabags into a thousand pieces of glass in the kitchen, which made Lorraine spring out of bed. Breakfasted and packed we trundled down Laurel Street at about 10:20 to Partick station then to Glasgow Central which was mainly closed, apart from the trains on the platforms and lots of rail staff standing about.  We were advised to to board our train as it was already in the station, and sat in it half an hour before departure. 4 hours 40 mins to Euston. I did some CBT stuff, and tinkered with Kansas for a while on my laptop. A glorious day, and the countryside green and springlike. We grazed on leftovers from yesterday and sandwiches Lorraine made.  Arrived in London, quite a sensory overload fighting out of Euston station in rush hour. We reached Seaford at about seven, tired but happy. Being away in Scotland, and before it in Ireland, has been really helpful. I feel freer, and seem to have a slightl...

A relaxed morning. I chatted with Mum. Then Lorraine and I zoomed down Laurel Road to buy some grub from M&S. Sam and Amy came around for a light lunch. Sam on much better form today, which was lucky as he had to go to work. Needless to say Lorraine enjoyed spending some quality time with her boy.   They left, and we had a quiet late afternoon just enjoying the flat. Met Amy at Partick station, and travelled the short hop to  Charing Cross station. Sam's pub is called The State, which is just around the corner from Amy's restaurant. A substantial proper pub, its atmosphere managing not ruined by the half a dozen  TV screens showing Premier League teams being thrashed by continental opponents. Sam recommended a bloody marvellous stout, which Lorraine and I both enjoyed. Interesting clientele -- a group of artists, the odd football watcher, a couple on what looked like a first date and an older group from Tampa, Florida, one of whom was wearing a hat with a feather in i...

To Glasgow, a long journey, made slightly more difficult due to a numpty unregulated vape seller near Glasgow Central Central Station, whose vapes started a massive fire, and have closed the station for days. This meant we travelled to Edinburgh Haymarket, and then had to catch a train there. The train we caught, however, stopped at Partick station, and so was close to Sam's flat, and the airbnb  where we are staying. We were supposed to have bought an extension ticket, from Glasgow to Partick, but the ticket collector let us off. We had caught the 10:25 train at Seaford, and arrived at Partick at 7:30, which is a lot of trains.  However some lovely views en route, and we passed along the edge of the Lake District heading north, and loved the glimpses of the wild and wet landscape. Lovely too to get a glimpse of high Scottish hills and mountains.  To Sam and Amy's flat. Sam has been a bit ill with a stomach bug, and had not been eating, and looked a bit pale. Plan A was t...

A 4:50 alarm this morning. We were on the first train out of Seaford, a little before six. Lovely to see the pools of mist in the fields making everything look mysterious and pearly in the first light. A five minute wait at Lewes before we were en route to Victoria. Then Euston on the Victoria Line. Not been in the deep tunnels on the smaller trains for a while. I didn't enjoy it. Caught the Aviva train to Glasgow at 8:30 which was somewhat cramped, and the buffet car had only teas and coffees and sweets and crisps. Glasgow at 1.00pm, and after dragging our cases around a bit, went into a Pizza Hut. Not been to a Pizza Hut for decades. The pizza apparently made from donut dough. Yuk. Then to St Enoch's station, where we caught the circular Glasgow subway. Almost a miniature tube train notably smaller than the Victoria line. Off at Kelvinhall station and eventually found our way to the Airbnb rooms we were renting. A proper reddish Scottish tenement, hefted our cases up two floo...