The Weather

Mon 25 Nov, 07:23

This is going to sound uncharitable: Charlbury has far too many whingers, and the weather always brings them out.. Or rather: it probably keeps them in, so they can do their uninformed whingeng while some of us are getting out and seeing how our overworked service workers are rising so well to the problems rotten weather has been creating for their customers.

On Saturday I went to Merseyside for lunch (yes you can, and it's easy - and far cheaper in real terms than it was 60 years ago when the State destroyed our railway system). Every train arrived within 5 minutes of the time scheduled, and, though I did arrive at my destination (Port Sunlight) a bit late, this was entirely the fault of the nationalised sector of our railway system.

Coming home, it was the same thing. We arrived at New St a few minutes late (well there were floods) and the New St announcer mistakenly told us the next train would terminate at Bham International, so I'd be stranded overnight (well, she did  work for an organisation - Network Rail - some dogmatic whinger had nationalised)

So I went up to the New St Reception desk, answered a few sceptical questions from the pleasant assistant (presumably one of those  "obstructive jobsworth"  right-wing dogmatists keep on inventing) whose responsibilities include ensuring our taxes  aren't squandered by outright con-artists)

And the taxi turned up, got me home about two minutes earlier than I'd expected the train would have. It didn't cost me a penny - and meant I didn't spend the whole New St to Oxford section crammed, with several hundred football supporters, into the three carriages that the Treasury insist is the most they'll let Cross Country run

So thank you, workers at Network Rail and the three Train Operating Companies I used on Saturday. You dealt so personfully with the problems of bad weather - and so resiliently with the crap too many other passengers were hurling at you all day.

And to anyone about to start whingeing about the near-certainty the trains will be messed up again today: there is a bus, you know.