The day started off well, I got up in plenty of time which is unusual for me. I was ready far too soon but decided to walk down to the station early to get cash and pay some money in at the bank.
It turns out that was the right decision because there was a bit of a Tadoo when I purchased my train ticket. The card machine got stuck half way through the payment and refused to print of the card holder receipt etc This meant that the transaction had to be completed manually. Remember those old slidey card machines, with the carbon copy papers? Take one twenty your old who had never even seen the machine before and me who sadly was old enough to remember them but had never used the machine!
I managed to help her place the card in the right place in the machine, but could we get the papers lined up so that the details printed in the blank space? You have guessed it… NO!!! She gave up in the end and wrote my card details down instead. I think maybe there is a lesson in this somewhere.
Despite all of this I was in plenty of time for the train and met up with my colleagues along the way. Apart from the mix up over venues (I was one step ahead on that one 
) the meetings went well, although the second one was a little bit repetitive for those who had been at the first one.
Lesson? Yes: good thing you’re so organised! Time is always of the essence – allow for plenty & most problems can be resolved without panic. And you didn’t fall into the trap re venue. ‘Sorted Cherie’! Repetitive’ meetings? Sounds horribly familiar! Have a great w/e.
The getting ready bit was a fluke I am not known as being good at mornings
But yes I did check out the venue, they are about 25 minutes apart.
I hope you have a great weekend too
My admittedly limited experience of trains has been that the ticket machine always has things wrong with it. Every time I’ve been at a minor station, someone has been having troubles. Why can’t they have little men behind glass again and help with unemployment?
At peak times there is usually someone in the ticket office and also some one on the platform on the opposite side selling tickets. If the other local station needs help though, the staff get diverted there instead. They have also installed one of those machines now too, which means no excuse for not having a ticket before you get on the train. Hence they can charge more for buying a ticket if you purchase one on board!
When we went on the canal boat across the aqueduct we didn’t have any cash and asked the woman if we could pay by card. She said, ‘You’re lucky: the boss is here today so you can.’ He has a machine at home and had to write all our details down to take home with him!
How quaint
Did you get a receipt, I didn’t…
It all sounds a bit weird to me. Whjy can’t people just buy a ticket quickly for a low price? I saw that a train down form Edinburgh cost £129. I nearly spilt my coffee.
Probably because they are all separate companies and there is a lot of faffing about. If buy a ticket to go to London on the day I travel it costs me £165 (peak time) but I can get it much cheaper I have chance to book in advance.
It disgusts me really!
I don’t use trains but I was on one a few years back. For the price, one would think you’d get more than a rickety Thomas The Tank do-hickey that feels lilke it’s going to come off the rails at every turn.
And the prices…………no one everyone is poor in UK.
We have all sorts of different trains on the routes I use. Some are rickety and old and others brand new. When they work properly and are on time and I have a seat I love train journeys.