There and Back again - Earlswood to Canary Wharf

So last night wasn't too bad, with a bit of digging around I discovered that they have put on an extra (what they call) "semi fast" train (i.e. not "fast" meaning direct, but not a "stopping service" either) at just past six from London Victoria...

I zoomed from the office on the dot of close of business and legged it down to the Jubilee line (platform couldn't have been much busier, but when the train came we all managed to pile on somehow), changed at Westminster for the Circle and District line and arrived with about 5 minutes to spare - looking at the ravening hoard on the main concourse I decided to take a gamble and went for the mini display near the platforms where Redhill trains normally depart, as it's that much closer (so more chance of a seat)...as I waited, so a couple of business men were taking bets on whether it would leave from 18 or 19 ("It's got to be platform 19") and of course (as always happens at Victoria, and I had honestly forgotten) everyone broke into a run towards Platform 15 when it popped up, causing our friend who was poised to run through the crowd to the right to be left standing...I got my seat (phew) just starting to get comfortable when an announcement blared out "Apologies Ladies and Gentlemen, but there has been a mistake" (Oh No!) "this service will now not be calling at Purley"...queue a load of gasps and swear words and about a third of the people on my carriage got off again, making space for the desperate folks running up the train looking for space to clamber aboard...

Anyway, got to Redhill and they have actually got things rather well arranged there - from the plentiful "Here to help" staff in HVJs to the proliferation of very clear signs to the replacement buses -

- which didn't stop zooming past as I was waiting for Flyingpops to buy her ticket to Birmingham for her meeting today...

This morning we awoke to find that snow/hail had fallen overnight (the first time this has happened in October, in the London area since 1934), so it was a bit of a mad dash to get the car scraped and defrosted, then of course the *only* train I can get into London from Earlswood in the morning had a technical fault (probably the same one the car had) and was about ten minutes late (and totally packed when it arrived - managed to score a seat at East Croydon though), got into Victoria at about 0825 (pretty good!) - District and Circle was fine (took the secret entrance at Victoria to miss the crowds - shhh!) and then had to wait for about 12 minutes at Westminster for a Jubilee line train...

I *just* made my desk before 9am...

Certainly not loving it, but thus far I have *just* managed to keep to semi-normal commuting times (thanks only to these sparce semi-fast trains though)...anyway, only 5 more journeys to go before things should return to normal (wish me luck)...