Evening over the moorings
About 16:45 on Friday 8 Jan 2010. Just about to walk the 2 miles back to St. Mawes. It’s cold, there is thick snow all around and this has to be one of the the most beautiful places on earth… Come on Daisy, time to go home…
It’s 09:50. By now I should by rights be standing in full 40’s costume in the middle of Victoria railway Station concourse waiting for all of our 32 guests to arrive. All in costume. All much loved friends and colleagues from the ISU shows.
Today I was going to say thank you to them all by seeing them board The Sussex Belle. A ‘Steam special’.
We had a whole Premiere dinning carriage to ourselves. ‘Tangmere’, our Battle of Britain class locomotive, will have heaved the Belle out of her platform at 10:44. She would have been watched and waved at by the all those that live in the flats and apartments that overlook both the permanent way and old Father Thames. They would all be thinking the same - “I’d love to be going with them”. And in my minds eye I am now waving goodbye and beneath my breath,whispering the same - I wish I was going. I had to make the decision early this morning to cancel our trip because the weather gods have not looked kindly upon us - they have dropped both the distant and home signals against us. All is at red.
Much of Hampshire and Sussex was inundated with heavy snow yesterday making driving and walking miserable. There was no way that the whole group could make it in this morning and with only half the group able to attend, well - it just wouldn’t be right. And so this morning at 7 we called all and said we wouldn’t be going.
I think all are disappointed. No one more than myself.
Yesterday I met with VW of Services - who I hadn’t seen for a long time. I arrived at TVP at 13:15, dropped some collateral off with CR and then met VW in Bldg 4. We got a coffee and I belted through my thoughts on her event, due to happen in Vienna this coming Feb. I suppose we chatted for an hour. By the time I got back into Stella (Mini Clubman) it was snowing hard and laying. I arrived back home at 00:30. So about 10 hours to go just under 40 miles. Average speed of 4mph. That’s walking speed… Very beautiful to look at - very slow and frustrating.
So to all of those that read his - that were looking forward to our little sojourn - I am sorry. We will do it again. Maybe we’ll do it next year, weather permitting.
This train will run with ‘all aboard!’