A Sunday trundle to Edinburgh……..

On Sunday I had a a beautiful trundle to Edinburgh in store for me……the train trundle along the East coast is stunning and I just am in awe every time I’m lucky enough to do this trip…..

I’ve almost found my ‘normal’ again, but the added stress of the clocks going back this weekend did worry me……I spent most of  Saturday morning confined to the house due to the atrocious weather with the thought whittling away at me. I had to get the clocks right as I was travelling Sunday morning 🥴….so….I decided to change the manual ones at 11am and just look at my phone for the rest of the day……I’m sure we must be the only country who still changes the clocks from summer to winter times…..🤔

Anyway, at least I was happy and settled in the knowledge it was done…..

I woke up to a glorious sunshiny day….very confusing as I had it in mind that by putting the clocks back, it would make it darker when the opposite was the case…🙄

I rang my familiar taxi company – the only people I will dial…..and a familiar friendly voice answered, recognising my number….I had remembered to booked my taxi and they checked the time of my train so they were all prepared…..must take some choccie biscuits soon…….

I’d been invited to speak in Edinburgh along with playmate Agnes Houston at a gathering of British and Swedish researchers …to focus on activism, anti racism and Post colonialism and how researchers could help with our activism……..

I could have stayed 2 nights, but thought it best to just do one night away this week as I have 2 nights away at Dementia Congress next week to contend with….

My taxi was due at 09.50, so at 8.30, I’m sat snug in bed having a cuppa, watching the squirrels enjoying their morning routine of flight through the branches of the trees outside my window………. when I thought I’d check the state of the trains…….🙈😱😳😱🤯🤯🤯😱😱😱🙈🙈🙈🙈🤯🤯🤯🤯 all I could see was”

“Cancelled due to Flooding”…………..😱😱😱😱😱……..”Delayed due to Flooding”

I scanned various web sites, and just didn’t know what to do. I had to get to Doncaster for my train and I could see all trains out of Doncaster were cancelled eastwards too 😶

One daughter was at work and I knew the other would be enjoying the extra hour in bed…..but sadly I just needed help…..I txt Gemma and Team Mitchell Immediately responded saying she’d have a look for me and so it went backwards and forwards for a while but then she came up with the genius idea of picking up my Doncaster train in York…….my head just wasn’t capable of thinking up something so simple…..I quickly checked the Sunday buses and Stuart offered to take me to the bus station..so I rang and cancelled my taxi, but I didn’t have to say much as I think they’d checking themselves…

He would have to pick me up in 15 minutes time and here I was still snug in bed 😱….luckily I’d been orgnaised the night before, suitcase packed and ready, I’d already showered, and my clothes had been laid out in order the night before………by the time Stuart arrived I was waiting at the window for him….😇……. I know I’ve said this frequently but I will say it again…….

“Why me ?”

Anyway I’m now sat on the bus trundling to York and typing this to ease my beating heart……and now I’m feeling exhausted rather than calm at the beginning of the journey…..so the Wolds are a welcome sight of calmness………

We’d worked out that by catching this bus, I’d get to York in plenty of time to catch the same train…..and that allowed me to amble from the bus to the station via the Museum gardens to see if autumn had arrived…

The river was very high due to the torrential rain we’d had lately……..

I arrived to find someone with a smiley face who could tell me I’d be fine catching the train here. They recognised the sunflower lanyard I was wearing and asked if I’d like any help to the platform…..and when the train came in, the train staff recognised it and asked if I’d like help finding my seat……..perfect and just how it should be……..

I was on the perfect side, in the perfect seat with a nice clean window, so the East coast line was simply mesmerising and helped to calm me down after the chaotic morning

And it continued all the way to Edinburgh

Once we arrived in Edinburgh I set Google Maps to show me how to get to the hotel….but couldn’t work out which direction to start in so went round in circles for a while 🙄 until it told me I was following the right track……but it was lovely just ambling round with the tourists, equally reliant on their phones for directions…🤣😂….once I got to the Hight Street, I ambled a little way up the hill (in the wrong direction🙄) and watched a man entertaining the childrens with bubbles…..my favourite piccie of the day..

Before spying an information centre…..again, they seem to recognise my lanyard, carried my suitcase back down the steps, before pointing to the way I needed to walk❤️…….and there was my hotel…….

You can find out where to get the lanyards at the link below….as well as Marks and Spencer Food counters, some Sainsbury supermarkets, some rail stations and airports….

https://www.hiddendisabilitiesstore.com/about-us

This blog was going to be about the whole event including journey, but me thinks this is long enough so I’ll type about the actual event on Monday to be published Wednesday!…….

 

 

 

 

Yesterday had a a beautiful trundle to Edinburgh in store for me……the train trundle along the East coast is stunning and I just am in awe every time I’m lucky enough to do this trip…..

 

I’ve almost found my ‘normal’ again, but the added stress of the clocks going back this weekend did worry me……I spent most of  Saturday morning confined to the house due to the atrocious weather with the thought whittling away at me. I had to get the clocks right as I was travelling Sunday morning 🥴….so….I decided to change the manual ones at 11am and just look at my phone for the rest of the day……I’m sure we must be the only country who still changes the clocks from summer to winter times…..🤔

 

Anyway, at least I was happy and settled in the knowledge it was done…..

I woke up to a glorious sunshiny day….very confusing as I had it in mind that by putting the clocks back, it would make it darker when the opposite was the case…🙄

 

I rang my familiar taxi company – the only people I will dial…..and a familiar friendly voice answered, recognising my number….I had remembered to booked my taxi and they checked the time of my train so they were all prepared…..must take some choccie biscuits this morning…….

 

I’d been invited to speak in Edinburgh along with playmate Agnes Houston at a gathering of British and Swedish researchers …to focus on activism, anti racism and Post colonialism and how researchers could help with our activism……..

 

My taxi was due at 09.50, so at 8.30, I’m sat snug in bed having a cuppa, watching the squirrels enjoying their morning routine of flight through the branches of the trees outside my window………. when I thought I’d check the state of the trains…….🙈😱😳😱🤯🤯🤯😱😱😱🙈🙈🙈🙈🤯🤯🤯🤯 all I could see was”

 

“Cancelled due to Flooding”…………..😱😱😱😱😱……..”Delayed due to Flooding”

 

I scanned various web sites, and just didn’t know what to do. I had to get to Doncaster for my train and I could see all trains out of Doncaster were cancelled eastwards too 😶

 

One daughter was at work and I knew the other would be enjoying the extra hour in bed…..but sadly I just needed help…..I txt Gemma and she said she’d have a look for me and so it went backwards and forwards for a while but then she came up with the genius idea of picking up my Doncaster train in York…….my head just wasn’t capable of thinking up something so simple…..I quickly checked the Sunday buses and Stuart offered to take me to the bus station..

 

He would have to pick me up in 15 minutes time and here I was still snug in bed 😱….luckily I’d been orgnaised the night before, suitcase packed and ready, I’d already showered, and my clothes had been laid out in order the night before………by the time Stuart arrived I was waiting at the window for him….😇……. I know I’ve said this frequently but I will say it again…….

“Why me ?”

 

Anyway I’m now sat on the bus trundling to York and typing this to ease my beating heart……and now I’m feeling exhausted rather than calm at the beginning of the journey…..so the Wolds are a welcome sight of calmness………

 

Photo

 

We’d worked out that by catching this bus, I’d get to York in plenty of time to catch the same train…..and that allowed me to amble from the bus to the station via the Museum gardens to see if autumn had arrived…

 

Photo

The river was very high due to the torrential rain we’d had lately……..

 

Photo

 

I arrived to find someone who could tell me I’d be fine catching the train here. They recognised the sunflower lanyard I was wearing and asked if I’d like any help to the platform…..and when the train came in, the train staff recognised it and asked if I’d like help finding my seat……..perfect and just how it should be……..

 

I was on the perfect side, in the perfect seat with a nice clean window, so the East coast line was simply mesmerising and helped to calm me down after the chaotic morning

 

Photo

 

And it continued all the way to Edinburgh

 

Photo

 

Once we arrived in Edinburgh I set Google Maps to show me how to get to the hotel….but couldn’t work out which direction to start in so went round in circles for a while 🙄 until it told me I was following the right track……but it was lovely just ambling round with the tourists, equally reliant on their phones for directions…🤣😂….once I got to the Hight Street, I ambled a little way up the hill (in the wrong direction🙄) and watched a man entertaining the childrens with bubbles…..

 

Photo

 

Before spying an information centre…..again, they seem to recognise my lanyard, carried my suitcase back down the steps, before pointing to the way I needed ❤️…….and there was my hotel…….

 

You can find out where to get the lanyards here….as well as Marks and Spencer Food counters, some rail stations and airports….

 

https://www.hiddendisabilitiesstore.com/about-usThis blog was going to be about the whole event including journey, but me thinks this is long enough and I’ll type about the actual event on Monday to be published Wednesday!…….