Well, I think that can be counted as a success. Everybody get home all right?

All those who stayed at home for various feeble reasons (Andrea is excused, but the rest of you have no excuse whatever) missed a lovely day out. The weather was superb (if a little windy), the masterplan worked to perfection, and I do believe everybody had a good time.

Present were; me, Claire, Bob, Mia, Dave, Eddie, Rob, Sarah (plus Wilfred and Dido), Skiffle and PSD. It was very nice meeting you all (and meeting Skiffle again), and I hope you had a good time. We all met up on time, and got on the steam train to Haworth. The dogs and Eddie travelled free, and Eddie at least enjoyed the trip no end, hanging out of the window like a proper train buff. Once arrived at Haworth we decided to be bold and walk up the hill, and after a bit of asking the locals found Haworth Old Hall, where we had a table reserved in the beer garden. The beer was very good, and so was the food (I had a very palatable shoulder of lamb); two people who shall be nameless succumbed to temptation and had dessert. Dinner passed with only minor wind-related spillages, and photos were taken, conversation flowed freely, and PSD held Eddie upside down for a bit. They both seemed to enjoy this.

Then we wended our way up the hill and most of us (excluding Claire, the dogs, Dave and Eddie) went round the Bronte Museum. I tried to work out where Acheron did the dirty deed, and we were all disgusted to find that TEA was not on sale in the Museum shop. Boo. Once back outside Sarah (who was looking very elegant, by the way, in white and maroon ... the rest of us were our normal scruffy selves) and Skiffle went on a rampage round the many book and craft shops on Haworth Main Street, while the rowdy element (the rest of us) sat outside the Fleece and drank beer. (Well, Eddie didn't drink beer. He ate raisins).

After a time we foregathered again, to discover that (shock horror) Skiffle hadn't bought any pony books, though she did get some nice items which I will let her tell you about herself, and also some very nice liqorice and aniseed sweets called 'Poor Bens' which seemed appropriate. Then ho once more for the Hogwarts Express ... no, sorry, wrong author .. the Worth Valley Railway. The ride passed all too quickly, and at last we had to part in the less than exotic surroundings of Keighley station. Sarah once more handed round the Thornton's Dark Chocolate assortment she had very kindly brought along, and some of us got chocolate all over our faces.

It was a good day out, although I would have enjoyed it more if my hearing had been better; if I didn't reply to anybody's witty remarks, I wasn't being rude, honest, just stone deaf.

Next time we might even have a Jasper among us. Here's hoping.



- - -
I am very interested in the Universe. I am specialising in the Universe and everything surrounding it. - E. L. Wisty

[checks report]
train ride - check
eddie +window - check
beer+food - check
eddie upside down giggling - check.
parsonage + me trying to get eddie to have a nap hence missing it - check.
more beer - check.
more choo-choo - check
chocolate (all over eddie's face and my shirt) - check.

Yup, think you've covered it all there. A Grand Day Out indeed. Slightly sunburnt, totally knackered. Top stuff.

Bah, I totally missed out - beer, food, more beer and chocolate.
Oh well at least we've got a lounge floor now (and wedding rings, and a new suit for me, and I've been to the tip, and I've swept all the sawdust off the stairs/landing/skirting boards/dado rail/light switches/windowsills, and I've had the alarm fitters round, and I've booked the airport transfers for Prague). Oh well at least it wasn't gorgeous weather and I missed it all...oh hold on... :(

I took a couple of pics. Completely forgot I had a camera until the train journey home.

[uk.geocities.com]

pic 1: Rob and Eddie
pic 2: Rob and Eddie
pic 3: Claire, Jon and Bob (or is it Mia?)
pic 4: Rob, Eddie and PSD
pic 5: Sarah, Skiffle, Sarah's bag, Rob and Eddie.

ok, I didn't say they were *great* pics... :)

That's Bob all right ... Mia was beneath my seat at that point. I'm the one with the beard, by the way. In case you were wondering.



- - -
I am very interested in the Universe. I am specialising in the Universe and everything surrounding it. - E. L. Wisty

ah yes. We did wonder when we arrived - the pics on your website had you clean shaven. Rob and I decided that a couple arriving in the right car-park at the right time with 2 dogs stood a good chance of being you and Claire, despite the beard...

Can I just say to Claire's mother that she isn't a drunkard - that lingering aroma of beer was caused by my pint being launched by a gust of wind.

Oh, and can I also say that being dangled upside down by a grinning lunatic is an essential part of growing up, and I'm glad Eddie enjoyed it...



PSD

==========

This is the work of an Italian narco-anarchic collective. Don't bother insulting them, they can't read English anyway.

That's one of the best pictures of me I've seen in a long time :) Nothing visible except a pair of arms apparently rifling through Sarah's handbag while she looks in the other direction.

The train back from Leeds to Sheffield was considerably enlivened by the train manager's announcements. He pretty much parodied the stereotypical customer service guff, reminding us to check that we had all our belongings, thanking us for travelling with Virgin and he hoped that we'd enjoyed our experience. When he said that he hoped the people alighting at the next station (mind the gap, please), would enjoy the wonders of Wakefield, we started to giggle.
His commentary was remarked upon as he passed through our carriage, and he asked for suggestions for Sheffield. As we arrived in town, we got more over-polite reminders about our belongings etc, some tourist information and finally, a welcome to the 'sultry steel city'. The entire coach - and possibly the rest of the train - were in stitches. A wonderful ending to a great day out

Sounds like the guy who's done a lot of the Cardiff to Sheffield trains. I've heard that kind of thing a lot. Some of them are really dull.

The Arriva guards make up for the train service & do that kind of announcements quite regularly.

Forgot to mention: when we sat down to lunch, we drank a toast to Jasper, for bringing us together (though not on purpose) and thereby unleashing a new and surreal force upon the world.

sounds like Jim Pridmore (who regularly wears his son's jacket so appears as Mark, they just grab the first to hand when they set off). He does the Leeds Sheffield run a lot (you remember him Dell) he starts off 'Ladies and Genlemen, Boys and Girls' and attempts to find something to stay at each port of call. He's quite tall, oldish and the oddest shape and at Christmas organises a Santa train on the Huddersfield route for kids, the train company are forced to give up a train anmd driver and he collects poresents for the kids then has great fun dressing up.

He was working for Arriva but I haven't seen him in a while so may have switched, we've known him for over 8 years, since Dell started taking the train to school.

Yesterday, I proved to myself I couldn't have managed Sunday, I went to Meadowhall back and forth by train, sat for an hour in a cafe and chatted in between then when I got home I collapsed in a grey jellied heap. If a 5 min journey could do that to me what could the whole day out have been like :-(

I'm glad you all had fun, as my treat to stop[ the sulks I've started WOLP and have read 4 chapters.

Andrea



---
Sylvester says.... *plock*




actually he says peep, cheep, chirrup, squalk,muttermuttergrumblegrumble, oh and now he falls off his pirch whish is followed by a sheepish peek round to see if anyone was looking and a quick scramble back up

A couple of weeks ago I was on the tube in London (Central Line I think) and the driver was doing absolutely hilarious announcements, such as "Welcome aboard this London Underground Limited train. We will be cruising at a height of approximately minus 50 feet . . ." and so on. I laughed so much I nearly missed my stop . . .



Jesus saves; Buddha does incremental backup.

Apparently the noticeboard listing all the various problems on the tube at one station yesterday had the words 'No news is good news' written on it.



PSD

==========

This is the work of an Italian narco-anarchic collective. Don't bother insulting them, they can't read English anyway.

This conductor - sorry, train manager - was a rather attractive dark-haired young man who's name badge claimed that he was called Chris.

I once travelled by coach from Norwich to Sheffield with a driver whose choice of music was hits of the 70's apparently played on the Mighty Wurlitzer.

There are reasons why I prefer the train.

I didn't notice that he was particularly attractive. I was too busy being sidetracked by the various antics Dido the Dodo was getting up to whilst under your care and tutelage! ;-)



..........................................................................................

That which does not kill us makes us stranger.
(Llewelyn the dragon, Ozy and Millie)

Sarah

The apparently normal man who was sitting at the same table as me and Sarah, finally broke and asked us what the deal was with the dodos. We were doing our best to explain about Jasper and Thursday when the train manager started asking for suggestions about how to describe Sheffield, when we arrived.
I wish I'd remembered those lovely publicity sheets for WOLP that were given out at Haworth (PSD: you left yours behind). Explaining Thursday's world is a tricky business - I'd love to know how Jasper sold it to his agent.

As I recall, Jasper said he was referred to a realatively new agent who was just getting started, and thus was still actually reading everything that was submitted. This was apparently the first agent to actually read the whole book, and thus the first one to actually think it might be sellable.



--------------
"I've often said that the difference between British and American SF TV series is that the British ones have three-dimensional characters and cardboard spaceships, while the Americans do it the other way around."
--Ross Smith

If you recall, the apparently normal man who was sitting with us originally thought Dido was a duck! The poor little bird was deeply offended, but she was well-bred enough not to show it.

Funnily enough, Wilfred has also been mistaken for a duck in his time. Those two have more in common than you'd initially think.



..........................................................................................

That which does not kill us makes us stranger.
(Llewelyn the dragon, Ozy and Millie)

Sarah