Don't get me wrong.......... There are many beautiful sights in London; theatres like 'The London Palladium, museums like the 'Science' museum, Big Ben, The 'London Eye' 'St Paul's Cathedral' to name of
It's some of the people in London I detest!
I detest;
Their rudeness!
Their selfishness!
Their lack of respect for each other!

I walk through the barrier, through the maddening morning crowd, up the steps and saw a train closing it's door and sped away
No sooner had I got to the top of the steps, another train arrives, opens and mocks me.......daring me to enter the PACKED carriage
F***! This is what my journey is going to be like every working day!
Not just working in London (which I can cope with) but LIVING in London!

08:00.......Left the house half an hour later then previous mornings
I took the same route but half way decided to try another shortcut route...........BIG MISTAKE!
I ended up adding an extra five, ten minutes to my journey
Finally sighting familiar surroundings I begin to walk briskly
Rows of 'special service' red buses going to 'athlete village'
Queues of Polish/Lithuanian/British labourers then finally Stratford station
I pass a man selling 'The Sun' newspaper
I pass s few 'Jehovah Witness' men and women handing out copies of the reading material......... I walk past looking directly in front of mr

18:13...........standing at the eastbound platform two of the Pivcadilly line at Covent Garden the train arrives JAM PACKED!
So I wait for the next train........PACKED!
I had no choice but to squeeze myself in and waited for the onslaught of heavy breathing, coughing, sneezing around me
I HATE THE TUBE!!!!
I HATE EAST LONDON!

07:35........Front door slammed behind me, front garden gate slammed behind me and my walking journey to Stratford station commences
I took all known shortcut, desperately avoiding Leytonstone Highh Road and it's alignment if black bags filled with yesterday's food empty boxes and the lingering stench that goes with it
There are four 'Athlete Village' 'Special' buses.........Some already filled with mostly Polish and Litvanian workers donning yellow jacket and hardtop hats........some running, some walking bit all talking in foreign Tongue

Now entering Stratford hub, 'touch in' my oyster card, through the barrier, up the steps and into the Central line platform heading towards Holborn station

Decided to walk to Stratford station this morning
It's certainly a different scenery to my previous one!
The pavement on Leytonstone High Street is peppered with litter and the invasion of black bags
As I got nearer to Stratford station I noticed a red 'Special' bus with 'Athlete Village' on the front
It was stationed a few yards away from the main hub to Stratford station and workmen both young and not so young were entering the 'Special' bus
They all sported the same attire; luminous yellow jacket and a hardtop helmet. As I passed them I heard them talking, mostly in a different language - I understand that the area has an influx of Lituanian and Polish people so my guess is.........the language I'm hearing is a choice of either of these

It seems that the '2012 Olympic' has generated a lot of work

I am now sat on a sixty nine bus to Walthamstow bus terminal
My destination today is Victoria station
I 'touched in' my oyster card for the very first time....... Now I am at Waltamstow underground station and 'touching I'm for the second time
I embark the waiting train and sit between a young woman engrosed in the 'Metro' newspaper and a 'hooded' sleeping man
The train is already semi full
Blackhorse Road station arrives bringing more Commutors
'I appologise for the delay but due to defective train and signals blah! blah! blah!
Here we go!
Tottenham Hale brings another announcement on the tannoy
'Blah! blah! blah!
'I don't give a f***!
next stop....... Seven Sisters
"The next station is Finsbury Park.........change here fir the Piccaddilly line and National Rail.........'
Highbury and Islington, then Kings Cross, then Euston, followed by Warren Strret. Oxford Circus, Green Park and
Finally Victoria station......... my stop!

My first journey to and from work yesterday was a tad marred with incidents and accidents!
Commutors with sour puss faces barging by obliviously to my presence
'A body under the train' at Southgate causing delays
And finally, after managing being 'dragged' onto a number two five seven bus from Stratford bus terminal, and occupying a seat..........the bus stops at the traffic lights opposite Stratford Vue cinema!
The rain mocking me to step out.........to finish its 'weather' beating it had already inflicted on my now wet body
I stood (sat) my ground.......refusing to get up
But finally succumbed and got off the bus into its fierce 'watery' punch

I am an 'Oyster' virgin!
'Oyster' virgin?
Well...... Where do I begin? At the beginning of course!
I have now officially left the 'Shire' 'Cambridgeshire' 'St Neots' to be geographically correct
I bought my first monthly oyster card......on my way to work via Stratford station

The bus arrived within five minutes emmidiately waited in the queue...... Sorry, did I say 'queue?'
'None-queue' more like
Out of nowhere, human locusts.......queue jumping!
Here we go!
I wait quietly to board the bus and sat for the bus journey to Stratford station
The bus rife was relatively quiet (I am by no means complaining)
As the bus reached its termination destination, Stratford bus terminus, I remained seated and watched the shuffling out of the bus by children and adults alike
As I walk towards Statford station, I notice a large group of workmen.........
Stratford, I understand, is fast becoming the 'place to be'

Somehow I am not quite convinced

08:28....... Left my new temporary abode in the East end of London, Stratford
I hoped to walk it to Stratford station but was running late and decided to hop on the BUS!
As I walked past an elderly woman I tested to water.....
"Good morning"
"Good morning" she replied with a smile
I felt good

07:10........ I walk into the station hub, fed my (soon to expire) season ticket through the barrier and made my way to platform four to join a couple of train buddies; long tall Sally and my namesake
"Good morning" I said
"Good morning" they replied in unison
" Last day today!" informed Long tall Sally
"Journeys end, I'm afraid
"No cakes?" asked my namesake
"No I'm afraid"

06:40........ Out into St Neots morning air
My last walk to St Neots station........ The walk seems somewhat heavy; a feeling of sadness as I walk past houses, familiar sights, fields.dogs a
D their owners........ mentally waving goodbye to them all

05:45..........alarm screeches and after five minutes of that 'last fifty winks' I force myself put of bed slowly raising, slowly making my way to the bathroom bleary eyed
I do the usual thing in the bathroom, dress, face all MAC'd out, deodorant and perfume sprayed before making my way downstairs

The train has just left Stevenage station, picking up commuters heading for Kings Cross
Did I mention that this is my last Thursday journey to work from St Neots?
Every day this week, I am mentally saying 'goodbye' 'adieu' 'aviour' 'farewell' (I think you've got the gest) to this chapter of my life journey
Will I miss the journey to and from work?
HELL NO!
Will I miss my train buddies?
HELL YES!
Just keeping in touch and perhaps the odd meet up won't be the same
But thank God for technology eh!

08:14....... I'm sat next to a all round clean shaved man (bald head, bald chin). He is wearing shades but I know he's sleeping
Why?
He's mouth is slightly ajar, heavy breathing and an occasional nod of the head is a give away!
He has on a dark suit underneath his dark raincoat
At the otherside of the aisle, a woman sits with a notebook on her lap....... tapping quietly away.......conversing, romancing the placed notebook
I looked around the carriage and noticed that most of the commuters are also busy; ready a newspaper of their choice, a magazine, tapping away on their mobiles, either texting or playing games to while away the fifty minutes on the train
There are no train buddies in sight but I notice some eight seventeen (now the eight fourteen) familiar faces, one in particular, the 'antenna' man!

DOS man and I watched 'The Apprentice'
DOS man was un his element
Why?
He was barking at the television
Picture this.....
"Was Byron a vegetarian?" asked one of the apprentice
"What's that got to do with anything?"
One team decided to name their Mexican fast food 'Caracas'
"It's actually the capital of Venezuela!"
"Christopher Columbus discovered potatoes......." quibs another appretince
"I do believe it was Sir Walter Riley!!"
DOS man is NOT AMUSED!

07:??.......not quite sure the exact time but I arrived at St Neots station hub in ample time, through the barrier, up the steps, across the bridge, down more steps straight on to platform four
Our honorary female train buddy, the good doctor and my namesake were there with several other gatecrashers loitering with intent
"Good morning"
"Good morning"
And before long we were joined by Ling tall Sally, followered by another
We got lost in conversation until the train arrived, stopping a few metres away from where we stood

06:40......... Slammed the door behind me and began my last Wednesday walk to St Neots station
This time next week my journey will temporarily be from either Stratford station or Walthamstow station

On the Victoria line underground train to Victoria station
I was able to get a seat half way through my journey to Victoria station, Warren Street station to be exact

The casually dressed man beside me is playing 'solitaire' on his iPhone four
After picking up commuters from Stevenage (standing room only) there is silence all around me
We wait patiently for Kings Cross

07:16........the train arrives a minute early, stops, doors opened and like lemmings, we get on thus beginning the first day of a working week
There are a couple of train buddies on the train
We greet each other and form alligence

Chatting away amongst ourselves, waiting for the arrival of the seven seventeen when........
A loud SCREAM penetrated from behind us slicing through our conversation!
We systematically turned our heads to where we heard the scream........and there on the concrete ground was a woman. With contorted face, perhaps partly in agony and partly embarrassed as she was helped by a couple of commuters
Others, like ourselves, just looked on
All dignity out of the window, the injured woman struggles to get up, legs wide apart and grey knickers visible for her audience
My mother's advice as a young child came ringing through......
"Always make sure you have on clean decent pair of knickers on in case of an accident!"

07:05......... Already standing on platform four on my lonesome
07:10.......
"Good morning"
Our honorary female train buddy, the good doctor was the first of the usual crowd to join me
"Good morning" I replied
"I'm off to an interview later this morning"
"I thought you were attending court" he said, gazing at my attire
"How was Goodwin?" I asked
"Good" he replied and we were lost in conversation until......
"Good morning"
A familiar face (not quite a 'train buddy' as such greets us
"Good morning"
"Good morning" I turn to see my namesake
Greeting her as she walked towards us, shortly followered by Long tall Sally
And the ritual greetings commenced once again

What I couldn't understand was what difference did being an American make for being lost?

Overheard conversation on the Piccadilly line  between a female traveller and a Transport fir Lindon staff
"I'm American an terribly lost!.........I'm trying to get to Blah! Blah! Blah!
(in a loud American accent!)
And all around me commuters were smiling