March 2004

Looking at my Live Journal entries mainly what I did in March was wish my life away and complain about work. I think that about sums things up.

Hopefully all going well, when I have sorted my finances out I will be booking a trip back to Florida with Kat. I'm also in the early stages of researching somewhere new to live and work. I admit I'm a bit nervous about moving. There is so much to think about and so much of it is expensive. There is insurance, council tax, TV license and a whole host of other things to pay for which I escape just at the moment. Then I have to get myself employed and the like. A little scary you'll give me.

I must work for the most fertile company in England. The receptionist, the secretary that sits nearest me and the nearest female surveyor, are now all heavily pregnant. Wives of surveyors here seem to give birth at what seems like a rate of one a fortnight. Add to this a few former employees and you have a whole lot of babies.

Seen a lot of Kat in March. I went to visit her once or twice. The most recent time involved me going via Reading. This was a welcome diversion to the normal drudgery of the Euston trip. The Euston trip is no doubt most convenient but there was something about seeing the new Paddington Station for the first time and boarding an Intercity 125 train there. I've always wanted to go on an Intercity 125 train since I was little, there was something magic about the model Hornby trains that made me want to go on one, but I never did until this trip. Paddington has improved a great deal from the diesel coated airy station that I remembered from my travels as a much younger person. It is just a shame I had to share the train with so many Welsh rugby fans. Not that they caused any trouble, it was just that I felt a bit cramped. The Virgin Voyager train from Reading was practically empty most of the way to Birmingham (although it filled up at Banbury for some reason) which was nice and a stark contrast.

Kat came to see me quite a few times, we wandered round Havering on a bus one weekend, went to Lakeside another. All in we managed to see each other every weekend in March, which was nice.

The weather is improving, it is going from permanent nasty to a few sunny days. The clocks going forward has helped the light level in the evening which is always a nice thing, I hate going home in the dark.

Finally One have taken over from First Great Eastern, we'll see what mess they'll get the trains into. "One" is causing a few problems already when they announce a 12:30 One service, lots of problems to be had there no doubt. We will see anyway.