On the train

Bob drove me to the station this morning. The train to Newcastle had come down from Scotland so was a bit more comfortable than the usual rolling stock.

A young couple sat at a table in my carriage and every so often they peeked inside a cardboard box and smiled. The box was too large for a pizza and too small for a tiered wedding cake. I thought no more about it, but there they were in my compartment on the Birmingham train.

This is the cross country service and nearly every seat was reserved. I was lucky to find a seat. My reserved seat was on a later train.

I could not resist going to ask "What's in the box" and here you see their new pet. It is 8 months old. They had salad with them for food on the journey, so all was well.

Some days contain surprises that I could never imagine.

By the time we left York the train was heaving and by Sheffield the aisles were full of luggage and people. The guard did not appear to check the tickets on this stretch!

I last stayed in the Premier Inn on top of New Street Station about 2 years ago. The construction and road works appear to be unchanged.

Night in for Sport Relief. Photo Show tomorrow.

Very salutory reading on my journey was Aryn Baker's article on conflict rape in Time magazine. Horrific and ongoing.