The saga of . . .

. . . the Bus Shelter.

One Street 3

You will be relieved to know that we have at last moved away from my gateway. We have walked down the road and turned a corner and we are now looking towards the village centre. Busy isn't it! The white building in the distance is the old school. However, the focus here is on the rather smart looking little building on the right. It's a Bus Shelter.

It was built a few years ago by the builder who lives in the village (and an excellent builder he is too), using donated materials and volunteer labour. It was a Parish Council initiative and a lot of discussion went into its precise location. It is a nice building, built of local stone, plastered out inside and with glazed windows and a bench. So comfortable is it that birds take it up as their residence. Some of you may remember I blipped a House Martin building a nest in the rafters and successfully bringing up a group of little ones.

So, a Bus Shelter to be proud of. There is just one small problem . . .

. . . we don't have any buses!

Well, I exaggerate slightly. There is supposedly one bus a week that goes into the local town on market day, but I have lived here for many years and have never seen this bus. Anyway, someone, who apparently has seen it, told me it doesn't stop at the bus shelter, it stops at the Post Office (which doesn't exist anymore) just because 'it always has done'!

So, why was the shelter built? It was built for the youngsters who wait for a school bus to take them to school in Appleby. Now, these are not children; they get picked up at their houses. These are teenagers, and those who have had anything to do with teenagers will have spotted at once a flaw in the Parish Council's thinking. Does anyone know of a teenager who is likely to do the sensible thing and seek shelter in inclement weather, just like they are meant to do? Does anyone know of a teenager who even realises that it is raining?

The kids congregate in the area, but rarely step inside. They hover by the doorway and clutter up the road and, especially the girls, stand in a huddle opposite. Many of them are at the last minute anyway and get picked up as the bus goes up the road.

So there you are - a beautiful bus shelter, looking really nice in the sun, but with no purpose. The story, a little microcosm of village life.

Note
The building has come to have one important function that has nothing to do with buses, but I'll leave that until another time.