First trip of many....

I had to work a couple of hours this morning. And then it was over to Seymour Grove to see a friend's daughter who's having problems with some maths. We may have sorted it out. Well, for now anyway. I was planning on a little wander around Chorlton, maybe a coffee and a piece of cake.

But I couldn't resist a trip into the city centre to have my first look at the Christmas Markets which opened yesterday. I knew it was foolish but I couldn't stop myself. The trams were in a mess. The metrolink people have chosen the busiest weekend of the year so far to sever the system in the centre, meaning parts can be done on tram but the rest has to be done on bus replacement. I took the car. Parking was difficult. Some of the stores in the Arndale Centre had ropes up outside and guys on security to keep the number of people in the shop at a manageable level. For some reason, they decided to close one of the men's toilets in the Arndale. I had to go up to the other end of the mall to use another set. One of the few advantages of being a guy is the ability to be in and out of a toilet in quick time. But not today. We had to queue but the guys were grateful not to have to been in the women's queue which was four times longer.

The markets themselves were incredibly busy. Parts of them are mixed up with the works for the new line for the Metro (has anyone noticed that the iconic postbox that survived the IRA bombing has gone from Corporation Street?). As I turned into Albert Square and caught my first sight of the markets, I felt all festive. The feeling lasted all of about 40 seconds, evaporating as soon as I felt the crush of people around me. I was rammed by a buggy. Why do people take buggies with small children there of a weekend? It must be stressful for the parents and quite scary for the child who can't see anything but a sea of legs. I was rammed so hard that I have a red mark on my shin. Next time I'll retaliate! I'm past having to take small children round the markets but if I was still doing it I'd take them on a quietish Tuesday evening when the crowds aren't so bad.

On a positive note I did get to try the first Gluewein of the season.