Letters

STOLEN

Someone stole my bike. It wasn`t a new bike, it wasn`t an expensive bike, it wasn`t even a desirable looking bike, it was however MY bike. I saved up to buy it and I happily handed over the cash and for a short while I was the proud owner of MY first bike. Last Saturday night, some rotten thieving lowlife stole MY bike. It had THREE locks on it AND was chained to a lamp post but some thieving dirtbag still nicked it. I feel violated and I am still upset. I called the police and the insurance company but all I will get from that is a bigger phone bill next month.

Crimes against the individual are among the worst that can happen and my happy go lucky optimism in life has taken a hard kicking. I wont be beaten and I will save up and buy another bike so “ UP YOURS “ thieving toerag.

I am not a nasty vindictive person but I hope whoever did this heinous act arrives home to find their house infested with sewer rats. Hang on though, that just means they are amongst their own kind.


The Doctor will see you now.........probably

Recently I have been unwell. I woke up that morning and my right leg felt like someone had been bashing my knee and shin all night with a rubber mallet. It was too sore for me to drive to work so I took public transport. I am not a snob but I really think some people are not fit for human interaction. The bus was full of unwashed drunks from the night before unshaved belching crotch scratchers. Anyway half way through my shift the pain was so intense I had to go home. I rang my surgery in the hope of getting an appointment this week to see my doctor, hah! the receptionist is in the wrong job, she should be guarding the crown jewels or working at  Fort Knox. After giving my name, address, NI number, number of kids, inside leg measurements favourite television show and what football team I supported and the nature of my ailment I was told the earliest appointment would have been TWO WHOLE WEEKS after the day I started to feel unfit for work.
 As it so happens, I now feel completely mobile and went back to work last week, but I have made an appointment for every Monday for the rest of the year just in case I become unwell again.


Train cab views

There are many excuses as to why trains are late. Leaves on the line, the wrong type of snow, point’s failure or broken down train. All of these excuses are normally genuine. Each and every one of them can be extremely frustrating especially when going to and from work in the rush hour. But what about the other reasons as to why a train may be late. What about the wheel chair user who has not used the free assistance service, which they could have just by using a free phone number in advance, what about the travellers trying to get on a packed train with four large suitcases or those with non folding muddy bikes. Another reason could be the people who fail to purchase tickets. Sitting in the cab waiting to depart on time from a station, a driver will see and hear many weird and wonderful instances that may delay a train. So before taking at face value what you hear over the passenger information service. Have a look around you before you blame the train company for being negligent. Maybe if the train company but also some of our paying customers just tried a little bit harder we could all get there on time.


WHAT I’M REALLY THINKING

The people in power keep telling us to use public transport. It will save the planet and keep global warming at bay, the road surfaces will last longer and the transport companies are all professionally operated, and we will all arrive on time and stress free. That’s what they tell us.
I rarely use public transport but when I do it’s either a bus or a train and I have come to dislike both immensely. On the bus there always seems to be a coke can or a bottle rolling up and down the aisle, there is always a discarded chicken and chips box left on a seat and the graffiti is everywhere. On the train, there are discarded newspapers, people on mobile phones or listening to music that can be heard 3 seat rows away, and in the winter both these modes of transport suffer from muddy feet on the seats.
So with this in mind I will stick to my car, it’s clean paid for (petrol is paid for in instalments) the staff car park is free. It takes so much longer but I get there warm, clean and I give myself enough time to get there stress free. I want to use public transport but my fellow public seem not to respect the service that is on offer, and it’s a shame because London looks lovely through a moving window.


VOLUME CONTROL

I was on a train recently, travelling from Redhill to London Bridge station.
As usual there was the expected amount of chatter and newspaper rustling and of course the bane of modern society, personal stereos with their tinny noises assaulting the ears of everyone in a six metre radius. I am used to this and ordinarily it doesn’t bother me. However, today was different. I noticed a woman board the train, she was huge. She was so big she had her own post code. 
She sat down two rows ahead of me and opened her book, as soon as she started reading the loudest mobile phone ring tone invaded the air. It was an Elvis Presley song, one that I don’t care for by the way.
The woman retrieved the phone and stared at the screen and just kept looking. Then she tutted, then put the phone on her lap and let it ring. The whole carriage let out a collective groan, but the woman ignored us and the phone just kept ringing and kept being unanswered.
Eventually I politely asked her to turn the volume down or answer the phone and like a pig she swore at me. I looked around for support but everyone suddenly found something interesting to look at through the windows. Feeling alone but determined I looked her in the eye and said “someone your size shouldn’t draw attention to themselves” and I sat down. The fat lady turned her phone off.



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