Fri 23 September - Good ending...

On time again this morning.

A bit later tonight so go for a cab. None there, but when one does arrive a kind bloke offers to share his as he's heading in the same direction - we talk footy all the way and he refuses to take any money when they drop me off. Thanks mate.

Going to the Grand Final tomorrow, hoping to see the Swans defy their detractors. Don't think we'll attempt to use the train as getting home will be too hard.

Thu 22 September - In the boonies...

More or less on time this morning although coming into platform 13 seemed to slow us down a bit, not sure why. To avoid dispute as to my meaning, let's be clear that it was 07:29:40 when the doors opened.

Get to platform 13 at 17:55 and there's the 18:01 already sitting there - good-oh. Except that as I get a bit closer the passengers are piling out. There's some sort of announcement over the speakers but I'm too far away to hear it. The screens are blank.

Wait around a minute or two and they announce the 18:01 will depart from platform 12 - there's no train on platform 12. I spot a railway worker who seems to be checking that the platform 13 train is truly empty and nobody's hiding under the seats. I ask her what time she thinks the 18:01 will depart. She replies 18:01. I politely suggest this is a little unlikely, since the train cannot possibly pull in, disgorge its passengers get all the people around us loaded and get back out again within one minute. She declines further comment and wanders off.

I go over to platform 12 and the monitors suggest the next train to depart from there will be the 18:35 - this is not a good sign. Suddenly the blackened monitors on platform 13 spring into life and show us that this recently abandoned and thouroughly inspected train is the 18:01. People start to pile in, while I sceptically hang back. They announce that it really is the 18:01 and the other Doubting Thomases and I hop aboard. We depart about three minutes late.

There are a few drops of rain falling, perhaps this is a factor?

Wed 21 September - Good again...

On the 07:14 and it's on time again.

On the 17:38 from platform 13 - again it's on time. But of course my day would not be complete without a whinge about my travelling experience!

Somebody left a comment on Monday about kids coming home from the show. Well I think his/her comments are epitomised today. There's two mums with two kids, a girl about three and a boy about four, so not far off the ages of mine. Mine have gone on the train now and again for a couple of years, so I have some idea what to expect. Well not this time! A mum has simply plonked her pram full of the obligatory show goodies right in the doorway on the Richmond side. It rolls towards Shaz, who kindly applies the brake for her. We pull into Richmond and it's still there, without any raising of the eyebrow of the owning mum, despite passengers having trouble getting past it.

Then the boy pulls on it, swinging it round to block the aisle leading to the seating area. Again the mum's unperturbed by this when people struggle to get around it at South Yarra. Meanwhile the kids are now playing with their plastic swords, and although they're obviously disturbing the passengers around them they don't seem too bothered.

These ignorant people finally get off at Balaclava. I wonder how those kids will be in 10-12 years with parents like that!

Tue 20 September - No dramas...

We're on time this morning. And Bazza's still looking iffy to play on Saturday!

Stayed back late tonight so got a cab. And Bazza's in!!!

Mon 19 September - Finals week...

On time this morning.

We're into finals week and the Swannies are there. Let's hope they go easy on Bazza.

It's also Melbourne Show week which means we'll be operating out of platforms 12 & 13 for the week. Looking forward to that...

Happy birthday to my boy John who turns four today!

Home early for John's birthday. On the 16:57 and it leaves on time from platform 13. Not very crowded either.