Apologies for my tardiness in writing recently, must be the weather. A sure sign that summer is on the way was that on Thursday we had three “platforms and hold” calls in an hour during the evening peak due to passengers “ill on train”. First bit of hot weather and they start dropping like flies, suggest carrying a bottle of water, can recommend Volvic not for any aesthetic reasons but they do a one litre bottle with a re-sealable top which you can refill from the tap while everyone else seems to limit themselves to 75cl.

While I have sung the praises of the Epping branch as a pleasant drive I have neglected to mention the Woodford Loop which I went round on my last trip Thursday. From GrH to Chi it runs down a tree lined cutting and then the SW Essex countryside opens out before you as you head down to RoV, well it does if you ignore Tottenham’s training ground and the M11 thundering beneath you. I got there just after sunset and the twilight gave it a thoroughly magical feel. Not a bad way to end the day.

Sunday and Monday were my first early turns for months but I was actually glad as starting work around 6:30-7am was preferable to picking up mid-afternoon, it’s getting very hot down there. Either it’s the heat or pigeons are generally dumber in the mornings but not having hit one for years I’ve had three slam into the front of my cab in two days. They just fly out of the trees and bushes or suicidally swerve in midflight. Not much you can do at 85kph and it makes one hell of a bang. If a pigeon makes that much noise God knows what it’s like when you have a “one under”.