Tracks, Twitter and Table

In the blue skyed sunshine of Manchester it's hard to remember that other parts of the country have and are suffering decidedly more wintery conditions and that therefore the decision to pre-empt further extreme weather conditions by reducing the Manchester to London train service is possibly a justifiable, even wise, decision.

The upshot for today is that one train per hour is cancelled, an extra half hour has been added to timetabled journey times and extra stops at Milton Keynes have been scheduled.

Virgin are however, being really helpful and flexible so by dashing out of the office promptly I get an earlier train and two hours later (no weather delays after all) I'm in London even earlier than planned.



As we passed through the midlands there was still snow by the side of the tracks and lying deep across fields - ah so it really does exist then.

Stepping down from the train at Euston, I'm about to phone the lovely Steve to let him know I'll be able to meet him at Liverpool Street shortly, when my attention is taken by a siren sound and an announcement that we need to evacuate the station . As we're ushered out a back entrance it becomes clear that there's some sort of fire alert and both the overground and underground stations are closed.

I realise that I haven't completely forgotten my way around my home town as I not only work out instantly that Euston Square is my best bet, but I can even orientate my way out the side streets to get there.

So, not 15 minutes later I've met up with Steve and we find a coffee shop that meets his strict standards.

Good to catch up, even if somehow he does drag me into Twitter-world.

My protestations that I haven't logged into Facebook for about 5 months fall on deaf ears. Apparently Twitter is lower impact and...well I'm not sure there were any other positives presented, but...we'll see.

One of the earliest messages received from a friend suggest it's a new way for us to trade insults...ah I see a positive after all, I may yet be won over ;-)

Next on to the Greenbelt Table meeting and then thoughts thought and shared is a rush to get back to Euston for an earlier than usual train to ensure I safely get back north.