Commuter Chaos...

Our train was hit by a flying (okay...falling) tree this morning (there were winds in excess of 80 mph at the time). The train crew jumped manfully onto the tracks and attempted to turn the offending shrub into firewood, but were struggling with probably the smallest chainsaw/set of nose trimmers I've ever seen. I looked down, out of the window, and our conducter seemed genuinely embarrassed to be holding such a small tool.

Two hours later the real rescue team finally turned up with much bigger tools. They swaggered towards the tree and made quick work of it - as our conducter hide his embarrassment behind his bright orange reflector vest and just smiled nervously at them. I finally got into the office at 11:30am.

Getting home was even more entertaining. The scene that greeted me at Victoria Station (it was the only station still functioning) was incredible. Police lined the tube exit and with well rehersed crowd control procedures, we were herded into the main concourse.

There I was met by a huge milling crowd, which I managed to temporarily avoid by seeking shelter in the concourse bar. However, I was eventually enticed out onto the platforms by the announcement of the 19:20 to East Grinstead - unfortunately I wasn't the only one to hear the announcement.

Squeezing several thousand people onto a train that only fits 600 was never going to work....so as the police fended us off with a bullhorn and authoritative gestures, I eventually boarded another train. I didn't care where it was going......it was pointed south and that was close enough for me.