Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Trains


I shot this picture on our walk home from work last night. There's a pedestrian bridge right next to the West Hampstead tube station, and with two trains in the station and a spectacular sunset it gave me a nice view. The bridge is enclosed in heavy wire fencing, so I can never get a decent picture with my normal camera -- the grid of the fence gets in the way. The lens of the iPhone is so small, though, that I can shoot through it.

Can you see how few people are on the train platform? Normally it would be bustling, but I think many people (like us) are still avoiding public transportation.

Yesterday was insane at work. I was running all day, fetching books and checking them out and delivering them to classrooms. We had English classes coming in to hear book talks by the librarian; there were Spanish classes checking out Spanish-language novels; there were middle school kids stocking up on holiday reading. At the end of the day I ran a report showing 467 "circulations" which is huge for one day.

I found a little post-it note doodle in a returned book that seemed to accurately describe my state of mind:


So that's why I didn't comment on anyone's blog or respond to comments here. Just too much insanity. I'll try to catch up today.

Dave and I are now off for the remainder of the week. Woo hoo! Poor Dave has some dental procedures scheduled -- including a root canal on Thanksgiving day, which has to be the most depressing holiday plan I've heard from anyone. But since we're not eating a big feast it's a good time to do it, I suppose!

38 comments:

  1. The last time I was on that platform was after a visit to Kew Gardens with a group of " girl"friends. I was soaking wet as the lightweight mac I had on turned out to be as much use as tissue paper. It was just after the new timetables came out ( a few years ago now) and there was an announcement that the trains were only going as far as St. Albans.....5 miles south of Harpenden!Luckily between the 8 of us we managed to find 2 husbands to drive over and pick us up !
    Enjoy your days off.

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    1. Public transportation is great when it works, but a nightmare when it doesn't! That must have been a heck of a storm that day.

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  2. Better to go out on a bang than not. And that's only Thanksgiving. May Dave root his way out of the canal.

    The train and the sky above clearly made for each other. I'll wear my favourite coat dress and echoing scarf to fit into that harmonious composition. FIT IN? Ok, just this once. For you.

    Happy Thanksgiving to both of you, and Olga to chew a bone or, in absence of one, chase a squirrel,
    U

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    1. Happy Thanksgiving, Ursula! Olga will definitely get a special treat of some sort.

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  3. Ouch, poor Dave! Best of luck with the dentist and I hope you both enjoy the time off.

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  4. It's a great photo. I will save it and alter the name to associate with you so you won't read, I can't remember where I found this photo. Good luck to Dave.

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    1. Wow, I feel honored that you saved it! It was lucky timing that we crossed the bridge when we did.

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  5. Good! The hex I put on Dave for discouraging you to do the right thing about the trousers (American: pants!!!) has worked! To quote your good self "Woo hoo!" (English: Whoo-hoo!). By the way, excellent picture of West Hampstead Station! Thanks for sharing it.

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    1. I love that you even spell "woo hoo" differently. Is there no end to the separated-by-a-common-language phenomenon? I've decided to keep the pants. They sent them voluntarily -- I didn't ask. My hands (and conscience) are clean!

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  6. That photo is stirring, beautiful, and surreal! SO sorry about Dave's root canal. Enjoy your time off. May Dave enjoy today! And may the root canal recovery be quick and not too uncomfortable.

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    1. I think he'll be glad to get it done, honestly. His tooth has been bothering him for a while. Unfortunately they're never quick here -- they take multiple visits. :(

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  7. I hope Dave has someone good doing the root canal. They don't have to be painful or even very uncomfortable if you have a good dentist or endodontist doing the work!

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    1. Yeah, when I had mine a few years ago it wasn't super painful, although I did have some lingering problems. Dave was referred to an oral surgeon, so chances are his will go better!

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  8. Beautiful photo Steve. Dave is one lucky man to manage to get an appointment, we keep having ours put off, we haven't seen the dentist for over a year now.
    Briony
    x

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    1. We're paying privately, so that may be why...? I'm not happy about it, either. It's going to cost a lot!

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  9. That photo over the tube station is great. I love it. Your description of your day resonated with me. What was supposed to be a quiet work day turned into a stressful day with a bit of conflict to deal with. Not with me but with two of my coworkers. Today is only a half day so hopefully it will go better.
    Exactly 20 years ago, I was in London with my Dad on that trip I took him on about 9 months after my mother passed away. I remember that we had pizza on Thanksgiving.

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    1. Ugh...co-worker conflict! I hope the situation is resolved! Hard to believe 20 years ago was the year 2000, which already seemed so futuristic. Time flies, doesn't it?!

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  10. That photo is absolutely stunning.
    Perhaps you should make Dave some turkey broth for Thanksgiving. Poor guy! But yes, at least he'll have a few days to recover.

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    1. I hope Dave will be able to eat. I ate after my root canal, so we're planning on a normal dinner. But if necessary I can put his through a blender. (Joke!)

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  11. That photo is truly beautiful. Wow! Love it.
    Hope all goes well for Dave. Root canals if done well are really not bad. They do take a while though.
    Stay safe and healthy there.

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  12. Takes my breath away, that photo! It would be a great cover for 2020's waning calendar.
    I hope that Dave has a good specialist in root canals! Dentists can botch them so brilliantly. My thoughts are with him, heal quickly, be well.
    Cheers to you both! Thanksgiving is just another day.

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  13. That photograph is STUNNING. Just beautiful. I could stare at it for hours, like in a trance. I want to be there. I can almost smell the scent of tar, moss, and Victorian soot that is so peculiar to the London air. Fantastic.

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  14. That is a GORGEOUS photo! It looks like an oil painting.

    I hate dental work of all kinds, but a root canal isn't the WORST thing. On the other hand, it's not exactly pleasant either so I hope Dave's goes well!

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  15. great photo of the trains. I just found out my daughter was exposed at work so even our meager plan of sharing food but not eating together is off the table for now with her kids not coming in. no sense in cooking large amounts.

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  16. That photo is positively apocryphal! Excellent!

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  17. Thanksgiving day is just a day there though. :) I've never had a root canal and would like to keep it that way. Best thoughts to Dave on the dental work!

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  18. The photo is very zombie apocalypse
    Wonderful

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  19. Love the train photo, that's really good. Best to Dave and the root canal. That's one I haven't had, yet.

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  20. Really nice photo of the train station. Good eye.

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  21. What a shot!
    Sometimes a phone or tablet can get where an ordinary camera can't!

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  22. Amazing photo! The trains, the sky, all of those buildings - just perfect! Best of luck to Dave. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  23. That's a great photo! I hope you enjoy the rest of your week. Hope Dave's dental work is not too bad. Happy Thanksgiving anyway!

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  24. Striking photo - looks like a painting, really. Lovely.
    Good luck to Dave with his root canal! With all the heavy duty freezing they use, there should be no pain during the procedure. But it's super uncomfortable to keep your mouth open for so long, especially if you have jaw issues. Ah, well, at least he will have it over with by the weekend. Re-framing: sometimes it's all we have :)

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  25. I don't comment very often but I do read your blog every day and I have to tell you how wonderful that shot is! I hope the tooth issue isn't too bad and that you both have a Happy Thanksgiving.

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  26. I love that picture!

    PS I can scarcely wait to see what Dave has planned for Christmas!

    I hope things settle down for you soon. Take care.

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