Trials and Tribulations of Travel

So that’s the travel organised for another home game. Forty five good Caps and true on the 11.00am from Liverpool Street, and back on the later trains in various states of inebriation. I’m looking forward to meeting our first time traveller, who shall be nameless, after the booking problems we had earlier in the week. He seems like a good guy from the mails we have exchanged.

We’re going to be ticketless on the journey, thanks to the Royal Mail and the Unions, so I have had to queue up at Liverpool Street to get a permit to travel for a huge bunch of us. This procedure to get the bookings and permit was painful, taking me over half an hour. The promised fax of our booking had not arrived, or did arrive at the wrong fax machine, and despite the best efforts of Tracey, the girl in window No 6 at Liverpool St, we had to contact the Newcastle office by phone to get them to help. After pressing the buttons on my phone, I was politely informed that the office was closed and I would have try tomorrow. Aaaarrrgh! A quick email on the move and Jai from National Express Newcastle was on the phone, and we had the two departments talking to each other, but via me. Whenever I deal with National Express I’ve always found the staff very helpful, but they do struggle as the company as a whole doesn’t seem very organised.

Now all we have to do negotiate the barriers at Liverpool Street and Norwich with one ticket for 45 people. Easy.

On Saturday, although the main business of the day will be at Carrow Road, my thoughts will be at Aylesbury where Wealdstone will be attempting to get into the first round proper of the FA Cup for the first time in years and years. If I could pull two balls out of the bag on Sunday at 1.00pm it would be Norwich vs Wealdstone, assuming they are successful. All I can do is hope, but it would be a good chance to progress for City and a decent pay day for the Stones.

Getting started...

I don’t why I’ve started this blogging lark. It’s bound to take up even more of my time staring at a screen when I could be doing something more useful, such as staring another type of bigger screen. And the difference between the two is? I’m sitting at a desk as opposed to slumped on a sofa, and less likely to fall asleep.

I’ve no idea what I’ll write about, but as I generally start an article with no real plan, come up with a few ideas, and end up with a few hundred words, I reckon I’ll be ok.

I’d say I’m generally a quiet sort but will offer an opinion when provoked to do so, but I like to hear what others have to say first. It’s just my way.

I’m happily married and a father to two daughters who love their sports in equal measure, but when it comes to their education they are very different. The elder of the two is moving schools at the end of summer term, and this has caused Lucy and I some head scratching as to how we should approach this, and involve Gemma in the decision making process. We’ve decided now and hope that we’ve made a choice that we are all happy with. My younger daughter Amy has lofty ambitions as to where she would like to be taught, and as we cannot afford to have her educated privately she will need to join the grammar school rate-race to get the place we know she is well capable of obtaining.

Lucy loves tennis, darts and gardening, and going out. The gardening interest comes from her parents, who are fantastic in-laws and treat me as one of their own.

I work up in the City, but not for a City wage, and just enough to keep the family happy. Comfortable is the way I would describe myself.

My spare time and pocket money is used going to see Norwich City play. I’m also involved with the London Supporters Club (The Capital Canaries) having joined in 2001 when I noticed from an email address that one of the committee worked in the same office as me. I volunteered to organise the home travel when Gav stepped down after three years hard work, and this is now my fourth year in the hot seat. It’s a bundle of work, but having met so many good people when I’ve been doing the job, its well worth the time I spent on it. I also get to write a column in the on-line PinkUn every couple of weeks.

My “other” team is Wealdstone. I try to see them play a few times a season, but with City games, family commitments and kids sports, getting the time is difficult.

As with all blogs, my intention is to update it frequently, with some interesting articles. How frequently or how interesting? Who knows, we’ll see.