so it's thursday afternoon
horsemouth is planning the bell-ringing (at the abbey so he'll walk down). he thinks he will bail on going up the pub and instead just come home and have a bottle of beer. (in the end he even skipped the bottle of beer).
he's already done a walk into ewyas harold to get a copy of the hereford times forgotten by his mum earlier (about a mile each way).
when he got back from the bell-ringing there was an owl in the tree (a tawny he thinks).
he's planning the buses and trains for his getaway
as usual he fancies a morning getaway - 0920 bus for the 1040 train getting into paddington at 1423.
he could go later and go straight from paddington to the venue at a pinch.
coming back there's either the 0751 (so getting up 6amish) that gets him back in time to get the 440 bus up the valley from pontrilas to abbeydore or later trains (where he ends up having to walk the last 2 miles).
all this is doable on the super off peak ticket. there is a more expensive way via newport or there may be cheaper ways via birmingham.
he has a plan to bring the harmonium home (and er. not a lot else obviously).
horsemouth was looking at eligibility for an over 60ies bus pass but it seems that his primary residence would have to be in wales (drat it he's just over the border) - as it stands he has to wait until state pension age before the travel bonanza can begin.
as he reasoned it to himself (as he walked over the common) he would save something like £7.75 on each visit to hereford which he would then be able to spend on things like er. beer, coffee and books at local businesses (makes sense to him). or just groceries even.
and when he was there on the bus into hereford who was there ladies and gentlemen but the over 66ers making use of their free bus travel. now if the over 60ies could do this then they'd be doing it too.
a petition to this effect (to grant english 60plusers outside of london or merseyside the same ticket concessions at scottish, welsh and northern irish 60plusers) has just crossed 100,000 signatures and there will now be a debate in parliament where the department of transport will have to put forward its objections.
he's had a look at the proposal to put 5 railway stations between cardiff central and severn tunnel junction. (more detail here).
it's the morning (and a very beautiful morning it is). he's just been out to unleash the chickens. it's lammas and the fifth anniversary of the release of musicians of bremen volume four.
