a railway journey (and a decision)

kilvert is on holiday in the gower until the 20th. (he will return to clyro and snow). 

on this day in 1872 kilvert is making the railway journey down there. 

'monday 15th april (1872). from clyro to ilston rectory...

waiting an hour and a half at llechrhyd, reading faust on the lower platform...

westhorp was waiting for me at killay station...'

kilvert will have used the hereford, hay and brecon railway. changing at three cocks junction for the up train to llechrhyd and then (presumably) changing platforms for the train to killay on the llanelly railway. 

for the hay to llechrhyd journey AI tells horsemouth he can use the national rail journey planner (sadly not - pretty much all these train lines and train stations are passed and gone). 

to make the equivalent journey today horsemouth would need to take a bus (two buses in fact) into hereford or abergavenny and then by train to newport and then across to swansea and then on by bus he guesses (yes. 28 minute journey, four buses an hour, £3). 

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oh dear. horsemouth has consented to go to a meeting (he's getting annoyed and anxious about it already).  

the issue is simple 

to go ahead or not to go ahead. 

to take the money offered or not to take the money offered. 

he has been for a walk to clear his head (and his head is somewhat cleared). this probably won't last. 

horsemouth has missed alula down in malvern for record store day this year (damn drat and blast).  his head was not in the game. 

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ah! bless you archive .org

ronald blythe's collection of diary entries from various diarists. 

'although they are the most private form of writing, there have been few diarists who have not in their heart and hearts hoped that their daily confidences would be read by other eyes.  philip larkin's order  to burn his diary  after his death was a most unusual one...' 

ok look. there was also kafka (it's just that brod disobeyed). 

this anthology contains examples from eighty diaries: the diarist as eye-witness; the diarist in love; the diarist as naturalist; the diarist at war; the diarist as artist; (etc.). all these are good sub-headings. horsemouth may make use of them at a later date.