Wednesday, 18 January 2012

Tatsfield Churchyard - too tired to go anywhere else

Here's Andy's shot of the steps leading to the 
Tatsfield Churchyard. Think Stairway to Heaven
General tiredness has forced me not to post for the past two weeks. I've been so busy, working  full days during the week and then having two days off on Saturday and Sunday. The weekends have become like rocks to step on to escape a raging torrent of work. During the week I'm up at 6am, out of the house at 7.25am and on the 7.40am train. I change at East Croydon for the 7.49am Brighton train, getting off at Three Bridges and jumping on the early bus, the company bus, which arrives outside the station at 8.20am. By 8.30am I'm at my desk, I get one hour for lunch then work through to around 5.30pm, normally a bit longer, and then I walk for 30 minutes through the poorly-lit streets of Crawley, travelling from Broadfield and through Tilgate to Crawley railway station where I board a London Victoria train. I get off at East Croydon, take the subway to platform six and pick up the East Grinstead train. One stop later is Sanderstead and then I have a walk of around 10 to 15 minutes through the alleys and home. I repeat this process every day for five days.

Yesterday, 17 January 2012, I was out until 1am, but I still woke up around 6am and was back on the early bus again from Three Bridges. During my lunch break I walk, normally to the shops at Tilgate, then I turn around and walk back. Sometimes I walk to the shops at Broadfield or I hoof it down to Furnace Green and some shops near a pub called The Charcoal Burner. Then again I turn and walk back.

We found this seriously mutilated deer on the
roadside, prompting thoughts of wild cats on the 
loose - what if a Komodo dragon has escaped from
the nearby Reptile Zoo, we wondered.
This routine tires me out and unless I got to bed early, which I don't on a Friday night, the cycling is in the balance. I consider the 'abort' text. On the weekend of the 14th and 15th of January, I went on the Saturday (14th) but didn't go on the Sunday - but that was because I had work to do. The week before I think Andy and I were out on the Sunday but not the Saturday. I can't remember, but we've managed one cycle per week and both the restful Tatsfield Churchyard.

This week I'm determined to get out there and do both Saturday and Sunday, but we'll see. I hope so, but perhaps going to Hunger's End is a bridge too far, I'm not sure.

Apart from work, not much has been happening. I've been thinking about dad, especially today as I've been invited to The Gunmakers Arms in Clerkenwell, a pub that symbolises so much family history. The Moggridges were once gunmakers and they lived in the EC1 area of London. They probably went to the pub and next week I'll be there again. I think the last time I was there I was with dad and, I think, mum. But that was a while back.

What else am I doing. Oh yes, I'm reading Dave Gorman, he's great. I Tweeted him the other day and he tweeted back. No, I'm not a regular Tweeter, I hardly ever Tweet. I must have been bored, although I am reading Gorman's book, Dave Gorman versus the Rest of the World. I think I've mentioned this before. I've read all but one of his books, his first book and one day I'll round to that too.