Lending my body to medical science.

 For the third time, and each time has required a journey. I can't actually recall how long ago the first time was, it might have been 2010 or 11. I received an invitation  through the post. A new medical endeavour supported by the NHS to obtain medical data and samples to be a resource for  scientist around the world. It would hold the biological information of hundreds of thousands of volunteers securely but available anonymised  to those showing they were doing ethical research. Would I participate. Obviously I said yes and off I went on the bus to a city not too far away, just the one bus ride and duly took various tests, hearing and memory and cognitive stuff, blood and blood pressure weight and circulation, it didn't take long at all.

That was followed up by the occasional questionnaire via e-mail on all sorts of things, sleeping habits, or eating and occasionally ones where once I answered the first question it ruled me out answering any more. Its not worth asking me questions about smoking or alcohol consumption when I have never done either of those things.

Time passed and newsletters arrive noting 500,000 had participated, lots of medical research was benefiting and they had a plan for even more information to be collected. This time they were planning on scans.  2MRI scans, 1 DXA scan, neck artery ultrasound, the first sites were going to be quite a distance from me and not practical to attend and anyway it was by invitation only.

Then seven years ago the invite came, expecting a too distant scanning centre I was all ready to decline but no there was a centre near me so I said yes.

Oddly I recall it being a sunny dry day, as had been the weather for the first one. I had a plan, take a bus to the next town over, catch the metro to the central train station and from there call for the prearranged taxi.

Hmm yes well in this instance I can group myself in with mice and men as all did not go to plan. Bus trip number one did, the metro did not , there was an issue on the line with nothing to say when that would be resolved. Plan B get a bus to the city over the river from my destination, one stop on the metro then taxi. Plan B had its own issues, not as familiar with bus routes as I might be the bus I set off on had a somewhat roaming route and took extra long so I arrived late and was not able to do one of the scans.

Shortly after the Covid restrictions were lifted another invite arrived would I go and repeat the scans. Regretfully at that time I could not take up the offer.

This year it was made again, and I could fit it in. New plan, a don't be late plan. Take the express bus to the city this side of the river to my destination city then one metro stop to the train station. Another sunny dry morning, which considering all the rain we have been having this month was a blessing of which I was suspicious so a rain mac travelled with me. 

Out the door the original route down the steps across the road at my favourite lights past the empty
space that was once my childhood school and the retail park that was once my 6th form college and local library to the bus stop. With doors once more not working and I and the bus were on time.

Spotted the son of a friend (and former boss) getting on the same bus but he didn't recognise me (I did not have a Bob the Builder to hand, and that's a different story) and unusually for me I sat on the back right seat at the top of the bus. It came equipped with a USB post, had I brought a device and the relevant lead, indeed I had let charging commence ah or not this port on this seat was not feeling cooperative.

Ah well new rout, enjoy the journey, first stop a local out of town retail park, mental note that was fast so if I want to come here this is the bus to get.

After that I was not taking much detailed notice just admiring the view.

I got to my departure point so early I could have stayed on to the final stop one city over then walked to the pick up point. But as that had not been the plan I had to get off and do the metro thing. Still arrived at the station super early. So I stopped for a bit and watched the trains, and the transport police and sniffer dog, he did come to sniff a hello but happily for me and perhaps disappointingly for him I had nothing of interest. There were gaggles of children, a school trip perhaps and even orange robed monks.

At what felt like a reasonable time I found somewhere a bit quiet and made the call. It feels a bit like being in a spy movie. Call the number provided, give them the code, then the password and finally my name and they will send a taxi.

The taxi takes me to a little industrial site down by the river. From outside it is indistinguishable from other units with little businesses, but once inside, actually it is very Bond villains lair. Welcoming people in uniforms, they were expecting me Ha! The registration tests then change into our own outfits for the day, trousers and a wrap around  top. 

The number on my locker made me laugh, it fed into my mental musings as did a large map of the world on one wall noting next to it the number of participants and the number of medical papers produced to date (6,000). Four and a half hours later (an hour less than anticipated) and all done time to go home. 

Taxi back to the train station, shared this time with another body loaner, he had come much further than me and by train all the way. He had a very late return ticket and plans for an evening out in the city first. I planned to walk to the bus station to enjoy the pretty weather, a look at a local landmark and just one mode of transport home.

I had intended to get the express bus home however, by the time I got to the stop it was not due for over twenty mins, another bus which would at its halfway point be following my old journey home from work (before that changed) would arrive sooner but take longer. Hmm decisions, well thinks I a bum on a bus seat is better than a wait for one that might not arrive as intended.  Additionally the extra wait would eat into the shorter time and I can not deny there was a teeny bit of nostalgia at the thought of doing that journey again and seeing what was the same what different. 

Bus arrives and is surprisingly a single, on I get oh look UBS port, its lit up ahah charging...pleased.

Get my book out (yea had one of those as well) and read till we get to the stop which in days past would have been where I got on to go home. Put book away with the intent of seeing what was what with the world passing the windows. 

I had not accounted for the conditioned response, it may have been years due firstly Covid then the office closing and our relocating, since I made this trip but my body remembers and like a dog to a bell as the bus pulls away conditioning turns on. I go to sleep, oh the delights of a bus nap, and  I nap / dose all the way home just like old times, so what has or hasn't changed buildings or shops along the route I don't know, the delights of a successful bus nap were the only things getting a revisit.

Back at my starting point bus stop, the pleasant weather has held, the rain coat has stayed in the bag the whole way, just the walk home and my adventure is done.

In case you were wondering, I don't get to see the scans or any specific results from any research my data contributes to.

 

Back and there Again

 yes you are right that's not the title of  Bilbo Baggins book, but it is an accurate description of todays bus interactions.

You see I went there by car, came back home by bus then had to go there again on the bus and back by car.

Sound convoluted, oh it felt that way. The car was going in for a service (not my car) and the garage had moved, so I was navigator there and bus facilitator back.

on the little purple bus with its leatherette seats.

My Dad was less than impressed with those as he slipped and slid on them around the corners, I was amused. He wondered how I ever managed to sleep on the bus, I wondered how I was managing to stay awake , on a bus.

Walk with the Trolly

 on my way home from work on Thursday on a nice sunny day I was walking up the incline pulling my little red trolly behind me.

Approaching from the opposite direction was a woman pushing a black trolly.

As we got closer we made eye contact and smiled in trolly sisterhood.

As we met and a half step past we each without any prompting but in perfect synchronisation stopped half turned to each other and had a happy little conversation about the merits of the trolly. 

Her black trolly was new and sans the annoying Velcro of her old one, and could be pushed as well as pulled so she was trying out pushing.

I noted I had added buttons and a loop to mine to stop the flap flapping in the way. 

We both grinned, said gotta love a trolly, wished each other a nice day and parted ways.

Made me smile all the way home, whilst not quite on a level with the bus friends of old it was nice to connect with someone on my work journey.

I got a letter

 from someone I used to work with. From someone who used to travel in on the bus but from the opposite direction. He would arrive on the bus going in the direction I would get to go home and visa versa.

Some mornings we would arrive at a similar time and share the escalator ride and last little bit of a walk into work and the lift up to our floor.

He tells me he misses those travel related chats, misses the blog, I did not realise he read it! But then not everyone leaves comments even if they visit on purpose and not due to a search engine accident.

I had thought there might have been the occasional bus trip into the new  official office, but then it has been undergoing refurbishment and no one has been allowed in during that.

So still most of my travel simply consists of walking down the stairs and quite often my mug is telling the truth.

The rest of time it is the walk down to and past the bus station to the more local secondary office accompanied by my red trolly.  I have been prompted by that letter to look anew at this somewhat neglected blog and think of all those other people who have featured here. Starting with Peter and Paul and the Blind Man, The purple Coated ladies, the Shop Girls and in particular the shoe lady. The Author,The commuting baby with her bunny that I saw no more once day care became nursery school. Matilda / Madeline her dad and then little brother. My workmate John, with his magic bus calling cigarettes, sadly no longer with us..  All moments shared, and past and gone.  

Coming down the stairs is so much easier and convenient, but its not making memories and certainly not  providing much fodder for this blog.

Travels with my Trolly

 My little red trolly to be exact. And a journey that is both old and new. 

Since last I posted my base office has changed and I am now officially based back at the office I left in 2007.

So today was the first day back there, a single bus journey (once I have walked to the bus stop of course, no change there) on what I used to call the little bus. Ah what a delight it would have been if it still ran on the old route and served the stop just outside my door. 

Here is my trolly squeezed in on the bus.

And the view of the bus station from the bus, we got to get on and have a nice sit before the journey started (exactly on time I should point out).

It was dark on the journey in and some of the pretty views on the way were not visible, it was nicely light by the time I arrived at the destination bus station.

And with a little time to explore and see all the changes that have occurred since last I visited this city.

There are little scooters...

Buildings I was familiar with have gone, others have appeared, some streets are pedestrianised.

It was both interesting and disorientating.

The same can be said of being back in the office, it was to repeat the title of a previous post, the same yet different.

Taking a slightly different route back to the bus station I noticed that in some of the buildings that were unchanged the occupancy had. 

Back at the Bus Station (or more properly interchange) 

Bum perches rather than seats, and the wind blows through with glee. 

And still with the red trolly and off home in daylight so I could see the sea, quite choppy and grey but still nice to see.

and past a light house (hard to see)

and a famous sculpture, equally hard to see here.

And then more road, and yes the intense desire for a nap..and home in the twilight.

Today I remembered

 a lead so I could take advantage of the charge points on the bus.

Here I am all plugged in. I was in a contemplative mood this sunny morning as I made the journey to work. I was looking back on those early days back in 2007, days the bus was full of people off to work and at the later parts of the journey on their way to school  Today there were few on the bus, even as I reached my destination and only I alighted rather than the days of squeezed on like sardines.

There was a sense of sadness tinging those recollections.

The Same but Different

 so back on the bus...

Out of the door and the same route to the bus stop however after a few days of sunshine this morning was different dark and misty however it was full of bird song and totally uplifting.

Down to the bus stop and sitting on the seat taking the lockdown weight off my feet.

New time table new bus..

This one with an eco label and red seats and set into them those so important (apparently) charging points and WiFi (well they might be useful if I could remember to take a lead.

But that is not the utter delight of the new bus. It goes from my starting point ALL the way to my destination. No getting off half way to change bus, no worry about connections or standing and waiting.

So relaxing, and makes the travel time shorter.

So same route as before but different, trees and fences blown down by the wind, new fences where they have replaced, new houses, new shop signage..but the field with horses and the puddle for ducks  are still there.

The bus station is still there however my first choice of lift is relegated and I go with the escalator  as being less enclosed.

Up to the building and swish the pass and in I go.

Day over and the return journey, up the stairs on the double decker bus to discover

Tables and yet more connection points...so today was an interesting thing. But there were no familiar faces on the journey, no bus friends and no opportunities for new friends as all kept a safe non conversable distance.