Science day

at Matilda/Madeline's school I assume as the solar system on polystyrene was being carefully carried by Dad.

Oddly made me want to sing..He's got the whole world in His Hands , which of course would not have been accurate and He's got the whole solar system in his hands does not have quite the same flow.

Mind I had a reindeer in my bag so perhaps if I had been carrying that in view I might have inspired a song or two.

Blue is the colour

of the new double decker added to the fleet.

Blue is also the colour the passengers turn.

It is a very very cold bus.

Might have something to do with the mysteron light over the entrance. 

American Election 2016

The results were not totally finalised as I left the house this morning although the result was fairly certain.

I was expecting that at the bus station there might be conversation about this most acrimonious of Presidential campaigns. 

As I arrived I heard a snatch of conversation between two women that went somewhat like this.

"Well, I know some people say there is not much difference between them but to me it is obvious which is the best.  I like the old one much better then the new version, we got a DVD for the kids and the new Tom and Jerry is not a patch on the old one, it just doesn't feel right"

Well that was not quite the political dialogue I had anticipated.  

The bus journeys themselves were eerily quiet, with many a mobile device showing that map turning red.

I get off at the bus station to overhear another conversation

" I think it is awful, it should never have been allowed"" I agree what is the world coming to when this can happen" "Just look at the picture in the paper it makes me so mad how can they get away with changing the number of triangles and putting less chocolate in" 

Ah! the change to the Toblerone chocolate bar. I had noticed that in the free paper provided on the bus.   Glad to see that my fellow commuters have their priorities right and are taking this "momentous result" with a suitable level of pragmatism. 

Bus napping

now some time ago I shared some advice for napping on the bus ready-for-that-nap-now.

I recently saw someone who was an accidental napper in more ways than one.

Earphones in she had been communing with the phone (well mini media device whatever) and fallen asleep.

No on the plus side she was in a window seat,(my seat come to think of it) things might have been worse otherwise. I mention in my earlier post the strong dip and sway as we approach my second time to get off stop of the morning.

Well this sleeping rather than napping lady had a bit much sway and fell over sideways, knocking her bag (on the seat next to her..tut tut) onto the floor.

That would have been, not too bad except, you were expecting that except weren't you, she had not fastened her bag up.  Its contents disgorged themselves across the floor of the bus.

She lay across the seat arm outstretched and so confused at her sudden awakening she did not know what to do.

I was not close enough to assist but kindly lady and gentleman sitting forward of me and across from her rushed to restore the lipstick purse etc to the bag before we reached the stop.

Bag restored, still disorientated she noted "I must have been asleep! and "thank you" and "sorry". The good Samaritans and I departed at the stop she continued her journey.

I saw her again the next day (sitting in MY seat again , see earlier post about that) this time she stayed awake.

Travelling ink

tattoos, I see them quite regularly on my bus journeys in increasing numbers.

Professionally completed designs or those that appear self applied. Names, baby feet, poems, stars, geometric shapes, flowery swirls, stars the variations are many.      

As are the people sporting them, all ages, genders and clothing styles.

I am not to sure how I feel about tattoos in general, it is one of those tricky questions.  I can quite often be impressed by the skill and artistry of a design yet not like it at all as an image.  I can be delighted by an particular image yet be unconvinced skin is an appropriate place for it to be. Some of the clockwork underskin images are particularly clever yet also disturbing.

There are times I wish I had the courage to ask of those sporting inked skin why that particular pattern, phrase or colour.  What was the inspiration or the story behind the choice or the placement.  Perhaps they would be delighted to tell me, perhaps capturing attention and telling a story is part of the reason it is there.

For some, I might perhaps ask if they regret it now, like the elderly lady who started me thinking about this post, who has the ubiquitous LOVE and yes HATE tattooed on her knuckles (one of those self applied looking embellishments).  She has other designs that look more stylish, but I think it is the hands I would ask her about.

Some are just frustrating, why? Because with writing either it is so flowery I can't read it, of half the message disappears beneath clothing or under hair, or I can see it all and it is in another language!

The same can apply to images, is that tip of claw peeking out of a cuff attached to a tiger, an eagle a dragon?  Are the names on an arm in memoriam or a celebration of a childs birth?

Some I glimpse once, others are like me regular travellers.  The "art" appears ever more popular as celebrities make it mainstream.  Me, although I know people who have them, from a buxom semi naked cupid (a former boss and I did ask her why that design, not sure she knew herself exactly why it had called to her), to Egyptian Ankhs to stylized butterflies (and coordinating fairies) I am still not convinced that there is any image that would so delight me that I would want to make it part of me forever.

A bonnie stripe or two

has appeared on the bus station by my work place.  They help to show which of the stops is which in relation to their designated letter so people can find the correct stop for the correct bus.

I rather like the small splash of colour in the otherwise white space.

Small shoes

looking both cute and yet forlorn perched on the seat at the Church bus stop.

My guess the former wearer slipped them off 

un-noticed and found later they have been placed on the seat in the hope the owner's parent will return and restore them to their proper place.

No idea if that is what happened however, the shoes were not there the next time I was at this stop.