Circles

Around 20 years ago when buses were deregulated [ well done Thatch ] OH was promoted from bus driver to Management. He was very happy to start with but with more and more penny pinching, regulations and workload he was very pleased to take a redundancy package and leave. Since then he has driven lorries, done building work, lived in France and worked with our SIL in his mail order business. Sadly that has now come to an end so what's an old geezer on the wrong side of 55 to do? This morning off he went with his packed lunch and flask to recommence his career as N. Devon's number one bus driver. So there we are, a twenty year circle. He's really looking forward to it. Years ago they used to have social evenings and the stories that all the old boys used to tell were priceless. Tales of getting stuck in narrow Devon lanes, careering into the escape roads on the hills around Lynton and Lynmouth, racing the train down to Exeter, but my favourite is when a fellow driver had the National Express run up to Birmingham via Cheltenham. A little old couple had asked to be dropped on the outskirts of Brum to save going all the way into the city centre. On the motorway after Cheltenham the driver thought he could here some banging and shouting so he pulled over onto the hard shoulder, got out and opened the boot. There was said little old man sat in the boot clutching a suitcase. He had got in there at Cheltenham to get the case to save time when they were dropped off. When the driver asked the old lady why she hadn't called out that her husband was missing she said that she didn't like to bother anybody!

Minnie is to have her stitches out today and you would never there had ever been anything wrong with her. She is a little thinner but is so lively I can't wait to get her out for a good long run and back on to normal food. Thank God for Petplan.

Now OH will be away most of the day I'm seriously thinking of trying to get back driving. At least I am thinking about it and not dismissing the idea completely out of hand due to panic attacks and being generally petrified. I'll wait till all the holidaymakers have cleared off and the roads to be a little quieter, but I'm not holding my breath.