There is nothing more satisfying than catching a train by 3 slender minutes. Especially if the next one leaves a full hour later minus Norman -- the most helpful train assistant in the universe. Lugging my (many) bags on board at Edinburgh Waverley for a four day housing conference in Harrogate, I discovered my reserved seat was on the aisle. The whole point of shelling out to go first class was to get a plug for my laptop to write two speeches – one to a conference of academics in Inverness this weekend on the subject of Scotland's minority languages (in a rush of blood to the heid I inexplicably picked the controversial title Gaels – conformists or anarchists) -- the other at the Dragon's Glen -- a gathering of the great and good in Holyrood on 25thJuly when Jim Naughtie, Prof Jim Hunter, Allan Macfarlane, Guy Noble and myself will compete for backing from the Dragons, who include all the past and present Presiding Officers. Our task is to devise a plan which will benefit the 5 million Scots resident in Scotland and the forty million Scottish disapora living elsewhere – to celebrate the climax of the Homecoming . So no pressure then!
And no slacking off. But the plug was beside a resolutely snooty sounding woman beside me. So near and yet so far. Always hopeful that life can work out perfectly, I spotted a guard weaving his way politely and dextrously up the train carrying several tea and coffee pots. I followed him into the corridor and revealed my problem. In the bad old days that might've been the equivalent of a 12 pointer for Norm. A big fat opportunity to look a pampered passenger straight in the face and say, "there's nothing I can do" before passing on. Grinning.
Not now. Norm said, "give me a minute to check the next carriage," and here I am -- in a Seat of One's Own, beside the window with my medial ligament strained leg (minus shoe) up on the empty seat opposite. The beautiful green, hazy coast of Engerland is passing by. I am about to use National Express fabo wifi to upload this bit of bloggy distraction so I can return to ....work. And since this morning started at 6.30am to get to Glasgow to present my wee Radio Scotland epic about the inspiring outdoors nature of Norwegian childcare this morning -- perhaps a tiny doze.
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