On the buses....Pamela to the rescue

Apparently most of the users of the buses are the old and retired and children and mothers with children. I certainly use the bus more often now that time is less of an issue and definitely in the tropical heat we are having now – some of the underground trains aren’t too bad but my line is like a sauna – even when empty.

I started the day in quite a philosophical mood. There is so much unpleasantness, xenophobia, racism, anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim behaviour etc that it reminded me that most of the time we rub along quite well. At the stop after mine an orthodox Jew with long beard, skull-cap and side curls came on board as did a boy – the same except for the beard. I heard Polish behind me and English in front of me. A couple of stops later several Muslim women wearing headscarves boarded, as well as a couple of young women wearing clothes the skimpiness of which took me aback. Then two young women with pushchairs – one black and one Japanese and everyone made way for each other and I thought that most of the time London is a wonderful place.

I decided to take the bus home – have book, don’t care how long it takes.  As we neared Lords Cricket Ground the driver announced that the road was closed due to a burst water main and the bus would follow a diversionary route along Abbey Road. 

For Beatles fans that is where the famous recording studio was and people come from all over the world to be photographed crossing the pedestrian crossing (as in the album cover below) and to write graffiti on the wall.  If you are driving this can hold you up considerably.

We trundled along and the bus then turned up Belsize Road to make its way back to Finchley Road (the main road). It is a six-way junction and to those unfamiliar with the area there are three possible turnings, the middle one being a dead end. That’s the one he took. We reached the dead end and he started to reverse back down the road (yikes).  This is a narrow road with only enough room for the bus, cars parked on either side. 

I went up to him and said that he should turn left into the road we had just passed on his way back down and then could turn right at the end and get to the main road.  

He wouldn’t speak until he had stopped the bus (quite correct) and then looked extremely dubious. I pointed to the block of flats on our left and said, “See that flat at the end? That’s where I used to live”.  He was still sceptical even after I told him the road was wide enough – so did a sprint half way up and came back.  “Stay here”, he said, and off we went again. Apparently the only instruction he had was to turn left not which of three streets to turn left into.

My good deed for the day.