despite the day job I have to say rather than because. Mind you, if we’d had this conversation Monday or Tuesday it might have been a different matter!

Duly went away with the girls last weekend to a somewhat wintry York.

Really pleasant time but not too much of the relaxing. The train operating company her ladyship was collaborating with have three types of train, two of which will concern us here. The “flagship” stock is approaching 20 years old and I’ve always had difficulties from a comfort perspective since they built the damned things. If you’re the sort of person who likes watching the world going by the fact that many of the seats do NOT align with the windows will be an issue too… Most of the seats are in “airline” style and even with my not-so-long legs it seems like they’ve crammed one too many rows of seats in (at least!). So a five hour journey to be suffered and even longer on the way back. We’d had to fight to get any seat reservations at all but at least we did so we didn’t get ceremoniously uprooted from our seats by someone buying a ticket with a seat reservation AFTER we’d set out.

BUT

Airline seats rather than round a table which, when Die Tochter is supposed to be promoting their WiFi, having a fold down tray too small to perch the laptop on is not all that conducive. I do so need emojis… Our digs in York were really good. Comfy, central and pretty good value. Amazing how many tourists there were in York. Naively I’d assumed a random weekend in chilly February would have found the place half shut down. But no, it was HEAVING. I’ve been to York quite a few times over the years but I’m pleased to say we found a number of places I’d never visited. Including the only Chinese restaurant in York (I’m led to believe) and a brewery that opens to the public at weekends. Loads of historic stuff too. Ascended Clifford’s Tower in a howling gale for instance. So, apart from the pneumonia and hypothermia, a good time had by all. I jest. The illnesses not the enjoyment.

And so to our return.

We get the 40 year old refurbished train for half the journey and it’s SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much more comfortable AND we get a table AND it’s pleasantly busy rather than full and standing. Nah, didn’t like it at all. Because of Sunday working we end up with nearly an hour’s wait before the second leg and it’s back to train type 1. Well, let’s see if we can do a first class weekend upgrade – bit of comfort and all that? You know what? IF you have complementary tickets, you CAN’T do the upgrade! So we’re WILLING to put hands in pocket and PAY our own money for the extra comfort but, because they’ve given us the tickets, you can’t do it. Run that by me again??? Or even better, run that by the person standing in the vestibule who paid for their ticket and couldn’t get a seat but could have had ours because we were willing to pay extra to move up. Who sets up this rubbish?

This is another “first” week.

Actually writing this blog on my “new” laptop (I’m now a two laptop person – last one in the household to become one). I’ve had it several months now but I was first hardwared then softwared and then tax returned so it’s been a long and complex road. Got a bit of organisational software installed yesterday (paid for it Nov/Dec last year but I got BUSY) which should make my life easier. Once I’ve worked out how to use it…

Making tax digital?

IF HMRC make as much of a pig’s ear of it as everything else they’ve introduced over the last few years making tax difficult is going to be MUCH more accurate! Lorraine can bore for her country on Real Time (mis-)Information that still doesn’t do half of what it’s supposed to do. Maybe I’m just being over-cynical. And maybe I’m not. The girls are away in Freiburg in the Black Forest, Germany for a few days so I’ve got the place to myself. Plenty of home made ready meals (thank you Lorraine) so I’m not going to starve. And don’t have to wake the daughter till Monday! [caption id="attachment_4215" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Freiburg im Bresgau – Jewel of the Black Forest[/caption]]]>