Nightmare At Buxted Station

Well, I have survived.

Turkey & Tinsel break was fine. The weather in Eastbourne was much warmer and sunnier than in London, and everyone seemed to enjoy their stay.

The wedding blessing and reception was yesterday. Getting there was fine, but the weather had already started to worsen. By the time Madeleine and I reached the church there were a few spots of rain and it was freezing cold. Everything went well and the reception was in the Buxted Park Hotel. The staff were very helpful and had a changing room which was useful. The reception - food, service, drinks etc were excellent. The speeches were rather long by English standards, but then it was an Anglo-American union, so to speak. Then after the cake cutting it was getting very late, so I slipped out and got a taxi to the tiny station, and the nightmare started. I had to wait in the freezing cold originally for 20 minutes for the train and realised I was dying to go to the loo. Then came an announcement that the train was delayed because of deer on the line. Various announcements came at fifteen minute intervals, and finally over an hour later, it was announced that the train was cancelled. I looked desperately about but there were no cab numbers. I called and texted Madeleine to see if the hotel could give me a cab number, but no reply. Finally I called Dorothy who gave me some cab numbers, the first did not answer and neither did the second but I left a rather desperate message on the phone, and the second cab got back to me. Seemed they could not drive me to London but offered to collect me and take me to Haywards Heath, on the direct line from Brighton. I rang them back and agreed. This cost £25 but I would have happily paid twice the amount to be somewhere warm again. I had left my hat in the first taxi by mistake, so was even colder. Anyway, I eventually arrived back at London Bridge having failed to find a loo on the train, but fortunately there was one at London Bridge. I leapt into a taxi and arrived home around ten at night. My neighbour had kindly fed Malvolio. I then got a call from a stranger to say he had found my diary on the train and would post this to my office. He sounded a bit dodgy and said he would just put it into an envelope without stamps and send it. I wonder if I will see it again. I discovered several single gloves were missing this morning, and I must have dropped these in various places.

I shall absolutely never venture into the countryside again without being in a car which I am driving.