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- 09/11/2009: Cheeky villains
- 02/11/2009: The woes of a freelance journalist
- 27/10/2009: Roadworks
- 26/10/2009: In mortal danger
- 23/10/2009: Losing my memory, honesty and dishonesty
- 18/10/2009: Oldham loop
- 12/10/2009: Heathrow’s third runway
- 08/10/2009: The Times
- 08/10/2009: Written during David Cameron’s speech to the Conservative Conference
- 07/10/2009: Theresa Villiers
Transport: CrossCountry Trains
When Arriva took over CrossCountry from Virgin, managing director Andy Cooper promised me a “radical change” in the way the trains ran.
I travelled to Bournemouth and back…..and didn’t notice much of a change. The Voyagers are still cramped - no wi fi - and the catering, frankly, is poor.
On the way down, I had the weekend treatment which I remember complaining about to Virgin. First class passengers have to take their tickets to the buffet..sorry, shop…to be told , embarassingly, what free things you can have…in this case a cup of coffee and a biscuit!
On the way back on Monday, it was supposed to be an at seat service. A girl came round with a trolley as we pulled out of Reading and asked me if I wanted a drink. I asked for Earl Grey tea - which was on the menu - and she offered the gammon pie which was on the menu.
She returned with the pie, which was small but, I admit, delicious but no tea. She returned with her trolley an hour and a half later asking if I wanted another drink. I reminded her that I had had the first yet. If she was sorry for forgetting me, she didn’t show it but went off to get me a cup.
Meanwhile, the “shop” remained closed until Birmingham because nobody new were the catering staff were.