Thursday, March 02, 2006

Mystery in the Tube

I started this post last night but then lost my internet connection.

In the Tube on the way to Bond Street:
We were just pulling out of Baker Street station, when suddenly the train braked hard and we stopped.
Time stood still...

In the carriage we waited for the driver to announce something.
Silence...
People began to gather on the platform thinking this train had just pulled up and they were going to get on.
But we were locked in...

[Time passes]

And then London Transport mobilised the orange-jacketed walkie-talkie people.

All I could gather was that the driver had moved through a red light and was now nowhere to be found...(?!?!?!)
Delays would run indefinitely while they tried to figure out what had happened.

Obviously I would be missing class.
So I left the station, yoga mat under my arm, and walked all the way down Baker Street to Marble Arch. Once again I was approached by someone needing directions, and fortunately he was asking the way to St John's Wood. Yes I knew which way it was, but whenever people ask I go blank for a second - but not this time - I was able to tell him Regent's Park was that way too, as further proof.

(One time, a Japanese girl ran across the road to ask me for directions!)

Along the way, I saw many amazing things through the shop windows, found my phonecam inadequate, and came to the realisation that I really ought to walk with my camera...I see pictures everywhere these days. Dreamer.

Then I heard the words "Sorry, love" uttered not far from my ear, as I nearly fell into the lap of a man coming along swiftly in a wheelchair. I yelped, managed to totter backwards, thus narrowly escaping embarrassment, and apologised as he whizzed off.

Picked up some food at M&S and walked back to Bond Street. (I got yum yums! Have just finished the last two.)

**********

Overheard in London

Oxford Street near Selfridges.
Girl: So what's your name:
Guy: Um...um.....


MUTTS

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What could they have said on the speaker phone anyway? Maybe the truth would have been something like Bill Bailey once suggested: "We apologise for the delay. The driver has pulled over to play the Tetris game on his gameboy. He's never got to this level before, so wish him luck." ;o)
Another cute cartoon. Which newspaper do they appear in?

Olivia said...

I do not know if Mutts appears in any British papers. I used to read it in the Houston Chronicle and have since registered to have them sent to my Inbox.

Mutts Website

Prerona said...

Wow - that must have been exciting.

sanity index said...

Ah, the Tube. Thank goodness you were all ok. The 1st time we landed in Paris we were stuck on the Metro for hours...apparently there was some sort of bomb scare. We met and had a nice conversation with a lovely Australian couple who sat across from us though.

-merserene

Olivia said...

Mers - that was nothing. One time we were pulling into a station when someone ended up on the track. We were trapped and couldn't "dock", so you know what they made us do? Walk through the length of the train and exit at the front, stepping OVER the body which was covered with a black cloth, and up some steps to the platform!

Steli, what I credited you for was reminding people to read the last post. You do it all the time! I have now learned it from you :)