The Train To Scotland

Date: 02/08/11
Author: Peter

I seem to spend my life on trains. Ever since an early childhood obsession with ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’, I’ve found myself ‘minding the gap’, ‘changing for Reading at Southampton Central’ and other over heard and related phrases.

I caught the train to school for a while, I’ve got the train to and from Bournemouth dozens of times in recent years, and now I’m sat in a double table seat on the way to Edinburgh with the others. Passing through York, we’re now well on our way. Although, due to no internet, I’m writing this in the past, if that makes sense. Not in a Doc Brown ‘Don’t open this letter ‘til 1985’ way, but a boring ‘write this in word and click save’ fashion.

Today’s been a long day. You can probably tell.

Unable to sleep, I lay awake, anxious and sweaty, and eventually got up at 4.30am, before trundling down to the station and boarding for Waterloo. This journey wasn’t the most enjoyable train experience ever; bustling commuters heading for the capital at six in the morning have little time for a young man with a shaved head and several large and bulky bags. At Waterloo I met Sophie, Lloyd, Matt and Chris, and we tubed to Kings Cross.

The most enjoyable part of the journey was marked by my teeth sinking into some form of greasy Mcbagel© at the Golden Arches, during the wait for our connection. Good old McDonalds; the perfect way to start, end (or anything else between) a day. Ronald McDonald and I have retained a close relationship over the years, and our gastric collaborations will no doubt one day lead to my early death. But for now, I feast!

Anyway, the day has improved since then; we’ve found our calm on the five hour straight train up over the border. Well, so far anyway. I think I can speak for everyone else when I say we’re excited, and I’m looking forward to being in Edinburgh again. It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I went up last year (not to perform, just to ‘soak in the arts’ as uppity theatre types might say). Living in two cramped flats for a month will be, er, interesting…. Let’s hope that a) bodily fluids aren’t swapped and b) murders aren’t committed. At least not within the crew.

Chris is playing some interesting games on his Nintendo DS to my left. One involved shooting flying photos of my face with lasers. Technology eh?

It’s gonna be a long four weeks….