Despite 8 years working in London betwen forays to foreign parts Huttonian's tube wisdom semed to desert him after he had left the comfort and security of the Marie Celeste. How else could I find myself going both ways on the Central Line when I thought he had changed lines from Central to Circle. On the first Central line excursion I experienced a new watershed in advancing maturity when I was offered that special seat for the overburdened in years or heavy packages by a gentleman very much older-and with a stick who was very relieved when I declined the kind offer. Partly because there were 45 empty seats in the same carriage but I was touched by the gesture. Then to my amazement when finding myself in the central line train going in the opposite direction which I had mistaken for the Circle Line there I was in apparently the same carriage that I had just left with the same elderly gent, now gently snoozing, in the self same seat-or so it seemed. Another bit of magic transferred from the Good Engine Marie Celeste. Or perhaps the whole day was a dream and I am going to wake up in Hutton having never left the place. No,a good pinch later, I am still here looking at massed ranks of parked cars and not Farmer C's coos.
It wil be good to get back to the certainties of rural life. No fear of halucinations on the 32 Bus
