Monday 7 December 2009

"It can't get any worse than this..."

So this past Saturday I had planned to go to London to do my fabric shopping...

Rose and I, planned to meet between 12:30-1:00, needless to say I didn't arrive in London till 3pm, and had left at 11:00am.

First off, I get to the train station, and see that I must wait 20 minutes for my train - me not being overly pleased, thought "well twenty minutes isn't too bad". 

So I caught my train, and then an announcement says that the train will be terminating at Southampton Central due to Engineering works. What does this mean? Well basically I have to catch a bus to Southampton Airport Parkway and then catch ANOTHER train that will take me to London....

After hearing this I was a wee bit frustrated to say the least - I knew I would be a little late to meet Rose, but regardless I had no other choice, so I warned her and thought that it wouldn't take too long (still slightly optimisstic at this point). I get off the train with everyone else, and there were A LOT of people! I figured I would follow this massive group of people thinking they were going to catch this 'special bus service' - BIG MISTAKE - but to be fair there were so many people crowding around the service attendant that I didn't want to waste anymore time (and these people, I thought, seemed to be sure of where they were going). Of course they were sure of where they were going, it just happened to be to a shopping center instead. By this time I have crossed the street, and am into a parking lot when all of a sudden this mass group of people divide....AHHHHH. Do I go LEFT?? or do I go RIGHT? 

Well I went left...and thought quickly to myself "something isn't right...". I politely asked these two women, "Are you catching the special bus service?", "Oh no, we aren't, you have to go back to the station and over the bridge to the next platform where it will be waiting outside..."

"Greaaat" I thought, I said "thank you", and then began retracing my steps back to the station.

Thoroughly annoyed, I stomped all the way back to the station, with a cigarette in hand. I get back, and at this time another guy from Bournemouth was asking the service attendant the same question I had "Where do I go to catch the special bus service?". I eve's dropped and started to follow him. He looked back and I was like..."I think I did the same thing as you", and as it so happens we did do the exact same thing. We went through this damn parking lot, and got confused when the group of people divided...

We briskly walked over the bridge to Platform 1, and out the doors and onto the street where we saw the buses!!! AT LAST! I honestly thought from that moment on as I sat down on the bus with my new travel buddy, that this was the worst that could happen, and that I was finally back on track on my way to London.

WELL, NO.

Yeah, that's right The bus pulled into this little station called 'Woolston' - yeah, never heard of it either...

I thought surely we were supposed to be dropped off at S.Hampton Airport, but figured they must have changed our route.

My travel buddy Paul and I get onto the station platform, thinking we were still in the right place, and looked at the train scheduale...

There were NO trains going to where WE needed, obviously confused, we walk over to another service attendant and ask "What train will take us to Basingstoke & London Waterloo?". "Oh no you got on the wrong bus, you will have to catch another bus back to Southampton Central and then get on the right one"...well neither of us were pleased with hearing this, and then all of a sudden - the attendant said "well, you  can get off at the second stop, Farneham, and then catch a train to Waterloo from there - Yes, actually you two are better off doing that."

UGHHH! 
(We both thought that this would be better than getting a bus back to S.H Central)

Well the train arrives not too long after this converstaion, and once again...we are on our way!!! yay!

Feeling a little disheartened but a little more secure now that we are on the right track again, we set off to Farneham station, and head to the next platform where our train will be coming in...

When we arrive in Farneham, by this time it was 12:37, we found out that our next train would not be coming for another HOUR! Are you kidding me??!?! Seriously, I could not believe my luck, or rather both of our luck. Well Paul and I decided that we might as well discover Farneham a bit, and took a stroll into town to look at some of the shops. 

We come back 20 minutes before our train is due, head to the platform and wait. We shared witty banter about how this was a 'BTD', a Bad Train Day, and that it really could not get any worse than this...

On the train still talking, "Basingstoke" is announced, and I finally had to say goodbye to my BTD - PIC (Partner In Crime).

When I arrive in London...

Of course I chose the weekend when Oxford street was closed for pedestrians for Christmas fesitivites...

Literally never seen or been around so many people in my life, the tube was packed! - the streets were packed, AND I am slightly clausterphobic (which was not in my favour when I was riding on the tube). Anyways, I made it to Berwick street and went to the Cloth House expecting to find leather, but no no that would have made the day been somewhat okay. Instead I find out that the Cloth House will not be stocking leather of any kind anymore. Yeah, great news for me...

So I had to settle for some leatherette which from the outside looked fairly decent, but I must admit I was not prepared for how differently it would fit on the body. Needless to say it did not work out for me in the end, as I had planned to do laser engraving, haha yeah melted leatherette does not work. 

Now looking back on that time (as this was last term), I realize how unprepared I was for fabric shopping. I had not done much research before hand and I believe that if I had done more sourcing at any earlier date, perhaps I would have had a much more successful outcome.

All I can say is that it was a lesson learned, and next time when I do go fabric shopping I won't be as unprepared...
  







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