Ernold Same is on holiday

Dulchester bus appreciation will resume on January 4th.

AM: Data lost.
PM: Home at lunchtime to make mince pies.

AM: A3, 40 minutes. Number 56 came before the 87, took that to the bus station and picked up the 87 from there. The driver of the first bus was dressed as a jester. I recommend the adoption of this costume by Last Buses' timetable compilers.

PM: Data lost.

AM: A1, 39 minutes. Give me something to work with!
PM: B6, 37 minutes. Incredibly quick time, but it was achieved because the 87 was either 5 minutes early or 25 minutes late.

AM: A1, 40 minutes. I wish it could be Christmas traffic every da-a-a-a-y.
PM: C1. Two 87's turned up at the due time, so one of them was 30 minutes late, but I'm giving the benefit of the doubt. We ran into traffic on Ennui Hill, so I jumped off at the 3900-yard point. It was a questionable call, because when my walk rejoined the bus route at the 2600-yard point, there was the 87 alongside me. There was traffic in Norm Station Road, so I kept abreast of the bus till I was beyond the station, when it got past me. I was home in 59* minutes, but the bus was right on time when it disappeared.

AM: A1, 41 minutes. Driver suffused with Christmas spirit. There was so little traffic that we kept having to stop so as not to be too early.
PM: B4. Walked back from bus station voluntarily (Christmas shopping)

AM: A1, 41 minutes. School holidays, light traffic despite the rain, jovial driver. All bus journeys should be like this.

PM: C6, 92* minutes. 87 didn't turn up, indeed no buses turned up, and after half an hour waiting in a freezing wind, I walked down to the 6000-yard point and experimentally caught a 46 into town. Wasted ten minutes waiting at the wrong-direction 56 stop, realised my mistake and walked along to the 3100-yard point, from where a 56 soon took me home. The whole journey took quarter of an hour longer than it would have done to walk.
Worst. Journey. Ever.

AM: C4. 87 seemingly didn't arrive, 56 was full as usual so started walking. In the rain. At the 600-yard point the 87 went past me. That was annoying. But - it got mired in the traffic at Norm Station roundabout, I overhauled it and got on at the 1800-yard point. 62* minutes.

PM: C3. A number 16 appeared which was either 10 minutes early or 20 minutes late. Took it as far as Norm Station Road, where I made a really bad judgement that getting off and walking from the 2300-yard point would be quicker than sitting in the traffic. As soon as I got off, the traffic miraculously cleared, and the bus sped away. Still home in 62* minutes, which is pretty good considering how much walking I had to do.

AM: C1, 47 minutes. Good to see a quick return to form after yesterday.
PM: C6. Number 87 turned up but improperly terminated at the bus station. I heard the driver explain that he was the late-running previous 87 (35 minutes late!) and was obliged to stop at the bus station for further instructions. His calm responses to people's anger were actually quite impressive; he made one bloke restate his passive-aggressive question more politely before he would answer it.
Did some Christmas shopping and walked home, so no timing today.

AM: D6. 87 very uncharacteristically didn't turn up at all, walked down to Norm Station and caught the next 87. 66* minutes.
PM: D6, 87 didn't turn up, caught 47 to bus station, walked to Norm Station and caught a rather crowded 56 home. Not as many people got off the 56 at the station as I'd bargained on. 52* minutes though, which is impressive, because if the 87 stuck strictly to timetable the journey would take 48 minutes.

AM: B1, 41 minutes. Very assertive driver who avoided the queues at the end of Mild Ennui Road by not using the bus lane, and fitted the bus into every available crevice in the traffic, Knight Bus style.
PM: D3, 59 minutes. With no sign of the 87, caught a 77. Distressed woman outlined to the driver the repeated failure of the 87 to turn up over the last few weeks. On Ennui Hill, spotted the 87 coming along in the distance, and transferred to it at the bus station.
Not such a good move, as the traffic was bad, and as we inched along Norm Station Road I wished I'd walked from the bus station and tried for a 56 at Norm Station. It's obviously not the time that's important to me, but whether or not I feel in control of the situation, which I am when I'm walking.

AM: A2, 40 minutes. Jovial driver, light traffic, great time, but unfortunately bus left earlier than it should.
PM: E6. 87 didn't turn up at all, 77 turned up late, got that to the bus station, home in 78* minutes. It would have been just as quick to walk. My last 5 attempts to catch an 87 have now been unsuccessful.

AM: C1, 43 minutes. Unusual traffic in the townward part of Norm Station Road. Kudos to driver for going out of his way to explain to a foreign student the confusing way that 87's going in opposite directions stop at adjacent stops at Norm Station.
PM: B6. 87 didn't turn up again. Took another bus to the bus station, walked to Norm Station and executed the Bordomite Manoeuvre. 57* minutes.

AM: C1, 41 minutes. Driver in a good mood.
PM: Expected trouble from the late night Christmas shopping, so walked home voluntarily - and caught up with class F traffic at the 5300-yard point. On my way into town I passed all 4 buses that had driven past me on the early part of the walk, and at the top of Ennui Hill, another one. Home in 77* minutes, which isn't bad for nearly 4 1/2 miles' walk.

AM: C6, 38 minutes. Excellent time, but bus left 3 minutes early.
PM: C6. Number 87 didn't turn up at all, a number 77 arrived after 22 minutes' wait. Walked angrily home from the bus station, 73* minutes.

AM: D3, 55 minutes. 7 cycles of lights to get onto Norm Station Roundabout.
PM: C5. Number 87 didn't turn up, caught 47 instead, walked from bus station to Norm Station where I was once again able to get on a nice empty number 56 which I'd overtaken while it was stuck in traffic. This is becoming a favourite procedure which, in order to make things sound more exciting, I shall in future refer to as The Bordomite Manoeuvre. And it got me home in 62* minutes.