We stand on platforms, staring

At our screens in desperate hope

That trains will sidle in

To dormant stations so that we

Can get to work in carriages

Stuffed until they burst at seams

But most importantly

We get to offices across the land

That doesn’t happen now.

The UK is a little bit crippled today because all of our railway workers have gone on strike. I wholeheartedly agree with strike action because it gives us the ability to have a voice, but I can also understand just how infuriating it must be if you use the trains to get to work, school or college.

When I was eighteen I lived in central London and I remember the trains going down because it had become too hot underground. It caused pandemonium and people were taking about four hours to get home. People were literally fighting over space on the buses.

Watching the news today reminded me of those few hot days in 2003 and how many of us felt being stuck at bus stops and waiting for hours, desperately texting family on our Nokia 330s to find out if they knew any other route home for us.

Good luck to anyone who is having to deal with the strikes this week and I really hope that for everyone’s sake, it all gets sorted out promptly.

Much Love

Rachel xx

PS I once got stuck in a traffic jam on the motorway and I was so convinced that I would never get out of the queue that I phoned a friend in tears to tell her that I was never going to get off the M3. She found it hilarious that I was in such a state, but it just goes to show how crappy you can feel when you are sure you’re never going to get home again!