Was on one of the new buses this evening. The Jumbo. Well, I don’t know what the correct name is but I’m calling it The Jumbo in the meantime. Tis a great horse of a thing. Huge. It is fatter and higher than your average double decker and the seats are in the most peculiar layout - some facing backwards and some forwards - seemingly completely randomly arranged! The seats are tiny too - not made for yer average middle aged bum and janey they are rock hard! Unless you are pre cushioned your are in for an uncomfortable journey. Must find out the correct name for them - oh they are way longer than the usual double decker.

Very ecclectic mix on the bus this evening - there were the two Polish gentlemen - they wanted all the windows closed - I wasn’t having any of it. One of them spoke at a reasonable volume except when on his mobile when he positively BELLOWED - and in Polish. He spent most of the journey on his mobile….

Then there was delightful young couple of mid European extraction (I think) They had six huge bags of shopping which they spread around them and me and everyone else. They ate highly fragrant cheesey snacks all the way home - hence the open window. She talked incessantly and loudly, chewed her nails between handfuls of cheesey snacks.

The beautiful Indian lady who wanted "please centre for shopping of Blanchardstown" The driver (who was not a roide) said "I’ll give ya a shout luv" and she said "oh please not shout to me - I beg pardon - I need centre of shopping" Bless him, I left him to sort that one out and when the lovely lady came down the back (where I was) I told her we would tell her when we got to the shopping centre.

Then there was the dear old lady who said the seat wasn’t big enough for her bum (agreed, but decided not to say anything) After listening to the cacophony around her for a few minutes, she said "ah all these lovely foreign languages - they are very musical, aren’t they?" "Oh yes, quite so" sez I. (My interpretation of musical is very different to hers)

The house seemed very quiet when I came home…..

30/11/07

Mad bus driver this morning - (not the roide) - he didn’t seem to quite grasp the principle of stopping the bus at a bus stop! Once a passenger rang the bell, he looked for a pole - lampost, signpost any old post would do - and stop the bus there! Twas hilarious! You shoulda seen some of the looks he got from one or two oul dears! But he was blissfully unaware and wished each passenger a good weekend!

15/11/07

Buses still on strike - and not having access to a private bus with heated seats which picks me up from home and deposits me in Grafton Street unlike some people - I had to get up at an ungodly hour and stand in the dark and the cold and the rain and wait for the bus.
Feeling a bit ghastly (AF) at present. Tomorrow’s gonna be worse cos Friday is always my busy day but if I don’t leave work early I might as well book myself an overnight in the Gresham!!

I need chocolate –definitely

When I left the house this morning, I saw a bus coming from City Centre and was reassured that at least some buses were running. Then when I got round the corner I saw a bus waiting @ the traffic lights - oh yikes! Well, I took off like a shot from a gun, yez woulda been proud of me girls. (not so good at long distance but a deadly sprinter!) Got the bus into town - only took 60 mins ( as opposed to 85) and lots of empty seats! I think some people may not have known that there  was  only one bus running on that route.
I left work half an hour early so I got home ’bout 5ish.

This was originally written in response to a comment from a cyber friend. The bus dispute of November 2007 was looming and I am totally dependant on the bus to get to work. My cyber friend however, got a private bus to her work at that time and said that she was not affected by the dispute.

9/11/07

Oh on the bus front (still on the scenic route) apparently, according to the local rag, ’twas ballbearings!!

8/11/07

The bus thing.
Well, apparently the Gardaí are on the scene however, it would appear that the person is still in the house. There is a total news blackout too. There is an unconfirmed rumour that a driver was hit by a shot but is not "badly" injured.(is "well"  the opposite of badly?) had the "scenic" route to work this morning.

7/11/07
Okay, anyone heard of Bang-Bang? A character who lived in Dublin long ago? C’mon someone musta heard of him - no? Well he used to "shoot" the buses with a brolly or somepin and say "bang bang" He has now gone to his eternal reward. BUT, he’s baaaaack!

When the lovely bus suddenly went off the usual route this morning, another passenger (cos I didn’t notice) asked the driver where he was going (actually, it was more like "ya fecker, ya’re lost again aren’t ya) So the lovely driver (oh girls he is a roide) said "have to go this way cos some one up that way doesn’t like buses" It transpired that some bright spark decided to take a few shots @ the bus out of his upstairs bedroom window last night so the buses were diverted this morning.

Never dull, never ever dull.

17/10(taxi)
Hauled meself outta the bed to "do" the DDs hair for school and breastfeed his Lordship. Then fell back into the bed exhausted and was just dozin’ off when the doorbell rang. I leapt outta the bed and flew down the stairs ready to kill whoever it was that woke me and a man tried his level best to perusade me that I had ordered a taxi! Now picture it, me hair all sticking up from sleep, no make up, wearing a rather shabby looking dressing gown - I mean do I look like someone who needed a taxi? But yer man wouldn’t be told so I lost the plot and said " I’ll put it this way, I am not getting in your taxi so if you want to sit outside me house all day, that’s your decision" FFS, I would remember if I ordered a taxi!!

Deb, yer man (the taxi) just wouldn’t be told. "Look, love, I was given this address like" My response "no you must have the wrong address. I didn’t order a taxi" "Look love, this is the right address so…" and so on - that’s when I lost the plot. (I’m not at my best when woken from sleep) Meanwhile, the real passenger was gettin’ worried about her taxi somewhere!