Blog Posted,

and I was out, 

into a grey day, but a few bits of blue sky were poking through the cloud, I had already been up a few hours after dropping Diana off at work, I was glad I had my sports jacket on, 

 it was a tad chilly in the shade, first stop Beckenham Junction station, I had to cancel the ticket for tomorrow as it was Diana's day off and buy a return ticket for today, all went swimmingly well, 

I crossed footbridge to the number 54 bus stop where a number of people were waiting, then the bad news, at the stop there was a notice, due to road works there were no number 54 buses, in order to catch a bus the nearest available stop was at the war memorial roundabout, right at the other end of town! so we all started walking, 

eventually arriving at the bus stop which was opposite Deen's Garage, after 20 minuets or so it was apparent the notice left by TFL (Transport for London) was a lie, there were no 54 buses stopping here, 

I had no choice, £9.50 later a mini cab dropped me off at Catford bus garage, I enquired what was happening to the service and I asked about the notice from TFL, I was told, "the notice is from TFL nothing to do with us", but I did find out that there would not be a service in Beckenham until things had sorted themselves out, a pity the bus garage did not put notices on the bus stops themselves, as they seemed to have more knowledge about what was happening, 

so on to a number 54 at the bus garage, and I was on my way, just an hour or so late, so naturally I will miss the 2 connecting trains and connecting bus at Gravesend, 

past Catford looking towards Lewisham the sky clearing, 

here a school boys delight, 

a bumper crop of conkers, all ready for the conker season,

into Lewisham just coming up to the fire station,

the road by Spoon's still one way as the pavement is being dug up,

so round the one way system to Blackheath station, 

where I had some good luck, a train was going through Dartford and on to Gravesend, so no changing trains at Dartford.

the up line commuters waiting for their train, 

it was getting quite warm as I took this photograph over Gravesend station,

I had missed the bus by 10 minutes, so a 20 minute wait, 

over the road at the Somerset Arms for the bank holiday, 

a singing Arthur Shelby, then my travel arraignments took a turn for the worse, you guessed it, the 483 was being diverted and would go nowhere near the nursing home that Duncan was in, so a good 40 minute walk or, stay on the bus until the fire station and walk from there, I was told about a mile and a quarter, 

and here I was lost, well not really, I knew I was at the fire station, that I had never been near before, so the walk began, thankfully it was all downhill, 

only about a mile to go now,

and there it was the turning for the nursing home,

past the apple tree on the way in,

it was so hot and I had been walking at a brisk pace, so I took my jacket off, inside Duncan was his usual happy self, the upset tummy I found out it was last week, a distant memory, we chatted about what Diana and myself had been up to and our day out tomorrow as it was Diana's day off, when Duncan's lunch arrived we said our farewells,

and I started on my way home, 

past the home's clock tower dating back from when the area the home is in was in fact a school,

I mentioned on the way from the bus stop it was all downhill, well on the way back,

it was all uphill! I was really working up a sweat,

the fire station at last, 

there in the distance the bus stop, after 15 or so minutes I was at the station and by a great stroke of luck there was another through train due, so again no changing trains at Dartford, I was soon speeding towards Blackheath, where a number 54 bus was arriving, the driver was telling every passenger the bus would be going through Lewisham, Catford and Bromley and then arriving in Beckenham on Manor Road, no buses at all going to the other side of town,

as it happens it would take me less time to walk from the Green Man stop to the park than go to Bromley, so I waved goodbye to the number 54 and started walking,

over the road to Peter Pan's Pool,

as I took a photograph the geese came a calling,

there on the island, 

a heron waiting for his afternoon snack,

round the corner,

and start my walk home,

and here is why the buses are being diverted, road works, the driver had no idea as to how long the diversion would take, days, weeks, he did not know,

as I passed people waiting for the bus I gave them the bad news, then for myself into the park,

I noticed this on the entrance, so maybe next week a visit will be in order,

up the hill,

past the car park, 

and the courtyard, 

plenty of tables today, unlike Sunday when we were last here, 

I started downhill, the mansion on my left, 

under the trees, 

and towards the gate that stops cars from entering from this end,

past the snail mail box and home, it is days like this that I find so annoying, the green treehuggers and net zero fanatics telling everyone to travel by public transport, then failing to supply a alternative service or any reliable information when there are road works, twice on the same day! arriving home Diana had beaten me there, so a couple of quiz shows before our evening meal, after which a BattleBots and two from Antiques Road Trip, before we settled down for two from Wycliffe, then for us we were off to bed.