Posted on by Craig Faulkner
I’ve recently completed the first draft of a new novel. At 89,000 words, it’s not the longest I’ve written, but I’m pleased with how it reads. It still needs editing, and that’s something I’m very inexperienced at, but I’m happy with the overall story and the couple of (admittedly somewhat biased) people who… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
I feel I must apologise in advance for what might be a sensitive subject. I mean no offence. In all the years I've been using public transport, I've seen all kinds of characters, many of whom have, at some point, been regular fellow passengers. I could probably write a book, albeit a short one, on their varie… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
On my way home on Friday, an elderly gentleman sat next to me on the bus. Straight away, he asked me how old I thought he was. I'm terrible at this, but I would have thought he was in his early seventies. I made a point of not looking for too long and, not wanting to risk offence, offered a guess in the mid-s… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
A new house brings a new bus journey and with it new scenery and a whole array of new people to be amused or irritated by. Since moving at the end of last month, I've had time to get used to my new routes to and from work. The journey that from my old house required only one bus that conveniently picked me up… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
It's autumn. Until the last few days one wouldn't have known that. The nights have been drawing in for a while, but the weather has been bizarre. The start of October saw the kind of temperatures July should have delivered but didn't. This unseasonable (and perhaps un-British) bout of warm weather brought man… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
For months, the clock in the bus shelter near my house has had a habit of dropping several minutes a day. It’s worrying when the buses are more punctual than the clocks. The shelter itself was ‘upgraded’ last year. It now has a digital display at one end. It shows the times for the next few buses that are due… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
On the days it isn't late, doesn't break down and actually turns up, my bus arrives in the city centre in time to have a short wait before making its outward journey. It is during this brief respite that I am reminded of the nine years, while at my previous employer, that I had the chance to witness the wonde… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
Every so often, fate is more forthcoming with the creek than with the paddle. Monday morning was a perfect example. It would have been fun if I enjoyed cold weather, frequent changes of transport and a lack of personal space. I'm not a huge fan of any of those things. And especially not all at once. Since ch… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
Lately it seems like I spend most of my time waiting for something. And it's no big consolation that I'm not alone. Recently published statistics show, for example, that we spend an average of 653 hours of our lives waiting for buses or trains and no less than seven years waiting just to fall asleep! (It's wo… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
My friend suggested earlier the idea of a bus paradox: that being that you will never arrive at the time you want to arrive at if you take the bus. It's a theory we were discussing after a frankly bizarre set of coincidences in my own journeys to work in the morning in the last few weeks. Having worked at th… Read more »