Wednesday, September 01, 2010

bye poen


So Poen leaves London for good tonight, and my Brit is in the States for 2 weeks for work.

Shit times.

I'm going to miss having my best mate around. London is amazing in all its senses, but she's been a huge part of it thus far.

Sigh. Drinkie time tonight near Goodge Street (the names in this country, I mean seriously), a final thrash before she heads back down south.

But first I'll cheer myself up by bowing down to English place names.

Most aren't unusual, or by any means crazy, but I hear them on a daily basis, and I smugly smile to myself and think, 'Ah yes. I live in Britain.'

It's not like Fucking, Austria. *

Because if these were names in South Africa, or anywhere else, no one would take them seriously at all.

It usually goes like this: (The overland, which is what I take to work, not the tube. It has air-con and I can see out the windows into the stark** light outside. Plus the seats are less minging. And I smell less armpit.)

"This is a South West train service to [slight pause while the automated voice slots in]...Tadworth.........
This train will stop at Bognor Regis, Chertsey, Teddington, Chessington, Wadden, Chipstead, Moreton-in-Marsh...............before terminating at its final destination in Dorking.............Please mind the gap between the train and the platform."


*pronunciation Fookeeng. Which makes it even funnier.
**It is stark. Grey mixed with pale sunlight is stark.

7 comments:

Kookalooks said...

Don't you love the way they pronounce those names too... "TeDDington" - so you actually know it has 2 D's. Can say those routes in my sleep now I think.

Helsi said...

I can still remember from my days living in a flat opposite Clapham Junction (it had a pool, very fancy!) ... the train now arriving at Platform 6 calling at Wandsworth Town, Putney, Barnes, Mortlake etc!

Peas on Toast said...

Flossie - you are sooo right. I never noticed that before, but you're 100% correct!

Helsi - oooh a pool? I live in a house near Clapham Junction and we have a garden, I thought that was luxurious ;)

I take the platform 5 to Barnes regularly funny enough, so know that one well too!

Beansy said...

I actually got off a train at Moreton-on/in-Marsh... It was 5pm in the evening in April and there wasn't a soul around! Not even a station master. Makes you wonder if the place names are enough to scare people off ;-).

Nicole B said...

I hosed myself when I read the Wiki article for Fucking, then i hosed myself more when I found out there is a gent who runs a guesthouse at Wank which is near Fucking!

LOL!

Peas on Toast said...

Beassy - oh hell, I have to go. Just for the sheer randomness of it all. It sounds like Guernsey it's so random - gotta do it!

Secret - it's [fucking] hysterical hey!

Anonymous said...

At least we have Pofadder and Hotazel so we don't feel too left out.