Was that a dinosaur? 2.0

While I still can (part 2)

To see a short video of me arriving at Cattal check out this link

https://youtube.com/shorts/9-C1mufnKcU?si=ST-5p6z9dc357f1p

I thought perhaps my friend’s husband hadn’t arrived as I couldn’t see a blur on the platform, however he was on the York to Leeds side of the station as he hadn’t realised I was on the Leeds to York side we soon met each other.

It was a 10 minute drive along an almost straight rural road that had been a Roman road way back when… talk about having history laid out before us where a Roman road stops being straight and starts to curve it usually is showing later alterations made after the Romans left Britain.

An older woman with short gray hair sitting on a brown leather sofa, covered with a large, colorful patchwork quilt. The quilt features a variety of bright patterns, including sunflowers, green, blue, orange, and yellow geometric shapes, and sections with printed text. She is wearing a yellow T-shirt and appears relaxed, with her hands resting on top of the quilt. The sofa has several large, vibrant pillows in shades of purple, red, and green. Behind her, there is a shelf with artwork and a wicker basket filled with art supplies. The room has a cozy, lived-in feel, with a patterned rug on the floor and various items in the background.

The photo above is of me with the quilt I made my friend in her living room.

We had a lovely time visiting one another for a few hours until it was time to leave to come home.

I certainly hope to be able to visit again.

Level crossing at a railway. The image shows a road intersecting with train tracks, marked by white gates and warning signals with red and white checkered borders. The crossing is surrounded by green bushes and trees, and the sky is partly cloudy. There is a pavement in the foreground, and the upper part of the image is partially covered by the brim of a hat. The area looks quiet, with no vehicles or people visible at the crossing.

It was time to return to Cattal with my friend’s husband, the road going back was busier and it took a little while to come out of a side road onto the main road.

This time there were only 2 stops to York (Hammerton and Poppleton) again the countryside went past the train window in a green blur.

There were no station staff to help me onto the train as there was only signal box staff but of course my friend’s husband made sure I got on safely and I had my fingers crossed that the passenger assistance staff would meet me at the station in York as there was a very short window of time to go from one side of the station to the other according to the travel information I had.

Train interior with a window view. The photo is taken from inside a modern train carriage, showing a dark wooden table, part of a seat, and the window. Outside the window, there is a railway platform with two speed limit signs displaying "30", some overgrown plants by the tracks, and a large brick building in the background. The sky is clear and blue, and there are several lamp posts and overhead wires visible. The train is entering York station.

I had a ripple of nerves as we pulled into York but as I descended to the platform and stood out of the way I saw the familiar red blur of a LNER passenger assistance uniform coming towards me.

The lass helping me was fairly new to the job but very efficient. She checked the current information and we went briskly along the platform up the stairs, across the bridge over several sets of tracks to the designated platform…

And then it happened last minute platform change and we went back almost to where we started.

The platform was very crowded but instead of trying to part the Red Sea on our platform we walked down the length of the platform next door which was almost completely empty until we got near my carriage.

Once seated I relaxed and we were soon travelling south towards Stevenage.

Watching out the window at one point I saw a blurry white princess castle, of course I took a photo so I could find out what it was when I got home.

Train window view. The photo is taken from inside a train carriage, looking out through a large window. The interior is modern, with smooth beige walls and a dark seat partially visible on the left. Outside the window, there is a blur of a bridge or barrier close to the train, and beyond that, a green landscape with trees and a few distant buildings under a blue sky. The window has some smudges and spots on it. At the bottom left corner, there is a plastic bottle with a purple cap resting on a small table or ledge. The overall scene suggests the train is moving through the countryside.
Can you see what it is yet?

I had to crop the photo before Be My Ai could tell me what it was (a power station) so I googled and found out it is Drax a biomass power station.

Power station in the distance, with several large cooling towers emitting white steam into the sky. The scene is set in a rural area with green fields, scattered trees, and a few houses visible near the right side of the image. In the foreground, there is a blurred wall as seen from the moving train. The sky is clear and blue, with some dark spots and marks on the image from a dirty window.

I relaxed enjoying watching the blur through the window until I checked the time… and got puzzled when my compass complication suggested I was travelling the wrong direction.

Apple Watch face with multiple complications. The main analog clock shows the time as approximately 7:35:10. At the top center, a circular complication displays the date as "FRI 13" in white text on a black background. The top right shows the current temperature as 23 degrees, with a colored arc indicating a range from 14 to 28 degrees. The bottom right has a small compass showing 313° NW. The bottom left displays "5 ITEMS TODAY" in blue text. The left center shows the Activity Rings, and the bottom center has a green running icon, likely for workout tracking. The right center displays a sound wave icon, possibly for a voice memo or noise app. The background is black, and the overall design is colorful and modern.

How could I be going 313° North West? I looked out the window at the direction of the blur streaming by… of course I was really going South East… I’d forgotten I was sitting with my back to where I was going!

Before I knew it we were arriving at Stevenage and as ever I prepared myself to get off alone. The LNER hostess was on the platform by the door and told me the passenger assistance was heading our way, it was heading towards dusk and I couldn’t see the orange hi-vis they wear at a distance but I started walking towards them knowing they would be able to see me.

I was told I would be provided with a taxi as MAT wasn’t available (I’m guessing that MAT stands for Mobile Assistance Team) and asked if I wanted it to the station or my home address. Of course I chose to come home.

A chitty was given to the taxi driver and he was confused as when he entered the post code though I’d given my home address I’d given my old postcode… I’m guessing I was tired… soon gave him the correct postcode. We had a great chat as we travelled and I got safely home.

I was met at the door by Willow who was disgusted she hadn’t eaten since breakfast… so I gave her and Sparkles a small smackerel as Pooh Bear calls it to hold them both to supper time.

I hope you enjoyed coming on my adventure.

Until next time

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