On Thursday, I was on a day shift. It was hard as usual getting up at 5 am as I keep waking through the night, so always have broken sleep.
As my second bus was leaving the bus station, I see a young window cleaner with his bucket run directly across the path of the bus by the exit traffic lights. The driver sounds a loud 'beeeep!' and I gasp and cover my eyes with my hands and brace myself for the thud. However, miraculously, there is nothing and when I uncover my eyes I see the window cleaner has avoided being hit and is still off running. Silly man, I think, - how narrowly he has missed being hit and surely it is better to be late in one sense of the word than in another.
After work, I go to the library as it is their late night opening and look something up for a RootsChatter and then go on RC about it while travelling home on the buses.
After something to eat at home, I had an early night.
Friday was a 12 hour shift. When I reached Newcastle on homeward journey, I was waiting at a stand with a young man. The bus didn't come. When this ran way over time, the young man says he will go to find staff to ask about it. A staff member with a bit of paper in his hand comes over with the young man. He confirms that the bus won't be coming. He says that they have had to knock a lot of services off all week as he says a lot of staff are going off sick. He adds it is the same at a lot of places around Newcastle. I wonder if he is referring to Covid? I think about asking but then I think he might not be able to say specifically the reason why people are going off sick. I ask can they not put a notice up on the board to let people know which buses aren't coming. He says no, they can't put notices up and to look at the tannoy. That's not much use though as the tannoy had indicated the bus would be coming. The young man says he will make other arrangements and I go to another bus stand. There is another bus I can get and this one comes.
I am a bit concerned though about the reasons behind this. Could it be numbers are going up?
I worry that this might not bode well for our approaching day of 'Freedom' ahead.
.. Just to add something else about last night. Wasn't sure whether to add this as it is not nice, but it happened so I will.
Whilst I was waiting, a rough sleeper in a green sleeping bag was at the station curled up in a doorway. A family came along. The children were little blonde haired boys. The little boys stood near the rough sleeper and gave some ear piercing shreiks, seemingly to try to disturb his sleep. Then they grinned as though pleased with themselves.
Then the adults with them grinned back, as though amused!!
I thought this was vile. Very irresponsible too of the adults to allow children to be so heartless and to give the impression that it is amusing to behave so.
Not that I am advocating it, but in my day this type of behaviour would have earned children a good wallop by parents. After they left it wasn't long before I heard some more shrieks from the children in the distance and I wondered if they had come across another rough sleeper to torment.
Sadly, these rough sleepers do seem to be pestered now and again. It wasn't that long ago I saw one in a doorway being kicked awake by a beggar who wanted to know if he (of all people!) had any spare change to give him!!
