Tube strike, what tube strike

I totally owned my first tube strike last week.

Despite industrial action closing stations and restricting the number of trains I managed to arrive a mere 7 minutes late to the office.

While I know many, many more were affected much worse than I was it was just like any other day for me.

Now I might be wrong, but how can it be a true strike when trains are still running? How can the big people upstairs truly take notice when you can still catch a ride to work?

I'm not suggesting the unions actually do this - but if I wanted to put on a strike that really got people's attention I'd stop each and every train for 24 hours.

A little background on the issue: two transport unions, Rail Maritime and Transport and Transport Salaried Staffs' Association, are at loggerheads with London Underground bosses over job cuts - and it doesn't look like they're going to get their way.

So until the whole mess is sorted out I say bring on the next strike... unless of course you decide to close Turnham Green, then please stop!

Welcome to Chiswick – cheese town

On September 2 we arrived in London Heathrow. A seven hour flight from New York JFK to Frankfurt then another hour to England.

It was an awkward flight, but pretty uneventfully. We didn’t get our own tv sets so that put a stop to my planned movie viewing.

In Frankfurt we had a two hour wait before heading to London. We had to go though screening again and wouldn’t you know they picked up something in my carry on. Nick’s diabetic needles and insulin were fine but they made me unpack my laptop and this….

The customs girl’s eyes lit up… “It’s so cute!” as she proceeded to dance the beaver around to the other female officers.

We were led to a small office where the computer and Canadian were given the once over with a drug swab – poor little Canuck beaver!

A little dance with the officer and he was returned to me with the laptop and we were on our way.

Since we arrive in England on a European flight the non-EU line was shorter and so despite his British passport Nick jumped in the foreigner line with me.

With our massive packs on our backs we jumped on the Piccadilly line tube – I’m glad I’ve visited before as it makes getting around a lot easier. We’re staying with Nick’s Aunty and Uncle so we follow their directions to Chiswick.

After a change at Acton in no time at all we are at Turnham Green Station. Turn left out of the station followed by short walk down the road and we are home.

The place we’ll be calling home is over a shop on Turnham Green Terrace right in the middle of all the action.

Chiswick is part of the borough of Hounslow. The name comes from the Old English for cheese farm (thanks Wikipedia). It’s very pretty with plenty of shops, cafés, restaurants and pubs - it’s a little bit posh.

But none of that mattered as all that was on our minds was sleep and as soon as we hit the pillow we were gone.