One Day In History

Today is One Day In History.

'One Day in History' is a one off opportunity for you to join in a mass blog for the national record. We want as many people as possible to record a 'blog' diary which will be stored by the British Library as a historical record of our national life.

Write your diary here reflecting on how history itself impacted on your day - whether it just commuting through an historic environment, discussing family history or watching repeats on TV.

Here's my entry.

Wake up at 07:25

Breakfast: 2 Oatabix spread with margarine, one cup of coffee.

First half of the day was a four-hour train journey from my parents' home in Slough to my workplace the Alderley Edge in Cheshire. The previous day I'd had a dental appointment with my old dentist in Slough; since I've only recently started a new job in the north of England I haven't found a dentist up here.

Noticed that First Great Western have started painting ex-Thames Trains Turbos in the new First Group livery, dark blue with swirly bits. One passed through Slough while waiting for my own train, and I saw a second at Paddington.

Paddington was thrown into chaos this morning due to a fire in Praed Street. Several streets were sealed off, and most of Paddington's entrances were closed, as was Paddington underground station. Everyone was being diverted to the bus station through a narrow exit that wasn't able to cope with anything like that number of people. There were three or four fire engines visible in neighbouring streets, but so sign of the major conflagration that would have required closure of such a large area.

The rest of the journey was uneventful. I managed to catch the 9:46 Virgin Pendolino with about five minutes to spare, which arrived in Crewe on time at 11:30. Train about two-thirds full. The local connecting train to Alderley Edge was also on time (A three coach Northern Rail class 323 for those interested).

Lunch: Baked Potato with beans, bacon and red onion from the sandwich bar round the corner from the office.

Afternoon was spent working on a software change control request, the gory details of which are not appropriate for a blog.

Arrive home to find that the landlord was still away, and therefore hadn't got my note about the air pockets in the central heating, which means the house is still cold.

Dinner: Chicken Jalfrezi and Pilau Rice, washed down with one bottle of Becks (about one-and-a-half units)

Music on stereo while I'm typing this: Second Life Syndrome by Riverside.