LOST - THIS WEEK, PART 1

Hiya

We have just had an incredible week! And a very good one at that. Although I feel like I've walked for England and I now ache like hell, but that's a different story!

Back to this week, well Monday anyway (part 2 will follow).

We went out on Monday to meet up with our ASD home education group. This time it was being held at Manor Park, West Malling as I had worked out that it was easier for me to get to than Trosley. Bless them! We are trying out different venues to see which ones work for both us mums and our very special children.

Anyway, we set off at about 10.15am to catch the first of our trains (3 in all which doesn't sound very easy, but the park was supposed to be about 15min walk from the station so was actually easier than the last meeting). We get on what is supposed to be our train to link with the Maidstone train at Strood, but as we are pulling into Strood we see the Maidstone train pulling out!!!!! Had to wait 1/2hr for next one - hmmm, internet directions not good on this occasion. We get to Maidstone Barrackes and walk up to Maidstone East where Callum promptly points out that we could have got a bus to here and saved ourselves changing trains twice!!!!! Remember me mentioning 'Smartarse Syndrome' last week? Well, here we go again! I sheepishly agree as it wasn't even something I'd thought of, partly because neither myself or Callum travel well on buses, so I'd automatically looked up the train version of the journey - der!!! What made it worse was that because we had already missed a connection, the whole journey had been mucked up, so there we were stuck on another station for another 20mins!

We finally get to West Malling and I get out the map that I'd printed off. We follow the directions, checking with a guy with a rather amazing handlebar moustache that we were heading in right direction. We were! Although he did state that it was a long way! Should have listened, moustaches like that never lie!!

Off we go, following the map and end up in .......... a farmer's field! Yep, horses to the left of us and orchards to the right and Callum stuck in the middle with me!! (ooo I feel a song coming on!). Okay! What to do? Don't want to go back as it's miles (or felt like it by then), so decide to go forward as we've spotted a duel carriageway ahead. Off Callum stomps like some intrepid explorer while I hobble along with my stick behind him being watched by horses who obviously thought we were completely bonkers! We reach the dual carriageway and have no idea which way to go, but as map had said we should have gone right somewhere along the last road we were on, right is where we went. Bit scary walking along a dual carriageway with lorries thundering down by the side of you. Callum did incredibly well not to completely freak out, in fact, I think he was rather enjoying it - strange lad! We get to a roundabout, no signs for Manor Park, but I spot a guy in a suit loitering on the corner. Assuming that he'd come from over the road at the industrial estate, I ask him directions only to discover that, yep, you've guessed it, he was lost too!!! He was looking for a bus stop as he'd come down for an interview (on the wrong day it turned out, glad it wasn't just me having a der day) and he must have come out of the estate the wrong side. Anyway, we all head off together towards another roundabout that we can see ahead of us.

Turns out that he works in mental health and lives in Reading!!! Had come down for an interview (on wrong day as already mentioned) and was now heading back to the train station. We had a good old chat about Autism, home education, university (his son was just about to go off to one and he didn't even know how to make a cup of tea!). We found a bus stop, but as we were having such a good chin wag, he said he would continue to walk down with me to keep me company - bless!

Finally found Manor Park, with a bus stop opposite so my new found friend could get back to the station!!! Had only taken 45mins walk!!!!! Whole journey had taken nearly 3hrs, was supposed to have taken half that time! Met up with everyone and had a good laugh about our adventure. Callum even fell asleep for about 20mins under the picnic table! Spent a rather enjoyable afternoon with everyone and left about 3pm as I knew there was a train at 3.20pm. Decided to get bus back to West Malling and then bus from Maidstone East to home! Journey went much smoother and it took us 1hr 15mins to get all the way back! What we also discovered, while waiting for a bus at Manor Park, was that there is a bus that goes there from CHATHAM!!!!! So the journey could have been even easier! Am going to have to research it as I found that St Leonard's Tower is there and I've been wanting to visit it for ages!

Got home shattered! Both Callum and myself flopped on sofa and didn't move for about 1/2hr! Was a good day though; Weather lovely, people wonderful and sometimes it's nice to have an adventure!

Cya