I never imagined when I dreamt up this challenge that it would require getting up early. I naively thought that all busses ran throughout the day and I would be able to pick and choose when I travelled. Who would have thought, apart from a rather mean bus planner, that the last trip for bus 2A is 8.15 in the morning. The 2A is a workers bus that goes out to Wentloog Industrial Estate and a few other industrial estates along the way.
Yesterday I rose to the challenge, rose early that is, for me anyway. I was surprised, though perhaps I shouldn’t have been, that the bus was pretty crowded. Fifty years ago passengers would probably have been reading their newspapers, 25 years ago they’d probably have had a Walkman with headphones. Now it’s all mobile phones and Bluetooth earphones.
We passed through Splott and Tremorfa, picking a few more up, dropping a few off, before heading out to the Wentloog and the Great Point Seren film studios. I kept my eye out for any stars getting off the bus but Russell Crow nor Sigourney Weaver were nowhere to be seen today. The bus terminus is a rather bleak roundabout with no tea wagon in sight.
A 15 minute walk was therefore required up a shaded path to Trowbridge but still no beverage seller in sight so it was another 15 minutes up to Rumney and a trusty Greggs. The sun was out so I walked on to Rumney Hill Gardens and had my breakfast and read.
My book for the day was the Morels of Cardiff, that’s the ship owners not the mushrooms. I’m leading the walk around Cathays Cemetery tomorrow. I told them about Philip Morel last time so this week it is his brother Sir Thomas Morel, who was Mayor when Cardiff purchased Cathays Park off the Bute family and had the Town (City) Hall built and later the museum and university.
Cardiff Capers 