commuting Archives - Ben Barden

Today, we spent a few hours in Brighton. It was a bit foggy, but the fog lifted within an hour or so.

We’ve lived in Haywards Heath for just over 3 years. It’s a 15-20 minute train journey from Brighton. In early January, we’re moving to London.

The ongoing problems with Southern Rail have made commuting a nightmare. It seems that poor service is the norm, but the last eight months have been particularly painful. I can’t see an end in sight. It’s a shame, as we like living here, and we stood a chance of being able to afford to buy a house – the reason we moved here in the first place. I guess it’s just as well that hasn’t happened yet, as it’s a lot easier to move when you’re renting.

While I’m looking forward to the move, not least because my commute will be shorter, it feels like we’ve been forced into it somewhat. I’ve been fortunate to work for companies who are very accepting of the travel issues – but it’s down to me to determine if living here is worth the commuting woes. Sadly, it just doesn’t stack up anymore.

At this stage, I can’t see how any commute into London on a Southern-operated train is reliable. So, we’re moving.

As the house move is imminent, today seemed like a good opportunity to visit Brighton while it’s still practically on our doorstep.

Maybe someday, we’ll be back. For now, it’s farewell to Haywards Heath, and hello to Richmond (again).

Happy 2017!

I like working in London, and I like living in Sussex. For as long as that’s the case (which I’m sure it will be for a while yet), I have to get from A to B somehow. That means commuting.

For many of us, commuting is a drag. It’s expensive, crowded, and tiring. On a typical day, I leave the house at 6:15am and get home just over 12 hours later. That’s a pretty long day, especially five days a week.

I’m often tired, so I always have a coffee in the mornings. I also like a cup of tea in the evenings. Occasionally I’ll have a couple of drinks if I’m meeting up with a friend in the evening. I know people who have a lot more to drink in the evenings than I do. (I used to drink a lot more than I do now.)

If you’re being knocked out by alcohol, and kicked back into life by caffeine, how much quality sleep are you getting?

Recently, I’ve been feeling more tired than usual. I’ve had problems sleeping, problems staying awake on the train, and sometimes even problems staying awake in the afternoons. As an experiment, I’ve decided to switch to decaf tea and coffee.

The only coffee I’m having is made at home before I go to work, and carried in a flask. Now it’s decaf. And I’m trying decaf tea, too.

It’s early days – I started this on Friday 6th November. But already, I feel more alert, and less of a zombie.

Visiting Brighton – and moving back to London

Are long days turning us into substance-fuelled zombies?