Great Train Adventure Part 1

Last Friday dawned sunny and bright and perfect for an adventure on a train! However all adventurers tend to have challenges and our started by missing the hourly bus from the top of the hill to the train station. We were only 5 minutes early - cripes they are punctual in this city.
We sat in the curb for a bit then decided on plan b - to walk down to the park on the corner and catch the following hours bus. This all went great until 10 mins before said bus is due to arrive Big Brother utters the five words all mothers dread to here while out and about...'I want to do Poos'.
Up the hill/mountain side we trudged all the way past two bus stops back to home.

Here is where I nearly threw in the towel. I felt like a cuppa and a lie down. I just couldn't bear the thought of the fallout from two toddlers and a long day of 1000 questions 'bus?' 'bus now?' 'want BUUUUUSSSSSSS'. 'train?'

So we wiped, flushed, and reboarded the buggy and raced the now well won path back to bus stop number 1. And it came ! On we hopped, while I wrestled the buggy into folded submission two little boys confidently marched up the bus, found an empty seat and got themselves all seated. What a couple of townies these two have turned into.

OH, but the train, that was eyes-like-saucers-exciting. The huffing and puffing of the doors closing, the screeching of the wheels as the breaks released, clatter-clatter and that lovely rocking sensation of the carriages ambling pigeon toed along the tracks. And then there were 7 tunnels and the dropping pitch of the clanging as we hurtled through the crossings. I quite enjoyed it myself. I even had a few nostalgic moments thinking about my commuting days in London on the tube (all evils pale with time, it seems).

Pulling into Wellington station the boys eyes popped out - theres another train over there! and over there! and over there!... With help from the other friendly commuters we lumped our trusty phil and teds off the train and climbed aboard. The train filled up and departed again, watched by two boys sated with tank engine joy. That was a really useful train trip.