Walked the collie up by the clay tips after the split shift. Wasn't keen when I got in, back felt stiff from the seat and I wanted my tea, but the dog had other ideas and stood by the door making them clear. Once we were out it was all right. There's a bit of slope where I always notice I'm breathing harder than I ought to, then he stops to sniff and gives me an excuse to stop as well. Legs felt properly used by the time we came down. At home I ate too quickly again and got told nobody was timing the meal. They weren't, but I'd spent the whole day with a clock in front of me. Doesn't switch off at the gate.

Three minutes out of the timetable still means three minutes out, however many times the planner calls it an adjustment. I went through my notes again tonight because I knew somebody would suggest I was remembering the worst runs. There are ordinary days in there as well, no breakdown, no unusual traffic, just people getting on and the distance between stops staying exactly the same. It annoys me having to prove that part. My wife asked whether the notebook had changed since yesterday. No, but neither has the timetable. I put it back in the drawer before she could say anything else. Will be the same run in the morning, and the bus won't have got any shorter overnight.

The Tuesday lady from the crossroads wasn't on the market bus and I found myself looking for her on the return as well. Not my business where she goes, but she is usually there with the same trolley and a complaint about the price of something. One of the others said she was staying with her daughter for a few days. I was pleased to hear it, though I hadn't asked directly. The run was quieter without her telling everyone which shops were worth bothering with. When I told my wife, she said I missed the passengers more than I admitted. I said I was only checking there wasn't somebody left behind. She gave me that look. Let it go after that.