The Story Continues.

After speaking with the lady from the administrators last week I was fairly confident that I would continue to drive a coach for ages yet. Then this Monday I got back to the hotel with 40 new guests, some of whom were staying till Friday and the remainder staying till Sunday, the manager told me that they would all be going home on Friday and then the hotel would temporary close for a week while everything was ‘sorted out’. What exactly 'sorted out' meant is anyone’s guess. No trips out were to be arranged, not even the trip to Babbacombe Theatre on Thursday evening, a long held tradition of the hotel this trip to the theatre.

There was an atmosphere of gloom about the place, many of the housecleaning staff thinking of looking for other jobs without waiting for the result of the ‘sorting out’ meeting on Monday coming (16th). Not that I blame them. I was thinking of doing the same. Then came the news that Dawlish Coaches had folded putting about 35 people on the dole, many of them coach drivers, all of whom would be out there looking for work.

So a weeks enforced holiday. I decided a trip up to Manchester would be a good idea, I would be two thirds of the way there, a short bus and tram ride would get me into Wolverhampton to catch a National Express coach for Manchester. Wolverhampton was cold and wet, more like November than August and the coach was 45 minutes late due to traffic on the M5 and M6.

Manchester is a warmer and sunnier, just. My brother and his wife and a couple of friends were going out for a meal on Saturday at a pub, The Lord Raglan the other side of Bury, a very nice meal and probably one pint too much. We were on our way home down this country lane and out of the darkness appeared a cow. This doesn't happen in Torquay.


Anyway as soon as any results come out of the meeting tomorrow I will let you know.