Friday 25th February 2011 ~ Bruce on the Loose

Well, our little mate had toddled off to the BBC at Reading for one of his regular visits, thus leaving the BLOG in the hands of the non-politically correct one.
The day started well at 08.00 with 37564 on time on K1 and 37578 on time with K5. K2 was on time with 37574 but Y6 was 7 late - it had to be a B7! - and 37158 duly passed by. Y7 startled me by nipping by only a couple of minutes late and with no Excel branding, so it had to be Baby Beast, 20115. K3 was 5 late with 37159.
The 09.30s were K4 - 37563 and L8 - 37573 both on time as were both the 10.00s with Y9 - 37577 and K5 - 37578 and 10.30s with L10 - 37570 and Y6 - 37158 (!!!!!).
Then sheer joy developed just after 11.00 as Baby Beast (20115 and first reg 1/1996) returned from Peterborough 6 late and passed L11 with the Beast (20107 and first reg 8/1995) in charge somewhere up at the other end of Walpole Highway village.
37573 returned L8 from Peterborough 6 late also and passed a total surprise on L12 in freshly repaired 37566. Y13 was 10 late at 12.14 with 37565 and K14 was on time - for the present - with 37567.

A trip to Hunstanton was dropped in my lap and I met 37572 on K15 at 13.04 - but leaving the Pullover Roundabout in Lynn when it should have been passing my house ,Gerard to extrapolate the degree of lateness.(around 13 minutes I reckon !)
Returning home, passengers were waiting for Y13 at 14.14 , so 37565 must have been 10+ minutes late. A trip to Terrington St John was required of me next, so I stood outside for 30 minutes and noted 37567 (K14) was now 12 late returning from Peterborough with K14. But where was K18?
I parked in Terrington where I could see the road and 37156 duly turned up 4 minutes lates on K19 until .......
...........37576 turned up two minutes later on the real K19, 37156 being K18 34 minutes late! No sign of K15 as I returned home , making that over 10 minutes late as well. But note the traffic has been unusually heavy all round today though.
K16 - 37160 and K17 - 37575 were both 10 late returning from Peterborough.To finish the day, or so I thought, K18 and 37156 reappeared in the village spot on time - anyone want to take bets it didn't go further than Wisbech? Personally I think it was eager to get back to Des!
However, while out feeding the horses this evening, a missive was received from a caring young man from Yarmouth to say he had brought the Beast back to Lynn, still on L11 where it can be washed and dried with clean white towels and hopefully kept in the garage overnight. A further communication from said young man informed me that Baby Beast had completed Y7 and was also at Lynn over night. So they are all here bar 20126!
And the young man? - I have no doubt he is even now returning to Yarmouth with L8 and 37573 in search of his own 37156.
Blog sub Editor
Well I have to say, I think I am redundant with such a comprehensive report in my absence !
Des adds "20107 - L11 16.55 Lowestoft to King's Lynn - On time till 4 late at Easton (18.44), 6 late at Hockering (18.51), 3 late at Dereham (19.02), 4 late at Necton (19.23), 1 late at Swaffham  (19.30), on time into Lynn - L11 has 15 mins less running time from Lowestoft to Lynn than L10 in front of it. My day finished with 37573 on the 21.35 Lynn to Lowestoft, then light to Yarmouth - On time.".
Malcolm writes " My sightings today : Saw 37156 work the K18 10.55 service to Peterborough, 37568 was spare in Gordon Road, 20126 worked the 10.40 1A service to Martham and 34111 worked the 10.38 X2 service to Norwich". Thanks Malcolm, so that means there were three B10Ms in use locally today. I would imagine 37568 was recovering from being serviced ! 37569/571/579 were all off the road for various reasons today and Grahame reports that 37157 has turned up at Yarmouth for MOT.
I have a suspicion that 37577 may have joined the ranks of Geminis with a noisy fan, 37156 most certainly has along with 37569. May be repairs are taking longer now that the warranty on the B9s has expired ?