Have been busy filling in my tax return and trying to understand the point of VAT. Also still doing these convoluted train journeys. Today I went on a train that had TV on it for the first time. There are a number of things I don’t like about it.

1. It’s evasive. Don’t the ‘train operators’ remember the romance of the train as one idly gazed out of the window at the English countryside day dreaming? I find that hard to do with a voice over of a loop of John Major. I may be alone, but this man had completely left my consciousness, I had hoped forever, until today where the same clip of him was repeated over and over. There would be a cruel irony if it was the announcement of the privatisation of the railways the tories pushed through, fully aware they were going to lose the election.

2. It feels like big brother. More and more our world resembles the book ‘The Space Merchants’ were daily life is relentlessly bombared by adverts. Yep, street furniture, the concourse at Euston station, four minute marathons on Sky TV (which is crap anyway), the moving hoardings at football games on TV (noticed the huge moving ones for some big matches? They look like they’re about 8 foot tall and are animated. Someone told me they aren’t actually at the ground but super imposed - whatever, I keep getting distracted and miss vital passes, headers, overhead kicks and shots on goal).

3. I really felt like my personal space had been invaded on that train.

4. The actual train service is none the better for it.