Christmas lights

While I was waiting for the bus into Canterbury earlier in the day yesterday I overheard someone saying she wanted to catch a particular bus home to avoid the school children.  Later on I discovered why as I attempted to get on board a very steamy number 14 after being trampled by the hordes getting off.  Then I discovered there was still only standing room inside.  Where had they all been?  And it was a double decker too.

By this time it was after dark and I was fascinated as we travelled the back roads around the county how anyone could tell where they were, but they confidently rang the bell and the bus stopped somewhere apparently acceptable.  We were out in the depths of the darkest Kent countryside with no signs that I could see.


Then, without warning, I was alone on the bus.  The last two had been dropped off and I was on a ghost bus.  I had no idea at all where I was.  I've not travelled that route before.

All of a sudden the bus stopped and the driver sounded the horn loudly.  By this stage I was quite glad to see there really was a driver.  After a moment he left the bus, still in the pitch black middle of nowhere.  A few moments later a figure went rushing by, the driver came back and off we set again.  So what was all that about?  Some vehicle had been left in the middle of the road, no doubt, but why or where I can't tell you.

Eventually we came to the outskirts of some habitation, I thought possibly it was Dover.  Signs of life at last.  One road in particular was clearly having a Christmas decoration competition.  I wondered how they decided who outshone the rest.

Do you get extra points for a twinkling Christmas tree even if it's dwarfed by a shooting star?  Does a panda outclass a candle?

Does a bambi (off topic but moving) deserve more points than a reindeer (on topic but static)?

Surely an angel is better than a candle, however large the candle.

Finally and to my relief, I found I was home.  Even the buildings were unrecognisable but one pub at least looks a lot better with its Christmas lights than it does in the daytime.  I can't say any of the others really improved the view.