Howard and Barbara

Howard: Yes. I have still got the occasional bus rides or I go up on my computer a lot. Going on the internet and also playing on my train simulators as well.

Oh right.

Barbara: Yes in a way things do turn out sometimes because if he had still been wanting to go on his trips as he used to, we couldn’t have afforded it, with the train fares.

Howard: The train fares have gone up.

Barbara: So he only goes occasionally if there is something really special.

 

Howard: Yes.

 

Barbara: Certain people you know. You would probably see [name] etc. I have always said, “Well look, invite him round.” I know it’s a waste of breath. Now we got hooked on computers and then I got, first of all we got one simulator and you worked your way up to Microsoft trains. And of course he goes to all these different countries and with the games he can download trains, he can build railways, download trains.

 

Howard: Yes.

 

Barbara: Because sometimes I look on the web and I see all these Chinese and I say Howard how do you know which to click on and of course he is so used to it now, because there was even French…

 

Howard: Yes. Russian as well.

 

Barbara: I have got him dictionaries, German English German dictionary. And he goes to all these countries and I say “Well how did you get there?” “Oh I went to China via Australia”.

 

And of course we did some programming. I don’t know whether that helped you, but he got all this gobbledygook. And I don’t know whether you are supposed to do it or not, but he does it, well these simulators and he gets all this stuff and he alters it to adjust to how he wants it, you know.

So does your simulator beat the real thing or do you still like to go on real train journeys?

Howard: Well a bit of both really.

And what is your favourite train journey in the UK?

Howard: Well I can’t really say I have a particular favourite.

Barbara: What is the furthest you have been because you have been to places I haven’t been to.

Howard: I have been up to Scotland.

By train.

Howard: Yes. That is when they used to run the excursions then.

Barbara: And didn’t you used to, there was the one, you were overnight at some of them.

Howard: Yes. It was an overnight trip, yes.

Barbara: And he would come back ….

Were you sleeping on the train?

Howard: Yes.

Barbara: And he come back home and … [laugh] he would be quite grubby wouldn’t you.

Howard: Hm.

Barbara: Because he would be, you know.

Howard: But this would be over twenty years ago.