Crowded Cardiff

Cloudy again today, although some blue sky is visible. 22C, and hotter weather is promised. Clare spent the morning packing as lightweight a bag as possible for the train journey to visit Ann in Felixstowe. I spent my time writing, wondering what I can do with a weekend to myself.

I accompanied Clare on the 61 bus to Cardiff Central station at lunchtime, intending to take a train trip on the line to Rhymney and wanting to find out about the new Transport for Wales Metro network set up as it exists.You can still buy tickets from the booking office or from a machine in the entrance hall, but Tap and pay debit card services are now available in Valleys stations. Platform entrance gates are being upgraded to take tickets with a magnetic strip card, or e-tickets scanned from a QR code on your phone, or by going ticketless with debit card Tap and Pay. This has been available on Cardiff buses for the past seven years

It's a complex technical arrangement to cover all needs. I chatted with one of the station staff standing at the ticket barrier after saying goodbye to Clare, and he told me about the range of discount fares available to multiple trip users using digital means of payment. There are daily and weekly fare payment caps with Tap and Pay, benefiting commuters and people who travel frequently between Valley lines and different zones on the Metro network. Let's just hope this will get people out of their cars and on to public transport.

Outside in Central work teams had started to erect crowd control barriers. Then I realised it might not be such a good idea to travel out of town, for whenever I returned during the day, I would be joining the huge influx of visitors arriving for the Noah Kahan evening concert in Blackweir Fields, tens of thousands of them having to queue to get out of the station, and then navigate the length of the city centre on food to reach the Cowbridge Road crossing and return home up the west bank of the Taff through Sophia Gardens. As the road closures hadn't yet started, I was able to take a bus up Cathedral Road instead. Later I did some weekend shopping, buying a few things to eat that Clare wouldn't fancy. A consolation for being home alone. I also had a phone chat with Ashley and with Rachel, as she was having breakfast over in AZ.

After supper, I walked to Blackweir Bridge. The gates into Bute Park were closed, an hour and a half earlier than normal at this time of year. There were five men in hi-viz jackets at the gates making sure that nobody could go through for any reason. It was surprisingly quiet, and it was only when I was nearly back home at ten to nine that I could hear the distant echo of an outdoor amplified voice announcing the first of the support acts. Heaven knows what time the main feature act will start, or what will happen to the crowd after the concert ends in the small hours The twilight air may be a bit damp, but there's no rain or wind.

I watched an episode of 'The Good Doctor' for the first time in many months, and that took me up to bed time.