Back now, to my journey home from Caerdydd. (I don't mean to be too Freudian, talkingabout trains and stations, comings and goings butI thought I'd fill you in.)

On thereturn journey I found myself sitting by a lady who had boarded the train at 8.15am in West Yorkshire. She was visiting her son who had been working in Haverfordwest since August.

Hefound it hard to settle and the people were unfriendly. I explainedI havelived here for over forty years and it takes time to understand the local patois. Shelived in a rural area in Yorkshire and everyone spoke to everyone.

Not wishing to be perceived as unfriendly, I told her about the Landsker line and how the natives fled the Norman barons and settled north of the county. Flemings and Norman hangers on usurped the south, accounting for the big divide.She nodded, but I don't think history was of muchhelp regarding her son's social life. I could have mentioned the Palace Cinema, the George's Restaurant, surfing, the Leisure Centre, butshe was longing for a cigarette.

A man sitting opposite joined the conversation and askedif I liked history. He'd always wanted to study it. He went through various books he'd read, talked about the 1906 landslide victory of theLiberals, what were my thoughts on Lloyd George as atwo-family man. (My, how train journeys exercise the brain). I replied gifted men have usually got a lot of excess energy, with which he seemed satisfied. Thenhe saidhe'd decided, over the last few minutes, to start an extra mural course in 'Hanes'. Da iawn', I said.

When he'd gone, I pointed across the Towy Estuary and explained where my mother lived, in an effort to entertain my companion. I pointed outthe new footbridge into Carmarthen from the station.

Each station we stopped at saw her craning her head towrds the luggage rack at the back. I askedif she was anxious about her pigskin travelling bag and she nodded, saying the Christmas cake was in it.I suggested she buy a strap and lock the bag to the rail next time.

One of my sons- in- law was travelling on a train when he had his bag stolen. He gave me a strap when I went to London. Fortunately, five minutes before we were due in, I had a premonition. It took me five minutes of struggle to unlock the strap, so now Itake the absolute minimum when I travel and keep the bag under my legs.

In Carmarthen, a woman in her sixties got on and sat across the aisle from me. It was not long before she was in conversation witha couple who had been silentuntil now. Soon, we knew that they were from California, but he was originally a Londoner. They were going to a wedding in Haverfordwest.

The lady herself gave them her marital history, saying she was against marriage, should anyone ask her, but she advised them, as they had been married thirty years, to stick with it.

She still drove, but not to Carmarthen anymore, though she had an unblemished licence. The Californian couple no longer drove, either, because they went everywhere on internal flights, even distances as short as fifty miles.

Their fellowpassenger was leaning across the table, in animated conversation. She recounted all the places she'd visited, all the times she had been searched, how she disliked flying, hated it, but had to put up with it, if she wanted to see the world. She did not know what was happening to the world, she volunteered, but it was changing, definitely, and she didn't like it.

Thepassenger beside me said that the woman opposite was chatty for Haverfordwest.

All was revealed when we stopped to get outat Haverfordwest.The talkativewoman saidshe was travelling on, to Milford Haven.

The Yorkshire passenger looked at me enquiringly. 'A different breed again', I said. 'Chatty. Definitely'.