"How much are these six jam doughnuts" ... one of the phrases in the English to Slovenian phrase book which I have with me at the moment, as I'm doing a few days of work in Ljubljana. And, yes, I'm taking the opportunity to take at least a perfunctory look at the public transport around here.

"Is this the train for Trowbridge?" .... you might think of this as being an odd phrase for Polish to English book - as odd as my doughnuts - but I urge you to think again.  Last Saturday as I stood at the entrance to the bay playform at Swindon, directing families who were coming to see Santa, I was impressed by the number of travellers wanting to go with us from Swindon to Trowbridge.   I guess I should not have been surprised - after all, Trowbridge IS the county town. And many of the requests were from people who didn't sound as if English was their original, native tongue.

All of which goes to show just how well mixed West Wiltshire is.  And also how important this rail link is - even at two service per day, it fills well.  OK - truth be known, it was so overecrowded that the guard was getting a little concerned at some health and safety issues .... and our party had been restricted in size so that we were to all be seated, and then only in one carriage (admittedly of a should-be-158 that was actually a 143).