train journey

I would expect to return to my seat if I'd just gone to the loo hopefully if I had a companion they would explain the seat was taken.
I've seen girls make up on buses and do their nails they don't seem the least bit bothered who is watching.

What a pity the train didn't have to screech to a halt!

That's an interesting point, about leaving your seat to visit the loo on a packed train. I've never encountered the problem myself but I'd imagine any vacated seat is fair game if people are standing!

Golly, if it took her an hour to put on her 'face' (I won't finish writing what I'm thinking!)
As for expecting to have the same seat -unless you've reserved it in advance or are first to board an empty train........

On the commute to London there is usually standing room only and when I used to travel people who needed to visit the loo usually put their belongings on the seat when they vacated it - can't remember anyone ever removing them and grabbing the seat for themselves - doesn't seem the sort of thing we do in Britain!

When I travelled regularly from London to Scotland on my own, I asked the person sitting next to me to reserve my seat and I would leave my jacket or whatever on it. Mostly my seat was reserved.

On daily tube journeys into London in my working days, one frequently saw young ladies doing their hair and applying makeup. There is no space on a tube to spread anything out so it was done from the handbag in a strategic position and rarely took too long. I also would not have the nerve.

I've often seen young women making themselves up on the tube. I think it's quite entertaining to watch - especially if there is a noticeable transformation! Personally, I would feel too self-conscious to do the same - and I would probably poke myself in the eye with the mascara wand - but I don't really understand why people would find it objectionable.

I saw a girl transform herself on a train to York. She got on wearing no makeup and with rollers in. Her skin was pasty and blemished. She had dark rings under her eyes. In fact she looked dead rough. By the time she got off an hour later she was totally gorgeous. She was greeted by a young man who prob had no idea of how she had looked an hour before.

DH thought he was in for a shock the first time he saw her fresh out of bed in the morning lol.

But taking an hour is long time (or a lot of makeup)!

The worst I've had on a train journey was when, on a very crowded train, the young Japanese girl sitting next to me took out a tray of sushi and sat eating it for the next half hour. To be fair she did ask if I minded, but I couldn't really say yes, I can't stand the pong!

Well she had to use moisturiser, concealer, foundation, blusher, eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, eye brow pencil, false eyelashes, lippy, gloss and something on a massive soft brush. Then she had to do her hair.

I wouldn't really mind the make-up etc. But doing her hair would surely encroach on the space of the person next to her.

I hope she didn't have a heavy hand with the hairspray as well!

I've seen a woman on a train using an eye-lash curler - before starting on her make up.

One of the funniest (as in peculiar) things that happened was the man who discussed the state of his wife's cervix in a voice loud enough for the whole carriage to hear. When someone eventually said "Come on, mate ..." the man became angry - and carried on! She'd had an abnormal smear result.

I really don't miss those commuter trains...

There's a website with photos of "Women who eat on the Tube" (apparently it's mostly women who do. I'll see if I can find it.

Here it is: womenwhoeatontubes.tumblr.com/

Right. I'm hungry now.

Eloethan I didn't object, I just thought it was a case of 'time and place' Personally I would never have had the nerve even when younger.

I once saw a young woman sitting opposite me on the train doing her makeup. She took out one of those drop down bags with lots of compartments and a coat hanger (yes, it was that big) to hook it to the seat in front of her. She did a complete cleanse, refresh, makeup and manicure and then produced a short dress from her bag, removed the one she was wearing (she had a slip underneath so was still relatively modest) and replaced it with the new one. After that she took off her heels, put them in one of the compartments and produced a pair of long boots from her bag which she put on. Finally, and you won't believe this, she removed her long blonde wig, gelled her own hair and pushed it up into a spikey style. After that she packed everything up and got off at Euston. This was all accomplished with the minimum of fuss and the maximum of organisation, so I can only think she was a professional model between assignments.

She could have been an international criminal and a master of disguise, NTO!

Errm, it didn't happen to be the 9.57 to Paddington, by any chance?

Only joking!

My incident on that train would have occurred without anyone noticing....

I don't mind anyone putting their face on in my vicinity, but brushing their hair is a no no, in my opinion. I also hate the way some woman rake through their hair constantly with their hands and flick it back and forth, without a thought for the poor sap in the seat behind them. I can't stand the thought of bits of hair and dandruff floating my way, let alone the odd louse. Perhaps the last is me being paranoid. Perhaps the whole rant is me being jealous of people with good hair.

I'm probably being hideously old-fashioned and rat bag but I do feel that putting on the face, styling the hair, changing the clothes should happen in the privacy of one's bedroom. To do these things on the train is similar to those people who apparently trail around supermarkets in their pyjamas. Just no.

How soon before some woman thinks it's a good idea to shave her legs on the way to work?

With you there absent. What is the matter with getting up half an hour earlier, having a breakfast and doing your face before leaving home? I think it is called self discipline, which is probably hideously old-fashioned.

I must have very boring train journeys as I've never witnessed any of this behavioir.