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Who is your "on the way to work" buddy

162 replies

cjt110 · 11/12/2018 09:57

There's a lollipop man on my route to work. I pass him daily, in my distinctly coloured car, and have begun to wave to say hello daily and he waves back. I know I'm running late as he leaves his "post" at 9am.

OP posts:
MiddlingMum · 11/12/2018 22:01

I used to get off a bus about once every two or three weeks. Every time, an elderly woman would get on with her walking stick and shopping bag and we'd always say hello. Then one time she wasn't there and I never saw her again Sad I've often wondered what happened.

SisterOfDonFrancisco · 11/12/2018 22:08

A lady in a white car and a lady in a purple coat. They both used to be so punctual. But then suddenly purple coat started having to run for the train and white car lady started catching the later train. Now I don't know where I am anymore. All the other people are as unreliable as me.

PerfectPeony · 11/12/2018 22:16

I’m on mat leave at the moment so don’t have an everyday morning routine.

When I was in work though there were these two glamorous women wearing 50’s style clothes/ make up that I would pass everyday. I always wanted to say hi but never did!

I also love to make up stories about people! Does anyone else have descriptive names for their neighbours? Usually pet related? Grin

acsec · 11/12/2018 22:17

I used to have loads when DSS and I would walk to school, they all had made up names and storylines. We'd only see 'Aunty Jean' on our way to school, until one day we saw her on our way home from Parents evening and she stopped us and smilingly told us we'd thrown her by walking past her on her way home.

Now I take DD to the childminder and we've made a bus stop friend who has become a real life friend we do play dates with. She's the same age as me and her daughter is a few months older than DD.

We also have a nice grandad man friend on our way home who gets on at our stop and off at the same stop as us and walks the same way. We chat about his granddaughter. We haven't seen him for a few weeks now, hoping he's ok!

8FencingWire · 11/12/2018 22:17

Love this thread.
I always see a young family bundling the children in the car, he always carries the little girl, the mum always gathers the bags and locks up, he is driving.
I have a cyclist ‘friend’, she has a cool yellow raincoat, we cycle in opposite directions.
Through the fields I have a dad and his toddler girl who talks constantly, always on her dad’s shoulders. She shouts ‘hello lady, have a nice day’.
And then there is a guy with a Bromley that always rings his bell when he overtakes me, always at great speed, he always says good morning :).

HeffalumpsDaughter · 11/12/2018 22:20

I have Mr OverTheRoadWithFag who goes out for a morning cigarette on his front doorstep at 8.35 each morning. I can tell how late I am by the length of his cigarette.

CoffeeMilk2SugarsPlease · 11/12/2018 22:22

Not anymore but when I used to live with my parents and starting work at 8am (at the local shop) I'd always bump into a regular customer on his way to get the morning papers and we'd walk together and have a chat. Sometimes if I was early I'd wait on the corner for him as I loved chatting and walking with him the rest of way (only 5 minutes really) because he always had the best stories to tell. Always made my working day brighter after speaking to him.

acsec · 11/12/2018 22:25

DH has a few that he tells me about, my favourites being 'Blonde Giant' and ' Channel 900 Woman'

I like to think they might think of him as 'Many Coat Man'

AlpacaPicnic · 11/12/2018 22:25

Ooh you've reminded me about my commute nemesis, clicky shoes twat. I don't like him because he pulls leaves off trees as he passes them for no reason that I can see. And he wears shoes that click as if they've got tap plates on them!

PollyEthel · 11/12/2018 22:28

I used to cycle 'with' a really hot chap when I lived in London. If this was a Mills and Boon novel, I would have married him. As it was, we started chatting and things might have progressed as far as a date, but I moved house so had a different commute...

Cocorico22 · 11/12/2018 23:05

Every morning I see Blue Buggy Dad, then Yellow Buggy Dad a little further down the road. Dd's buggy is red so I secretly pretend we are the Primary Colour Drop Off Gang.

369thegoosedrankwine · 11/12/2018 23:11

When I do the school run in the car there is a man who walks along the bypass in the opposite direction on his way to work. We've called him Jeff and I know how late / on time we are looking at where Jeff is up to on the bypass.

I say to my son look there's Jeff at the end of the road, see how late we are. If we don't see him I wonder if he's on holiday or off sick. Think I am over invested in Jeff's life Grin

TokyoSushi · 11/12/2018 23:23

Awful for me at the moment, we're in the middle of the most complex and awful house move. The person we're buying from is totally sick of the situation although I am doing literally everything I can to resolve it (see many 😭 posts on the house moving thread)

He has a really distinctive car and I've ended up just in front of him or behind him on my way to work every single day for the last 3 weeks or so. He'd have no reason to recognise my car but I feel absolutely ill every time I see him!

Sloegin2 · 11/12/2018 23:25

I love that other people have these people in their lives too!
We have Afghan hound walking lady, short lady, council lorry man who always seems to be pulling out of the council yard as I pass by. We must both be punctual! Miss him if I don’t see him Grin

BikeRunSki · 11/12/2018 23:37

Site jacket man

Guy who tides a vibe between 2 rural locations about 6 miles apart, on opposite sides of a really steep, long hill. He’s been doing this for at least 18 years. We call him Site Jacket Man because he used to wear a high viz site jacket and ride an old mountain bike. His bike and bike riding gear have got better in time.,

m0therofdragons · 12/12/2018 00:08

There's a retired couple who walk their dog. I see them most days over the last 4 years and we've moved from polite hellos to comments on the weather and how are the grandchildren. Recently they were on holiday and left a note on my car saying I could park on their driveway while they're away. (I have a 15 minute walk to work after fighting for On-street parking near their house). I'll obviously post them a Christmas card this year. Feels like we're moving it up a notch Grin

BikeRunSki · 12/12/2018 00:09

“ tides a vibe” = “rides a bike”.

CarolsSecretCookieRecipe · 12/12/2018 00:57

These are so heartwarming.

I don't have any commute buddies at the moment. I start a new job next year which involves a bus, train and walk so am feeling hopeful.... ;)

Charlesbakerharris · 12/12/2018 01:17

Identical twin boys who are always on my morning train when I’m running late. They’re about eleven-ish, always dressed exactly the same in shades of red and blue and always reading the same book. They never acknowledge me in the morning but once - and only once - we ended up on the same train home and all did a double start. Still no morning acknowledgement though.

Oblomov18 · 12/12/2018 01:36

This thread is so deeply funny. It's so British, isn't it? Bill Bryson commenting type British quirkiness?

DinosApple · 12/12/2018 03:05

Yes, I have 'Kevin' with the collie. Sometimes I'm running late and he's actually walking past my house as I get in the car, mostly though I see him further on in the village. Usually a wave with him.

When I lived in a town I always used to meet an older man going in the opposite direction in the churchyard- we got onto cheery hello's. He worked in the local stationery shop.

There was another I used to say hello to, the chap in the local petrol station. I think he thought I fancied him as one day he wrote his number on my receipt. I was too embarrassed to use that one again Blush.

All my school run mum friends know they're late if I'm ahead of them. It's a long standing joke between us

Wineandchoccy · 12/12/2018 04:04

Love these Grin

I have tiny fast lady - she must be under 5 foot yet I have never seen anybody walk as fast. It’s like she should have legs the size of a giant no idea who she is but she always says hello in a blur as she speeds past my house

Daz - middle aged guy who has a private reg plate with Daz in it and drives like an idiot Angry

Chihuahua man - Man who walks 2 chihuahuas past our house every morning at 7.30 dressed like he is going for a 10 mile hike in the hills yet 20 mins later he is back.

Also a girl who is now at secondary school we moved in 7 years ago so she was starting primary school so feels like I have seen her grow up.

Regressionconfession · 12/12/2018 05:32

Mine was dreadlock lady. She'd walk up the hill on the school run while I was walking down the hill on the school run. One morning I opened my curtains and she was looking up so we gave each other a spontaneous/overly enthusiastic wave. Then later that morning we just so happened to be at the same baby group and had an awkward "we've already said hello this morning" conversation. She's now one of my closest friends!!

There's also bag lady. Carries a massive Ikea size bag everywhere. We greet each other like old friends in the morning.

Catholic Church lady. I see her on her way to church every morning and worry if I don't see her. I once asked her for a cup of tea and she said no (I think she's a bit of a half nun and can't socialise but I'm not sure if I've made that up or she told me when she said no)!

Patsy who is gregarious and totally lives up to her name.

Nice American lady who stopped me once to tell me her mother in law had died that morning. I think she just needed a chat. She passes us on her bike and I know I'm REALLY late when I see her coming towards me on her bike having already dropped her kids.

Man with twins. When his wife has them she doesn't say hello but we always do!

Finally the mum that never says hello. Three years of school runs. Every single day we and still nothing despite my most forward attempts! I've watched her daughter grow up!!

Local campaigning mum who wears jazzy leggings. She comes in the opposite direction and crosses at the lights at the same time. If they get there before us we have less time to wait because they've already pressed the button for the green man,

Regressionconfession · 12/12/2018 05:37

Me and DP had talked about dreadlock lady a bit (boring uninspiring town so she sticks out) and how I'd like to be friends with her ... so when I finally did meet her I messaged him to say I'd met dreadlock lady!! I can never ever tell her that she was dreadlock lady.

BikeRunSki · 12/12/2018 06:19

Old Lady and Recumbent Man
A lady who must be in her 80s who rides a bike probably as slowly as possibly without falling off. It’s a good bike, made by a reputable frame builder and she has all the ptooer kit, but it’s very faded and dares ftomabiut1990. There always used to be a man of similar vintage following we about 1/4 mile behind on a recumbent bike, but I havn’t seen him for a couple of years. If have a feeling that he is no longer around.