Ashley Ashwood Tribute

Peter Marsh got it right. Ash really did have a lugubrious sense of humor.

When I last saw Ash, I told him the story of a dreadful train trip I had taken the previous winter. 15 hours in a Soviet train, with not one second of sleep, primarily due to the blast furnace heating system that guaranteed a minimum temperature of 32 degrees and 90% humidity in our sauna-like coupes.

The situation could not be remedied by opening our windows, since they were sealed shut.

"British Rail have done the same thing here!" said Ash.

"Really? That's news to me!" I replied, not realizing that I was being set up.

"Oh yeah," said Ash. "They began sealing the windows because so many people were throwing themselves off the trains because of what Tony Blair has done to this country!"

Thanks, Ash. Glad I could provide you with an opportunity for a great, impromptu joke.