Lilac Time

If you cast your mind back to when this interminable voyage round Milan began, I decided to do the five lines in numerical order, because I'm boring and a bit predictable. With the M1 and the M2 largely done, my spreadsheet was clear for day three: complete the Gessate branch, then move on to complete the M3 from start to finish. A long day, to be sure, but worth it.The first two days were making me rethink my approach. I really hadn't taken into account how hot it would be. The whole of Europe was sweltering under nightmarish, sweltering conditions, and as a fat middle aged man who walks very quickly, I was finding myself both exhausted and sweaty. My clothes from the first day on the network were still damp two days later, hung in my air conditioned hotel room; meanwhile I'd got used to my pee being thick treacle from the dehydration.Waking up to a severe weather alert, with predicted temperatures reaching the high thirties, filled me with terror. I really didn't want to flake out…