State of Emergency

Evening all.

I had been lured to Meadowhall in Sheffield for a 'breakfast meeting' with somebody or other trying to sell me something so dull i can't imagine how they find sufficient enthusiasm to even get out of bed, never mind drive half the length of the country to be at a northern,draughty,soulless, shopping complex to buy coffee and bacon butties for a northern, disinterested, half awake person.

Still, there i was, Marks and Sparks cafe, making appropriate cooing noises through a bacon filled mouth,while a rep threatened me with a piece of ventilator tubing i couldn't live without.

Then it happened, a tannoy voice advising us that we all had to evacuate immediately and no, this was not a drill....how exciting.

In typical British fashion, we all evacuated to the designated exits, not before however:

two old people refused to go until they had repackaged all the gifts they had bought and were examining for flaws over their tea,
one person made faintly embarrassed noises and asked if it was "strictly necessary ro go as she was waiting her friend",
one man wasn't keen to go until he was assured he would get a refund for his "deluxe hot chocolate...you know the one with the marshmallows, deluxe,deluxe"
and one person was challenged and advised that they were very sorry but" you aren't allowed to take your cup and plate outside with you".....

i'm still upset about that, burnt me lips on hot coffee and had to shovel a bacon butty down my throat before the rep noticed it was his.

We stood outside for about an hour before we sneaked back to the cars and went our seperate ways...now, anyone need any corrugated plastic tubing, i seem to have acquired loads of the stuff.

night all


robin george