Coffee

To the office.  I took an earlier train than the one I have been taking because of the risk of last minute cancellations.  Because of the earlier train, which did run to time, I arrived in Staines a bit earlier than I normally would so I took a walk into the town centre using the path by the railway rather than walking past the office.  I grabbed a coffee from Caffè Nero and then headed back to the office. Then, but the time I walked into the building, I was still early and only Mo in the meeting room and we had a good chat before the others arrived. Nice to have a catch-up. It felt like being in the office used to feel.

I don’t usually grab a coffee on the way to work these days. I have been making my own but as I rushed for the earlier train I did not get the opportunity. The Nero coffee was great but we have perfectly serviceable machines in the office so I would not normally bother with a coffee shop, Today, the office machine has some kind of issue and what was coming out was, basically brown water.  We tried two machines, the second one was marginally better. 

Lunch was at a new Indian takeaway that does good deals on a lunchtime meal. I had a curry which was, perhaps, a bit too much for lunch but delicious nonetheless. We sat in the canteen which, again, made the day feel a bit more sociable than taking a sandwich back to a meeting room. 

I travelled back home with Mo who was heading into central London. Changing at Clapham it’s clear to see how much busier the commuter trains are getting as it was quite a squash to get on the last leg of the journey back to Raynes Park.  As Staines is outside London’s Oyster-Contactless zones- and because I only go once a week - i end up buying a return ticket on the day.  The price, £13.20, really hits home when I am squashed onto a train with almost nowhere to stand or put my bag.