Last minute (almost) Christmas shopping...

So, there I was, on the way into Croydon, to perform my almost last minute Christmas shopping. By bus and tram, since I've got the handiness of a staff pass, and the car's off the road - naturally, it was snowing again - and who wants to drive in this bleeping clag, anyhow?

So, I get to the tram interchange, and the coffee stand windows were up, there was a woman there, and whoopee! It looked like I was actually going to get a coffee while I wait for the tram!

Wrong. Of course. You'd think I'd learn that it's never that easy when I want a coffee on a Sunday.

Anyhow, seeing no tram at the stop, I walked over to the coffee stand, and before I'd even had a chance to order a coffee, the lady looked up from wiping some jug-like stainless steel implement, and in a very heavily accented eastern European voice, said "Zorry, izz owt ov zervise, izz clozed, yes?"

Oh, Well, that was that. I shrugged, and tromped off in the falling snow to the tram stop.

The rest of the day, luckily, was far better; I got the presents I was looking for (no clues here, folks - my family actually read this!), and a few other items besides, and that was that. Getting back home again took about the same amount of time as getting into Croydon - ages. At least the drivers of the trams didn't need to stir soup-like manual points controls this time