Wake up and smell the coffee

On a recent visit by Tony, our much loved accountant, he queried some expenses I had raised. He thought that the Inland revenue may possibly ask questions...

In particular, he noted a receipt for green tea and coffee purchased from Whittards. I think he wondered if this had been for home, and maybe not for the office. I spun round in my chair and pulled a packet of green tea from the provisions cupboard. Along side this was a jar of Whittards Columbian coffee. I can understand most people thinking that green tea was not usual fare in the office, but in this case no. I have been drinking it for 20 years or more and it is a staple fluid for me, at home and at work.

As for the coffee, maybe Tony had been a little 'blocked up', although only instant, the smell of freshly poured coffee had been evident in the room when he arrived. But people being people, Tony doesn't drink tea, or coffee for that matter, so maybe we can forgive his mistaken impression that both were out of the ordinary. Happily reassured, Tony sipped his water, and bade farewell.

Ironically, soon after his visit, Whittards in Putney, closed down as a result of the economic downturn and supplies have been hard to come by. Luckily, there are still branches open and with a little research, we have been able to restock our supplies.