It’s ever so glamorous being a corporate whore. You get to do all sorts of wonderful things like cutting short your weekend to get up at 4am to fly to Amsterdam and back in a day. Then you get to work some more later in the day, having just got back from a twelve hour trip.
This photo was taken from the British Airways lounge at Schiphol airport and the subject is the Dutch National Airline so is very relevant to my day. My trip didn't even take me outside the airport - the meeting was in an hotel inside the airport itself. It was the only photo opportunity I got while out and I’m too exhausted and too miserable now to think up a plan for an alternative.
I do know now that Amsterdam’s weather has been just as filthy as it has been in the UK over the weekend and today. On Saturday night about two inches of rain fell in our front garden in Cornwall and on Sunday night about the same amount fell here.
All of this got put neatly into perspective when I phoned my trusty cabbie, Barry to ask him to arrange to pick me up and take me to the airport this morning only to find out his only employee and my other trusty cabbie, Chaz dropped dead three weeks ago. Barry is run ragged trying to keep his little company afloat and Chaz’s wife is now missing her husband.
It was clear Chaz was not a well man (too many years as a 60 a day man) and he was often barely able to speak because his breathing was so bad. He died of a blood clot which his friends don’t recognise as being connected.
So, DM was galvanised into action to take me to the airport at 5am ready for my flight.
Our meeting was somewhat strange and we came home wondering if we’d actually made any impact on our clients at all, so pleased were they to be rid of us at the end. Ah well, who can tell – we’ll just have to wait and see the outcome of their deliberations.
I’m once again shocked more by the human aspect of this – Chaz, for all his habit that drove him into an early grave, was a kind and generous man. I will miss him on my late night and early morning airport runs. I hope he didn’t suffer.
I found a penny last year and was enjoying a bit of wildlife in 2003.
