Thursday 22 October 2009

Swiss don't wanna play no more!

It has been a strange day for Swiss. He has been in London and had cause to pass through Temple Station. That's on the underground don't you know. Its the closest stop to where those Barrister types go to work.

Well, where they go to have a cup of tea and hang their coats up before hurrying to the Royal Courts of Justice wearing wigs and stuff, looking rather dashing as they majestically sweep across The Strand, avoiding the television crews assembled to film the latest naughty celebrity to be found guilty of something or another.

So following a busy day doing his rounds of the Chambers and Courts with his mobile shoe shine business, (He is hoping to franchise the business and make some money), he parked his bike outside the station and went down to the platform.

It was 5.00pm. Home time, office kicking out time. End of the day. Time to go home to the missus and say hello to the kids.

Temple Station was deserted. Not a soul in sight.

Swiss was puzzled. So he sat and waited. At 6pm, a couple of hassled junior Barrister types came running down to the platform, still wearing their gowns, loaded down with lever arch files with loose papers flying out to board the train.

7pm, a couple more.

Then at 8pm, an exodus of Barristers arrived, with equally heavy laden lever arch files and boarded the train. Thousands of the buggers there was.

They all sat down, opened their files, took out their highlighter pens, and started work.

Sod that for a game of soldiers. Swiss is not going to be playing that game thank you very much.

Swiss expects to be home every day by 6pm, ready for his boiled egg and soldiers for dipping, watch the One Show and get ready for beddie byes.

After the BVC, failed pupillage applicants moan that they should have given up earlier, that they should have known they would never make it, if only they had been more honest with themselves, they would have stopped the fruitless effort to qualify.

Well, Swiss can tell you that he has made his mind up. This is not a game he wants to play anymore. Sod leaving the office at 8pm, taking work home, and being too late for the One Show.

Swiss is happy to carry on with his shoe shine business, polishing the brogues of those dashing Barristers, and maintain a measure of work/life balance. Stuff the BVC. Admittedly, it has taught him all he ever needed to know about Dot to Dot, and not colouring over the edges, and he loves the way that CofL is sponsored by Crayola, but for goodenss sake, missing the One Show and boiled egg and soldiers?

Never.