All I want is a cup of tea

Having spent a very enjoyable 5 days in the rain in Symonds Yat, we faced what ended up as being a very long drive home.  Driving, or crawling, through torrential rain, the journey seemed to be interminable.  After 3 hours at the wheel I declared my need to stop for a cuppa so we pulled in at a service station.   There was a Starbucks in one building so we pulled up our hoods and hurried in.  I wanted Green tea or any herbal tea, even an Earl Grey would be good but I couldn't see tea on the board.  A young lad was stacking the shelf full of biscuits so I asked him if they had tea.  'Oh yes,' he said, so I queued patiently.  After 10 minutes I reached the front of the queue.  'We only sell coffee, not tea, or we have coca cola.'  I left my family drinking their coffee and wandered out in the rain to see what other delights I could find.  Spotting another building I ventured in.   Two more Starbucks and no tea.  You have to be kidding!  Tea is the British national drink and although I don't like bog standard tea, I am outraged that they don't sell it, let alone green tea.

I went back to the car and waited for the others to finish.  An hour later we found another service station on the A34.  It used to be a Little Chef serving eggs and bacon, salad, toasted tea cakes and scones.  Now it is a Starbucks selling coffee, small packets of biscuits and even smaller packets of crisps - and no tea! The floor  was filthy, as were the tables and even the chairs.   I wandered disconsolately back to the car.  After nearly five hours of driving I pulled wearily into yet another service station.  My heart sank when I saw the familiar sign of Starbucks.  I couldn't find the will to get out of the car so I sent my son in to ask the question.

A few minutes later he ran out, shouting in a booming voice, much to the alarm of some and amusement of other travellers, 'they have herbal tea!'

I was due a cheque which didn't arrive so following the instructions for reporting a lost cheque I completed my name, address, account number and, oh dear they want the cheque number.  You cannot proceed without the cheque number it said.  Well if I had that I wouldn't be reporting it would I?