Great Western Coffee Shop

I had to go into Reading today to have my "good" ear syringed - I'm stone deaf in the other. My GP surgery isn't allowed to do this nowadays, so after being told of 10 or 14 days' wait for an appointment by various clinics (including opticians with audiology departments), I got one at a clinic facing the Royal Berks Hospital. (No, not the Florey, which deals with sexual health.)

I dithered about how to get there, especially with warnings of thundery downpours. I could have caught a Number 17 bus early on its route through Tilehurst Triangle (so presumably fairly empty at that point) which would have taken me to the RBH, but I opted for the train.

Just a dozen vehicles in Tilehurst station car park, but the station itself had about a dozen passengers mid-morning. (Remember that the half-hourly services have become hourly.) I dutifully wore my mask, though I didn't think it was necessary on the open platform. Bit of a scare with the info boards not working and the one on Platform Four saying there was no service at that platform. I scurried across to the ticket office where the pleasant blonde lady assured me it was the correct platform.

Reading Station was very quiet and most of the food outlets, including M & S, were closed.

I arrived a bit early, so wandered along Addington Road. I've heard shock-horror stories about hospital visitors being unable to park, but hardly any of the Pay & Display spaces were taken.

I was in the clinic for barely 12 minutes and left being able to hear again. I meandered back past various restaurants that I used to patronise, but wouldn't care to at present. The London Street Brasserie did look inviting, door open, full menu on a board outside...

Most people were behaving sensibly, though there were quite a few girls wandering along intent on their screens.