Urban geocaching

Sarah and I did some geocaching around the canal in Leeds - the photo shows Bridgewater Place, formerly the tallest building in Yorkshire. The sail-like structure is a wind baffle, one of several that had to be installed to stop wind causing a dangerous downdraft around the building.

The whole area has undergone significant regeneration, but in the middle is a building I recognised from my years working in Leeds. We had a very, very important corporate client, the MD of which was a very, very scary man. I had the dubious honour of completing his tax return - which had every obscure source of income usually found only in technical exams. One year he decided we were charging too much so he’d complete the return himself. Fair enough.

One afternoon I was called into the senior partner’s office, and for the first time in my life I heard the phrase “hospital pass” as the partner apologised and gave me the said “hospital pass”. Scary client had got into a muddle with his tax return and had rung up in a tantrum - I was to go to help him out. Gulp.

After a few stressful hours sitting with him in his office, he admitted defeat and I was sent packing back to work with carrier bags full of papers, and instructions to “just bloody well get it done”. For a while after that he was actually quite pleasant to me, but it didn’t last of course. He was very cross when I got married as he would have to learn my new name - he never actually used it. I smiled as I looked up at the office window and remembered that afternoon - I don’t imagine he’d be allowed to get away with it these days.