When I sit in my favourite corner at Seattle, Hyde Park, I am armed against possible interferences. I sit at the window so that I have a bit of a view. I have a short green tea, so I don’t have to give up my spot to rush off to the WC. I listen to music with earphones, so I don’t have to listen to conversations about the latest beauty salons, new business ventures or fight with the boyfriend.

This morning I have found a new interference, one I did not anticipate. Aftershave. The dude sitting two meters behind me is giving off such a pungent aftershave smell that it is making my eyes water. Apart from telling him that he is guilty of air pollution, there’s no real solution to the problem.

When the sneezing starts I would have to exit. Dammit.