A Cambridge bike story

The bike parking facilities at Cambridge station are scandalous - thousands of bikes, never enough places to fix your bike to, and hundreds that look abandoned and never move. If you're in a rush, you can easily miss your train trying to find a space to put your bike. They are so crowded together that it's had to see where one bike begins and another ends. Nevertheless it is convenient and free, so lots of people cycle to the station to take the train to London every day.

Mick is one of these people - and he's very hard-working and often comes home late in the evening. One night he arrived back, tired after a long day, ready to cycle home. When he went to unlock his bike some complete idiot had managed to padlock their bike to his.

It was dark and rainy and he was furious. He wrote a note and left it in the other bike's basket. The note read: "You've locked your bike to mine. It's dark. I'm going to have to get a taxi home. Pease be more careful."

The next day when he got home from work he went to look for his bike. On it he found a note that said: "So sorry about your bike. Was in a rush to get the train for the premiere of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight at Covent Garden (absolutely fantastic!). Please accept my apologies."  And enclosed was a £5 note.



Sign in Latin and Greek on the railings of a house in Portugal Street. Did the Romans have 'duae rotae' then?