I sometimes head into either Glasgow or Edinburgh to work. I get as much writing done sitting in a Starbucks, a park, or even on the train as I do working from home. Its paradoxical but I find the distractions from the people around me help me to focus.
Yesterday I went to Glasgow where I roamed from one coffee shop to the next - moving when I needed a break.
A strange thing happened when I went for lunch. I'd finished and a nice lady came by and asked me if she could empty my tray for me (it was one of those places).
I said "Sure, something, something, something, something".
She said in a broad Scottish accent, "Sorry, I'm deaf. I didn't understand you".
So, I looked directly at her and said "Yes, please. That would be nice".
She smiled at me. "You're not from around here are you?"
I looked at her again. Bewildered. If she's deaf then she couldn't hear my New Zealand accent.
"How did you know that? I'm from New Zealand".
"Oh. You were easy to lip read so I knew you weren't local."
