One of the reasons I got my mobile phone was the vain hunt for a pay phone that actually took cash! Apparently I can phone abroad really cheaply, send Emails and check my answerphone, I can even (if really desperate) telephone home, but not if I don't have a credit card.....

In trying to contact the garage, I tried 5 telephone boxes in a 1/2 mile radius of where I was stuck in London. 2 were Orange boxes, 2 were the good old BT red boxes and one was Mercury. 4 out of the 5 would only accept phonecards - an item I'd've happily purchased if there had been anyone within that 1/2 mile who sold them. The fifth was broken and only taking emergency calls. As I was just broken down and not actually injured, on fire or being assaulted, I didn't want to bother them.

In the end, a kindly passer by lent me his mobile to call the garage on, and I got home OK. The next day I went and got my own phone!

(Which, until the upgrade had a unique ringtone which I composed. Can't do that on my new phone, much to my annoyance, but at least it doesn't play that bloody awful frog!)

LTS