London: "We Will Drink Tea And Jolly Well Carry On"

This week has been horrendous for London. On Wednesday we suffered another awful terrorist attack, leaving one policeman, a mother, a tourist and others dead or injured.

People who live abroad may not realise that those who work on the underground have a fantastic sense of humour, even in the most adverse times. Some staff on stations play music, others write words of wisdom on white boards every morning. An attempt to cheer those poor people who have to struggle around this huge city every morning to get to work and every evening to get home.

There have been several times in my life when these fantastic station attendants have helped me. When I was a young teenager, hopelessly lost I was safely directed home. As a asthmatic city worker who was struggling with smog and bad air quality, it was they who rang for an ambulance when I couldn't breathe. I have a fondness for those cheeky chaps, who give you a wink as they help you through the barriers, and who smile regardless of whatever is thrown at them.

So, it warmed my heart and made me smile when I saw this positive message on a whiteboard at one London underground station. We will drink tea and jolly well carry on. The "thank you" at the end was especially funny.

I was in London myself last Wednesday. I was with a friend from work, we had been to Kensington Palace to see the brand spanking new Diana exhibition. We had a fantastic time. Then the atrocious attack happened. But, somehow, we got home safe and sound, the tube drivers kindly explaining to us every time they had to stop between stations, a nice, calm approach that prevented any form of panic. My friend, though, was worried. She is relatively new to London really, not sure about the tubes or where places are. But, I suppose, having worked as a sixteen year old in London in the mid 1990's, and having to travel to the city through extensive IRA terrorism, I was not used to it as such, but, perhaps, able to stay a little calmer.

I guess us British folk turn to tea when times get rough, when sea's get choppy. We are renowned for it.  And though this whiteboard message made so many people smile at a horrid time, it's actually very true. We will drink tea and jolly well carry on.

My thoughts go out to all those who lost family members in this attack. It goes out to those who died and who are laid in hospital injured.

But I also thank those who work on the underground, who are themselves targets for terrorism. How they reacted and treated passengers was amazing. As amazing as their sense of humour is.