Holmes Place Health Club, Hendon - I love these people!!

Ok, now the initial 'blogging every day' phase has passed. By the by, I think there's something wrong with my profile views' counter - it's been showing 24 ever since I set the thing up...

Anyway, nothing as exciting as what happens to Glyn and other bloggers happens to me, but yesterday, I experienced one of the worst panics of my entire life. Reading this, it might not seem so scary, but anyone who has been in this position will know how terrifying it is!

Ok, so I'm on the Northern Line after having met a friend. All of a sudden I am absolutely desperate to go to the toilet. Seriously desperate. The closest station is Burnt Oak - the train pulls in, I jump off and run up the stairs. No toilets. Ok, I think to myself, not many underground stations have toilets nearby, but there must be some near... I run around Burnt Oak for a good twenty minutes, completely unable to find a toilet. This was not funny! I had to be at uni to pick up my classification, and it was so bad I began trying to work out whether I would have time to buy new trousers before I had to be at uni and see people...

Anyway, I run back to the tube station and frantically look at the nearby stations. Hendon Central. That has 'Central' in its name, so it must be a pretty big place. I decide to go with my gut feeling and jump on the next tube southwards. Bear in mind that at this point it has become so desperate that I can't even sit down on the train. I was in agony!

After what seems the longest tube journey of my entire life, I jump out at Hendon Central, almost knocking people over as I run up the stairs and find the local area map (helpfully hidden away in a corner). A helpfully hidden local area map that doesn't show public toilets. 'Ok, ok, I can do this. I can make it', I think to myself - all the while knowing that I really don't have very long.

The first sign I see when I leave the station is a sign for a public toilet - 'THANK YOU!' I say (out loud) and I start running in this direction, but I couldn't find them anywhere. Close to screaming out at this point I turn around and see Subway, KFC, Domino's and loads of cafes. 'YES!!'

Anyone who's been to London will know that many 'towns' have a huge roundabout as their main attraction, with a confusing system of subways - Hendon was no different. (I know what you're thinking, but there were people in the subways - I know what else you're thinking, but there are no bushes at Hendon Central, people!). I ran through the (very long!) subway to KFC - no toilet; through the subway to Subway - no toilet; through the subway to Domino's - no toilet; into a cafe - no toilet, into a second cafe - no toilet. I was livid! (I never use that word, but it's so appropriate!) WHERE DO PEOPLE IN HENDON GO TO THE TOILET?!

I turn around and there I see it - Holmes Place Health Club, Hendon. The bright light at the end of the tunnel. I run (through another frickin' subway) and step into the rather exey looking Health Club. Very quietly I said 'I'm really sorry, but do you have a toilet I can use, or do you know where I can find one...?' - it was pretty obvious I was close to tears!

'Yes' he replied, 'you can use ours, but I'll need to get someone to escort you.' 'Ok', I said. Now, the entrance of this place was pretty busy, so you can imagine how red I turned when he shouted out. 'CLIVE (we'll say that was his name, I was in no fit state to hear anything) CAN YOU TAKE THIS GENTLEMAN TO THE TOILET?' How embarrassing. But then Clive came and showed me to the toilet and I think I was the happiest I've ever been ever! Sheer ecstacy. That was a great feeling (bearing in mind that nearly an hour has passed since I was panicking in Burnt Oak!).

I emerge from the Health Club, dancing in the air (in my head) - and I immediately see the public toilets, standing next to a lovely load of bushes.