Yesterday was a surprisingly happy day - not that others aren't, it was just surprising in its quality of happiness, all down to unexpected blessings.

I had to travel to Preston for a meeting with the minister for whom I am a mentor.  For various reasons, I hadn't booked the tickets until Monday, when I was utterly whacked, and chose to pay the extra myself in order to go first class - that way I'd get lunch/tea and have a table so I could do some work.  I got on my train, settled in and, horror - someone else had the same seat reserved.  On closer inspection, I'd messed up, and booked a ticket for Monday not Tuesday... gathering my bits I decamped to a very busy second class carriage and waited for the train manager to arrive so that I could buy a new ticket.

When he arrived, I explained I was the numpty who bought a ticket for the wrong day, and I could I please buy a single to Preston.  He asked to see my ticket, looked me in the eye, and said, 'it's alright,' before sending me back to first class.

'Lunch' turned out to be fruit salad and biscuit, as it was still morning in Virgin Trains speak, but the tea was hot and plentiful, and I did get some work done.

I bought a new ticket for the return journey - it would have been wrong, so wrong, knowingly to get on a train with a 'yesterday' ticket.

It's not often these things happen, but so joyful when they do!