water, please...

I have just finished a two day job for a German architects' company interviewing companies who had put in an offer for the job of general contractor for the refurbishment of a posh flat in Sloanie land.

I worked on my own for 6 hours on both days, and the client was open enough for my requests for breaks, so that was not the problem. I had plenty of background material relevant to the job at hand to prepare, so no complaints there, either.

The real issue was that they had caterers bring in trays of sandwiches, some fruit, and two massive cans of tea and coffee each, but no water. Not the client's fault as the water had been ordered, just not delivered, just like the napkins and paper plates. But it's a great reminder of how important it is to provide people whose job it is to talk a lot on your behalf with something to lubricate their throats...