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Opportunity knocks at my dirty window panes

Vic Barlow
27/ 9/2006

MANY people utter the word 'opportunist' with disdain. To them it smacks of exploitation but I don't subscribe to that view.

Opportunism saved us from a soaking at the Rolling Stones concert when the heavens opened and a vendor amazingly appeared selling plastic ponchos. I don't even mind the inflated price charged for ice cream during a heat wave but this week's episode takes the biscuit.

Having agreed that several of our double glazed units were in need of replacing I left a trusted tradesman to get on with the job.

As I transported a couple of dogs up the M6 to Scotland my mobile phone rang.

"Have you taken a close look at your windows, mate?

"Er, not really."

"There's more than 20 panes in need of replacing."

"Twenty!"

"Afraid so." (I heard him suck air between his front teeth - never a good sign.) I told him to do the lot in order to have the job finished before winter.

On my return I discovered a pile of old double glazed units stacked by the back door and a note left in the post box by one of Sutton's finest craftsmen that read.

"Your windows have been cleaned."

• THE views expressed on this page are those of Vic Barlow and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Express.