MEDALLION MAN?

"Do you have a medallion?" a group leader asked me recently. I beg your pardon? Me, wear a gold chain and St Christopher - how naff, I almost replied, until I realised she was talking about my blue badge, the sign of qualification for guides. It was nice that she knew about the badge, which many tourists don't, although she had got the terminology wrong. Opinions aare mixed on how prominent the badge should be. One guide starts his tour by telling people about it and how important it is to have a qualified guide. Others wear it sdiscreetly or not at all and never mention it, preferring to let their work do the talking. I incline to the latter poicy although I always wear the badge if I am doing work in the London area (never on extended tours, when I do not usually bother to take my badge, having been told early on - in no uncertain terms - that it was not appropriate to wear it outside the area it covers). If you promote the badge too much you are setting yourself up for a fall - you are inviting people to say that "He may be qualified but he was not much of a communicator" or some such.
Anyway the eight o'clock bleep has just gone and I need to get to work. A blue badge guide should be in position fifteen minutes before tour is due to start...