There is something wonderfully English about queueing; not only is it the only word in the Oxford Dictionary that strings five vowels consecutively together, but it could be worth no less than 119 points in a game of Scrabble if strategically placed for a triple-word score and formed by using all seven of your tiles – the odds of which occurring are, realistically, probably in excess of those for winning the Lottery.

However, it isn’t just the word that is fascinating, but the concept that an undefined number of people can randomly assemble themselves at a given point on the planet at the same time, all seeking the same, or similar, end to the quest that called them there.  Having done that they will, almost unerringly, regulate themselves to acquire what they seek in exactly the same order in which they arrived, with minimal communication beyond an inquisitive eyebrow-raise, or surreptitious beckoning hand, occasionally accompanied by a polite “after you”. Continue Reading