Howling

The wind is howling a gale outside and there is something so satisfying about being inside and hearing the wind roaring outside!

Weekends, weekends

Sorry for the delay in posting. I met the man of my dreams on Friday night and have only just staggered out of bed after a 2 day marathon sex session!




Actually, that may of course be a complete lie, but nice to dream eh?!

Friday night was good, despite the lack of above result, although town was so, so quiet it was ridiculous. Ava and I had a really good catch up though, not to mention much giggling at the freakazoids that seem to inhabit our town, and positive hysterics at the fact that I must have been wearing a sign on my forehead that said "freakazoids apply here". Seriously, the amount of (completely unwanted) male attention was ridiculous. I wouldn't mind if it had been "cute in the community" rather than "care in the community", but alas my little town is seriously lacking in attractive men. Amusement nonetheless though!

Yesterday was spent in the usual Saturday way... ogling at SPM whilst smiling encouragingly at X demonstrating breast stroke legs to the rest of her swimming class, bless her, followed by trip into town, back in time for the new non-sexy gardener, then off to Sainsbury's to spend too much on scrummy, yummy weekend food. Cheese and crackers this weekend!

I worked a late floater session last night, from 10pm-1am, which was absolutely dead, so ended up having a really late lie in this morning before off for Sunday "floating fun" down the local pool. The weather has been glorious again, so we decided to buy a couple of disposable barbecues and a few burgers and sausages, drag the kitchen table and the deckchairs out onto the newly cut back garden, and enjoy the sun while Y had his first try and barbecue cooking (and did a pretty good job of it actually). Rounded the day off with Madagascar on DVD, and bed for the kids, and here I am.

It may not sound like a fabulously exciting weekend (erm... it wasn't!), but sometimes a weekend of catching up with mates, spending time with the kids and enjoying the sunshine is just fine by me. Though if, of course, the original option had stood...

Thank Crunchie...!

Have had a hectic couple of days working - despite the fact I was on annual leave yesterday! Instead I spent most of the day working from home, and then had to go into work for the last hour and a half of the day! Today was the bi-monthly strategy meeting that I chair (and dread!) but it was actually quite productive and the hard work over the last week has paid off.

I'm glad the weekend is here though, especially as I'm not back at work until Wednesday next week, which is a nice break. I'll also get a bit of kid free time this weekend as I'm off to a wedding tomorrow, which I'm looking forward to, especially as mate Mick is coming with me, all the way from Manchester, and I haven't seen him for 2 years. There will also be a couple of people at the wedding that I've not seen for ages, including ex-boyfriend BB, so will be nice to catch up with them. Hopefully the weather will stay gorgeous for the bride and groom (and guests), and a good day will be had by all.

Just need to clean the house and decide what to wear now...!

Mary Poppins

Well, not exactly, but I've certainly been doing the mothering thing the last few days!!

Yesterday I had planned for us to go to Vi's barbecue after our Sunday swimming session, but after an hour of "floating fun" in our local pool (where there were only about 14 other people in the whole pool!), both my kids were sniping and grumpy, and I was in no mood to inflict them on innocent people I didn't know. (Sorry Vi). Instead we came home, and after lunch went around the park area at the back of my house and picked blackberries for an hour. Yes, a whole mixing bowl of them!* I then cooked a roast chicken dinner at X's request and peace seemed to be restored for the evening.

Today, I woke about ten (after not getting to sleep until 4.30am) and decided on a whim to head to the seaside. So, after eventually getting everything organised, followed by a trip to the bank to raid X's bank account due to skintage, and a couple of hours drive, we arrived at Sunny Hunny, which although a bit of a small and crappy seaside resort has a lovely beach and some beautiful town and is perfect for sun, sea and sand. The weather held quite nicely, though it could have been hotter, and much sand castle building commenced, along with some sea paddling for me, sea splashing for Y, and sea swimming for X! The water was surprisingly warm actually. Finished the day with a fish and chip tea on the seafront and an ice cream and finally arrived home about 8.30pm. More baths, and now X is snoring, Y is boxing on his Wii and I am attempting to ignore the state of my house (including yesterday's roast dinner washing up!)

Tomorrow... Warwick Castle awaits!

*Unfortunately, being the non-Nigella that I am, and in a rush to get out of the house this morning, I thought I would quickly stew the blackberries down to then fridge/freeze for crumble making. However, I forgot that stewing requires a cup of water, sugar, and the fruit, and instead put enough water in to sink a tank. The end result - boiled blackberries. Erm, yum!

Summer days

The London presentation went well (I think), and I had a little chat with the relevant Home Office MP who was speaking before me, giving me the opportunity to do the necessary smarming and smiling required in these circumstances. I'm determined to get some Home Office recognition or national awards for the service and the team this year, so I'm trying to go anywhere and everywhere to do so. Unfortunately, I was down for outreach Thursday night, so it seemed a very long day, and I must say I'm very glad to not be back at work until Wednesday now, as I feel I need a few days off at the moment.

Much as the summer holidays may drive me mad, the beauty of them is that I usually only work a two or three day week (using up all my bloody annual leave mind!), which is great, although it means I'm then either trying to do 5 days work in 3 days, or I'm chasing my tail to catch up when September comes! I'm determined not to stress about it though, it's only work after all, and I know I do a good job most of the time.

Fortunately for me this week, at long last summer seems to have finally arrived, and the kids and I managed to spend a few hours yesterday afternoon at a local town park in lovely weather, followed by a trip round the tiny but friendly museum in the grounds.

Today, after X's swimming lessons, we took off again, this time to a local amusement park, joined by my Little Sister who was visiting for the day, where we enjoyed a lovely picnic, a round of crazy golf, a trip on the train, and a half hour boat ride (Y and LS rowed!). We also discovered that X and I weigh exactly the same on the see saw as Y and LS!! The weather has been really beautiful, and my back and shoulders are now a tingling pink, just waiting to dull down into a beautiful tan.

That said, I just went to let the cat out and now it's raining!

Summertime

Well, for today at least summer has finally declared itself! Fortuitously just in time for local town's annual carnival, which just happens to be held in the park behind my house. Most handy!
X and I headed off just after lunch, after a sojourn to ToysRus to buy some Bindeez as a treat for being a good girl for the last few days and getting such a good school report. As well as getting level 3's in all her SATs, (the national average for her school year is 2 - and she is one of the youngest!), her teacher had the following to say about her...

"X is a kind, respectful, caring member of the class. As the year has progressed she has developed maturity, enthusiasm and commitment to do her best. She enjoys responsibility and is a fantastic helper; she carries out jobs to a very high standard. X responds well to praise and does seem to become under-the-weather if she feels she is not being praised or achieving as well as she would like. X has a good sense of right and wrong; she often takes unsure pupils under her wing or tries to sort out disputes. At times she needs reminders that this helpfulness can sometimes distract her from her work. I am sure she will be an excellent organiser, a brilliant 'people person' when she gets older."

Much as she drives me to distraction sometimes (with that helpfulness and need for constant praise), she is a good girl at heart, and I'm glad to know she is caring and kind, just like her brother. Though you wouldnt know it of either of them when they get together!!

The carnival was good, although potentially expensive, X was given £5 and told when it was gone it was gone. It was soon gone of course, but both my kids are used to this rule whenever we go on holiday or on trips, so she was fine with that. Lucky devil that she is she spent 50p on the local paper's wheel of fortune thing and won a 4disc CS Lewis dvd. Result. She did want to take a bag of Haribo as her prize!!! but was fairly easily convinced otherwise, especially when she realised there were sweets in the goody bag they also gave her!

We stayed for a couple of hours watching the shows; a great Scottish pipe band (I love that!), some local majorette/cheerleaders, an aerobics display, some local singers/bands and a fantastic boys gymnastic group that was just amazing - leaping over cars amongst other things!! Enjoyed some sunshine and some nosh (cheeseburger for me, calamari for X!!), and then took the 5 min stroll home again, for some Bindeez fun!!

The best laid plans

Having struggled a bit to get back into the swing of things this week, I was pretty sure I'd be having a quiet one this weekend to help me relax back into the boredom of life in England. It didn't exactly happen like that!

I had an invitation to a friend of Disco's birthday evening in local town for last night, and I was umming and aaahing about whether to go for the above reason, a lack of money and a feeling of not wanting to plan but just see how I felt when Saturday night rolled around. My babysitter had been round to see if I needed her this weekend, and I'd told her I'd let her know Friday as I couldn't even be bothered to decide any more than that. Friday came round and she was asking again, so in the end I thought I'd better book her and then just see what I fancied doing.

After a bit of a nap Friday evening I woke up about 9pm and just felt like getting out a bit, so had been to The Nun for a few, which was amusing but nothing spectacular, but had given me a taste for an evening out last night. I still wasn't sure about the birthday in local town, wanting to see Disco but knowing we probably wouldn't get too much of a chance to talk, and Lena had asked me to go for a few in The Nun on Saturday night to meet her after she finished at 7pm. So, eventually, I decided to meet Lena for a couple and then head over to the birthday girl.

Got to The Nun as planned around 7.45pm, only to discover Lena was still helping out, so ended up chatting to local fellow Justin for much of the evening, along with a few of the other regulars. We were having quite a laugh and plenty of banter and before I knew it it was about 9.30pm and Lena was only just finishing. We had done some girlie chattering and I was planning to text Disco and head over to local town as it was pretty quiet in The Nun and heading on for closing time, when a few of the regulars who's been out for a meal elsewhere returned. And the madness began!

Before we knew it the non-regulars had left, the barman on duty had left, and Lena was serving copious amounts of Jack Daniels, Amaretto, Vodka and Wine to the 7 of us that remained. Who were all, excluding me, absolutely slaughtered!

Highlights of the evening that I recall are:

- Justin on the table singing into a lighter
- Mr M coming out with ridiculous wisecracks making everybody roar
- Mrs M shaking flowers all over herself singing "flowers in her hair"
- Mr C on his back on the floor doing some ridiculous dying fly impression
- Mrs C on top of Mr C on his back
- Justin on top of Mrs C on top of Mr C on his back
- Mr M on top of Justin on top of Mrs C on top of Mr C on his back
- Mrs M on top of Mr M on top of Justin on top of Mrs C on top of Mr C on his back, (yeehaaing like she was a rodeo rider!)
- Mrs M drinking straight from the lager tap and dribbling the froth out of her mouth in a most provocative manner
- Justin picking up Mrs M, twirling her round and dropping her
- Mrs M and Mrs C snogging
- Mr C spending twenty minutes trying to find the mobile phone video footage he had shot of Mrs C and Mrs M snogging
- Mr M mooning whilst dancing with Mrs M
- Mrs M going one better and dropping her jeans and walking around flashing just a g-string
- Mrs C, who was staying the night with Mr and Mrs M saying "I'm scared now!"
- A massive rendition of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' involving much wailing, air guitar and headbanging

I'm sure there were more!

Finally left at around 2am, (and after dropping Justin off home, and then Lena) I was apologising for late return to babysitter and again not getting into bed until nearly 3am. So much for a quiet few in The Nun!

A detour

Not only am I going to Vegas in a few weeks, but I'm also taking a little detour to San Francisco while I'm there! I don't know how it will work out, but I'm confident that it will be okay, and it's something that needs to be done. I'm not really reading too much into it, instead I'm just looking forward to having the opportunity of seeing him, catching up in real life and spending some time hanging out enjoying ourselves.

So there you have it! Two states in one trip. Can't be bad!

Hot, hot, hot

88 degrees in Vegas right now :-)

10 days and counting...!

Busy bunny

Well it seems to have been a pretty hectic, though happy, Easter break, though work once again beckons tomorrow!

Spent the afternoon on Saturday with Fran, before an amusing (if slightly disappointing) evening at The Nun, watching and listening to Lena absolutely murder several songs on the Karaoke playlist! I pretty much managed to avoid the entire thing, and the one time I was dragged up kicking and screaming I let my duetter sing far louder so you couldn't hear me at all :-)

After not getting to sleep until about 2.30am on Sunday morning, was up early for a day at a local game fair with my Dad, his partner, and X. Which was extortionately priced!! Thank goodness Pater was paying for most of it! (Did manage to pick up a couple of Martina Coles for the bargain price of £2 though!) Spent around 5 hours wandering around there, watching all manner of interesting country things, from lumberjack skills to ferrets to gundog trials to Punch and Judy shows, until we were flagging on our feet from not having sat down for hours and headed for home. Sunday evening was then a pretty quiet affair, although my body clock being the off-kilter timepiece that it is (I swear it's set to another timezone!), I didn't get to bed until around 2am.

Had a lie-in this morning, then generally pottered around. Bathed X and then ran out of cold water so was subjected to a luke warm bath myself (it's amazing how much I hate that!!), and then finally headed out into the sunshine again. Yet another local country park was visited by the 2 of us (Y still at his dad's since Saturday), where X had a good long ride on her bike and I walked a brisk mile around the lakes.

We were planning on heading to a local funday, but unfortunately X was involved in a minor bike accident when she swerved straight into the path of a 6', 16 stone speed cyclist. Fortunately, after disentangling them, the end result was no more than a bloody knee (for her), and a broken reflector (for him), but whilst she was very brave while he was there, the shock set in a bit and we ended up heading for home.

A chinese takeaway and too much chocolate later, (the virtous healthy walking feeling has been replaced by bloated heifer like feeling), X is now tucked up in bed, and I'm trying not to think about all that work waiting patiently for me tomorrow, whilst also trying to con myself that I will be in bed at a reasonable time tonight. Yeah, right!

Holidays!

Just got home from outreach, but yay, no work until next Tuesday!!

I am OG, hear me roar ...

What a funny, funny random evening! Went out with girly mates tonight, with nothing more exciting planned than a simple night around the home town, to start after picking up Bea at just after 8 and then heading for Meg Ryan and Straight Mate before a crawl round the various local establishments.

In the middle of the afternoon old friend Lena text to say where we out tonight as she fancied a girly night out, so ever the one to oblige I arranged to pick her up from the village pub where she works just out of town around 8, and then head on as above. When I got to the pub I text to tell her I was in the car park and she rang and asked me to come in for one. As the others were all expecting me I told her no and said I'd wait a minute while she finished her drink. Pretty much straight away I spotted in my rear view mirror this very attractive man heading my way. I wound down the window.

"Are you OG?"
"Yep"
"You have to come in for one. Come on!"
"Okay, if I must!"

Some very brief banter followed in the walk across the car park, during which he said he was so pleased I was coming he'd even written my name on his arm! It later transpired he has OG tattooed on his arm - one of those home made tattoos that so many men of a certain age and a probably dubious background have! (How weird is that?!)

As we walked in he was talking to a kid, that seemed to belong to him, (it is his), and after just a few minutes of being in there he put his arm round the girl standing next to him and gave her a kiss on the cheek. I'm just thinking, "damn", first fit bloke who's taken my eye as a potential for a while and he's married with a kid and about to introduce me to his wife! Two minutes later she introduces herself, and her girlfriend of 2 years sitting behind her. Result!!

Anyway, after being introduced to him properly (and discovering not only is he single but also looking for a relationship), as well as the others, who all seemed a good crowd, Lena and I ended up staying at the pub until just before 9, generally having a laugh with the locals, and I spent some time chatting (and flirting ever so slightly!) with him. I was thanking my lucky stars that I had made some effort before going out, because he is truly, truly scrummy, and the first man I have met for a long while that has the air of real potential about him! Tall, dark, average build, late 30's (I think!) and good looking in that not-too-pretty-but-trendy-enough way that I like best. He also seems funny, cheeky and a bit of geezer, but a geezer with plenty of money by the looks of things. He ordered 2 bottles of champagne without batting an eyelid (or making a big show of it!) just before I left!

Lena kept telling me he really liked me (although she was pissed and loved up with a different fella, so I don't really trust her word!), and he did seem to be pretty interested. At one point when we were talking about cooking said "So, when do you want to go out for dinner then?", which I just laughed off. Lena was desperate for us to stay for the rest of the night, which I was quite keen on, but I'd already arranged to see the other girls and wouldn't let them down just like that so eventually I dragged her out of there. I said goodbye to him as I was leaving and went to do the standard double air kissing thing, and was quite surprised when he gave me a really big hug too! I returned the hug and kept it friendly and flirty with "Nice to meet you, might well see you again some time", to which he replied "I hope so!" All good there then, but I kept it very cool with "Maybe!". So, methinks I shall be heading over the village pub very soon!

Finally picked Bea up, and caught up with Meg and Straight in hometown where we went on our merry way. I must have been wearing that mystical Eau De Whore, because I was pulling in some serious looking, then a few pubs in who should I bump into but M! (The old fuck buddy that never really kicked off as a fuck buddy!). I went over to him and KD and said a few words to them, though not a lot to him as I thought he was being a bit standoffish. Carried on around the town when he turned up in the local dive around 1am. He only said a curt hello on the way past to the gents, which I thought was a bit odd, but not that big a deal, but then he just ignored me on the way back. Meg just gave me a look that said 'strange!', I nodded and carried on with the dancing and singing as before.

A short while later he came up again, and said "Are you ignoring me?". I was completely confused, and was like "What you on about? I thought you were ignoring me!!" He said that I had spoken to KD in the other pub but had only said a brief hello to him and he thought I was being off with him?! What the fuck! Anyway, we spent the rest of the night chatting and having a laugh and blatantly flirting with each other, while talking about us in the summer and the situation with CM etc, and then we all left together. I dropped Meg off home (Bea, Straight and Lena had all already gone), then headed to drop KD off and finally M. As I was running really late for my sitter, after I had dropped KD, M said he would come back to mine and call a taxi.

We sat chatting for about fifteen minutes about this and that, and then I figured I really ought to offer him a drink so went to put the kettle on. He came into the kitchen and we were still talking, and the next thing I know we were kissing. And man, does he kiss fucking nicely!! To cut a long story short we ended up shagging, (which although wasn't fireworks and earth moving, was remarkably good considering the let down of the previous times) and then he called a taxi.

I'm cool with the whole M thing. I think it's one of those "right time, right place" kind of things, and I did enjoy it. I really don't think I am going to be actively seeking a repeat performance but I'm not against the idea of it happening again. And I had forgotten how fucking great his kissing is!!

On the whole M is only a pleasant interlude while I'm single, though if I have my way, that status may all be about to change in the not too distant future...

Update:
Lena popped round for a while after work this afternoon to update me on the Jay situation. Apparently he spent all afternoon asking after me, and what I'd said about him. Ah bless! We are supposed to be spending Saturday night over there, which I'm looking forward to but is going to take some planning this weekend, with mate Jane over from New Zealand for a month and staying with me for Easter, and a promised day out with my Dad on Easter Sunday!! Damn the timing of it all!
PS. Apparently he brought the champagne especially to impress me! Bless!

The worst that can happen?

Sometimes the thought that something might work out is scarier than the thought it won't.

Not for me though. Sometimes you just have to see where things take you. For better or worse!

Possibilities

I don't know what it is about the first signs of Spring, but to me they are more than a glimpse of sunny days just around the corner, but additionally signify the promise of possibilities; possibilities for the spring time, possibilities for summer, possibilities for the year, possibilities for a lifetime.

Nature begins to shed the vestiges of winter and open herself up to change and growth, and all around people begin to do the same. They seem to walk taller and smile wider on beautiful Spring days, and as the trees begin their tentative steps towards coverings of blossom, people, conversely, begin to lose the trappings of winter, both physically and mentally. As the clothes decrease, (albeit tentatively in the unpredictable British climate), positivity seems to increase, leading to the beginnings of a metaphorical and literal new season.

Today I am positively blooming! (Blooming awful my Dad would say!). I like the idea of possibilities...

Back on land, I have just booked (and paid for) my first 2 nights accommodation in Vegas - fabulous mate ATM is putting me up with her and hubby (no threesome comments please!!) for the remaining 6 nights. So, flights are booked, accommodation is sorted, and I am ready to rock and roll. Or, as my confirmation email so jauntily stated... "You're on your way to Vegas, baby!".

I'm also fantastically pleased that as well as funding my entire Vegas trip out of this months salary, I have also managed to pay all my bills, and poor as I am, I don't owe anybody a penny! Well, I suppose £450 to credit card companies and £150 of an overdraft, but that's par for the course to be honest! (Although thinking about it, it would usually be £700 to credit card companies, now reduced due to one bastard company dropping my limit by £250, so yay for bastard credit card companies!).

Just a passport to renew now...

Thank Crunchie it's Friday

Hurray, Friday is here! Although I'm now back on track with a computer at home, and have enjoyed catching up with pretty much everyone's blogs, I just realised I haven't posted since Sunday!! I have no idea where this week has gone, it's just flown by!

Well, hopefully I will get some time to browse and post this weekend. Am planning a yummy chinese for me and X this evening, the usual Saturday morning of dancing classes and swimming lessons (X not me!), and then a lazy Saturday afternoon before a comedy filled night! Sounds good to me.

Wooooooooooooohoooooooooooooooooo!!

Praise be to the Goddess of Mothers!! Thanks to mine (and her ex internet cafe running partner), I am now furnished with yet another second hand pc (while aforementioned partner fixes my old pc, or obtains old hard drive contents. Oh god why did I take and save risque photos of myself on that very same hard drive??!!) , and am back on t'internet!!! YAY!

(In the great scheme of destiny which decrees any small amount of pleasure must be counterbalanced with equal (or more so) amounts of pain; a quick "fuck you" to my bastard credit card company, who after I cleared my £500 limit this month in order to pay for my Vegas flights, sent me a nice letter telling me they had reviewed said credit limit and reduced it to £250. Hence the bouncing of said flights!!! BASTARDS!!)

But lets not dwell eh... (Bastards!!)

Was over in local town last night for a mates birthday, and spent a pleasant evening catching the eye and smiling shyly at a beautiful piece of male totty (built in the style of Pete from Big Brother - except without the shouting of "wankers" every few seconds) in the birthday boys group of friends. Was very pleased to have a few smiles returned, and decided to commence initial enquiries regarding the love god before me. Unfortunately, initial enquiries informed me that he was very much in love with a current partner. A non-female one!! Oh, the waste!!

Declined to go onto funky but studenty alternative club (mainly due to funds and babysitter curfews), and instead opted to spend the remainder of the evening back at local dive in hometown, where we were suitably amused by the variety of weird and wonderful (also not so wonderful) creatures on display!

Have spent today having a duvet day (excepting trip to Sainsbury's for emergency duvet day supplies - read french bread, pate, grapes and doughnuts), catching up on some long lost blogs, and being smug in my parenting skills as both X and Y have behaved impeccably for the whole day!! So, all in all a pretty average but fairly good weekend.

So back to work tomorrow, with a multitude of problems to deal with and tasks to complete, before the next weekend rolls round again - this time with a trip to local theatre for a (hopefully) pleasant and amusing evening of laughs at the comedy night!! Can't wait!

Hello hello!

I was at a conference workshop thingy yesterday (with lots of lovely policeman, yum yum), but how fucking funny when I realised one of them, who looked familiar, I'd copped off with years ago when I was about 19. Much chuckling under my breath, but mouth kept firmly shut, and fortunately he obviously didn't remember. Most amusing!

Friends - hurrah!

Well after the rant of yesterday, which I sent a shortened version of to my best friend and fellow Vegas tripster ‘Across The Miles’. I got an email from her this morning to say that her and hubby are likely to have a sofabed in their accommodation (they are using timeshare points of his parents for their hotel), and they were going to ask if I wanted it!!! Damn straight I want it, I’d sleep on the floor to save £400!!

So, now I only have to book hotel for Friday and Saturday night, as they don’t arrive until Sunday. How cool is that?! I can’t believe it, I’m well chuffed! I love my friend (oh, and her hubby too I guess)!!

Fear and loathing in Las Vegas

Well the money is spent!! I am now as poor as a church mouse, but do have tickets to Vegas winging their way to me as we speak!! Look out US, here I come....

New Year's Eve - Part 1 (belatedly!!)

Really wasn’t bothered about New Years Eve this year, not because I was a miserable moping cow, but more because I simply couldn’t be arsed!! However, the day dawned, and I thought “Fuck it! Might as well go out and enjoy it!”.

I’d had two main invitations (poor I know!), one to a party at Meg Ryan’s ex/current partner Knightrider, who is also a friend of mine, and another invite to a gathering with my favourite work colleague, Lily’s who is currently pregnant and had very kindly offered to have X for the night. (Y was at his dad’s for a couple of days).

I was in the mood to see where the night took me, so was quite reticent about making any really firm plans, but I loosely arranged to spend a couple of hours with Lily et al and then move on to Knightriders, with the potential to catch up with mate B at some point also.

So, 7pm I took X to Lily’s, where there were about 8 of us. Lots of chat, drinks (not me, as usual I was driving – much prefer the freedom driving brings to the fuzzy glow alcohol brings), and home cooked Thai food later and Buzz on the Playstation makes an appearance. Now, I have to confess, what I know about music you could write on the back of a postage stamp, but man I was quick on that damn buzzer!!! All those years of wrist action must have paid off!

About 10.30pm I get a text from mate JG to say where was I as they were all down the local dive and going to be shutting the doors soon. In the meantime Knightrider had text to say just him and Meg at Meg’s house as everyone else had party poopers. So, a few random muddled texts later and I agreed to go down to the dive, texting Knightrider to say I was still at Lily’s, was going to the dive and would then be up to see them.

Finally left Lily’s about 11.15pm, after a particularly heated round of Buzz (it’s amazing how competitive otherwise rational people get!), and headed to the dive. Doors were still open, and although it was busy, particularly round the back where “dancing (allegedly)” occurs, mates had been in there since 8, so had managed to snag a table round the front. Plenty of chat, beers, giggling, singing, reminiscing, drunken rambling and the countdown began. 10… 9…8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Happy New Year!

After several rounds of Auld Lang Syne, enough party poppers to bring out shell shock in any forces man, a free bottle of champers (read cheap fizz) from the landlady for being such regular customers, and a few chaste New Year kisses, it was time to look around for something slightly more interesting with which to celebrate the New Year….