I've had a chocca week, it's been full of Port, Panto's, Mordor, Snow, Christmas Carol's and generally a damn good time. Christmas has been all bought, wrapped, Christmas cards all written, stamped and sent out. My staff have started going off on their annual Christmas leave, and everything seems to be winding down in the office, so I guess it's now in countdown mode till I get on that train back up to Dundee. And hopefully no dead guy this time...
So.... time to update this blog with what's been happening. Well, trying to remember what I've been upto cause it's all a bit of a haze. Hmmmm... lets start with the start of the week cause that's a good place to start, being the start of the week and then working chronological order, cause well... I'm a kinda logical person. Some would say too logical because of my repeated failure to laugh at 'jokes' because I analyise them too much and try to deconstruct them.
I still don't get that joke "Ask me if I'm an orange?" .... errr.... struggling with that one. But anyway, I digress. Time to let you into my world, and see what I've been upto.
Monday
Tis a cold day... I know it's cold, because I've started wearing my gloves and scarf. I so need new gloves. I really miss my old rabbit fur lined leather gloves.
I've got cashmere lined black leather gloves, but they just aren't as warm as my old fur lined gloves. I tried getting a replacement a year or so ago only to be told that John Lewis's or Selfrideges didn't stock them becuse of some animal cruelty thing. Grrrr.. I want my rabbit bum gloves! People ear Rabbit, why can't I get the fur in my gloves?!!
*sighs*
So, I'm at work. Team Leaders meeting is cancelled again, so it's off with Morrish to the pub for a lunchtime drink in the Royal Oak to catch up on things then it's back to the office to sort out the latest drama's in my in-box. Which thankfull there isn't that many.... it's the last full week before Christmas and already the slow down is happening.
Andrew is off at the Treasury for CLoS training whilst, Karen and Allison are wrapping everything up before their big trip to India, and Matthew has got his head stuck into various CASSy coding. We finish off the rest of the port from last week and everyone starts heading off home. Foolishly I contact Tim asking if he wanted to meet up.
Busy.
But he 'might' be free on Wednesday.... well that's no fucking good, I'm in fecken Mordor that day and wont be back till late. Frustration is rampent.
I go home, play some SL and get some RP in on Mayday Island which is a bit of a light relief. Probably what I needed, to escape into some alternative reality on a desert island somewhere in a virtual land. Eventually I log off and get some sleep.
Tuesday
Ah ha! Woke up feeling a lot more chipper because today is...
is...
is....
is...
Are you ready for this?...
Are you sure?
Really, really sure?
Oh yes it is!
I'm going to the panto with Sonia and Anna, and we are going to see 'Sinderfella'. Yes, you heard me right. We are going to a pantomine, and no I didn't spell it wrong.... it's an 'alternative' pantomime which is strictly adults only. Over 18's. And certainly no children in the audience!
It's panto time, and Anna and Sonia have never been to a Panto before... they are in for a surprise ;-)
And it's off to work, with a spring in my step and Crimbo music playing on my iPhone! I popped into the shop just before I went into the office to pick up some sweets as it was Allison's last day before the big India trip, and her and Andrew were busy interviewing for a new VB/SQL developer... a last treat :-)
The day trundled along as per normal... got a new developer hired, sweets were eaten but then disaster struck! Sonia had to pull out of the panto tonight as she had to go to Heathrow!
Bugger.
I now have a spare ticket, which I mail around the office to see if there were any takers but alas there weren't.
Yip, Oh no there wasn't.
So, I have my three tickets in hand, iPhone plugged in and it's time to leave the office, jump on the bus up to Trafalgar Square
then cutting through the National Gallery up to Leicester Square
which had a little carnival
and there was no way I was going on that!
I finally meet up with Anna, and we head to the Leicester Square Theatre
Right down to the basement theatre which had to have been the world's smallest theatre that I'd ever been in!
But at least Anna and I were sitting right next to the bar, so refreshments were rather easy to order.
But it was so funny. It was as it said on the tin... High Camp Drag Queen action... with an all male cast, barring the annoying pink fairy from Big Brother who I had no idea what she was saying. Anna and I sang along, shouted with the others 'Bollocks Buttons!' whenever Buttons came on stage... and the music was just fab. Dancing Queen, It's raining men... and get me to the church on time!
My sides were hurting so much after all that laughing. It's a shame Sonia missed it, as it was a good introduction to tradition of the British Panto. :-)
After we left the theatre it was onwards bound to Chinatown for a scrumptious meal. Anna and I never really get to eat Chinese as both Tim and John don't like it, so it was a refreshing change for once. The girls got to do what THEY wanted for once. Once we'd paid for the meal, it was a wander down to Piccadilly Circus
Anna and her 'studs'
With Eros turned into a snow globe
and the bright lights of the advertising to guide us home.
Both Anna and I jump on our respective buses and head homewards.
Sleep with a smile on my face.
Wednesday
WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYY!!!????
I'm up at an ungodly hour.
Left the house at 7:45am heading to Paddington for the 8:45am train to Mordor.
Only that's the plan, but as you know by now with my plans they never turn out as expected.
I get to Paddington for 8:30am, pop into MacDonalds for some breakfast porridge
and then head to the main boards to check my train time
Oh fuck.
Oh bugger.
Oh double fuck.
Every single damn train is delayed! Some sort of broken down train in the Hayes area has shafted the train service in Paddington! Matthew and I head over to the first class lounge to get some heat and so that I can eat my porridge, and he can eat his breakfast bagel whilst we wait for news about our train.....
and hour later at 9:40am we finally leave for Mordor. Because we were so late, it's off at Neath for a subway sandwhich and in a cab straight to the Shared Services to review the BW CLoS build work and for a conference call meeting back with the London Office on the eternal disaster that is month end.
This time we are in luck, (and I say that with the obvious caution) that we can escape the clutches of Mordor earlier than planned at catch the 4:40pm train back to civilisation, which should get us into London by 7:30pm..... if only it didn't get delayed... which of course it did. And to make matters worse I get a text from Tim, he's at home sick.
So even if we had made plans to meet later this evening I would have been blown out yet again.
When Matthew and I eventually get into London, gone 8pm by that time we are both starvin marvin and exceptionally tired. We make the executive decision to find a restaraunt near the station and get something substantial to eat as we've been on the go since 7am this morning with hardly any food.
An Italian is found, food is consumed and we both head back to our respective homes.
I'm in bed by 10:30pm, bloody shattered.
Thursday
I slept loads, and get into work late. I'm still tired from doing Mordor and back yesterday and could probably do with another few hours sleep.
But alas no, it's into the office and getting yesterday's notes written up and sent out to all and sundry. Once that's out of the way, it's time to shift some e-mails out and I get chatting to James (another Glaswegian!).
Drink?
Sure, why not.
But not a late one, because the weather is turning and the snow will be hitting London.
Once we agree to that, I then get a text from Anna.
Drink?
Sure, why not.
Oops. I'm double booked now! So, I combine the 2 drinks.
I drag James up to the Heights at the top of Regent Street, in the freezing cold and we meet up with Anna who's already got the wine ready for us. Ah, what a peach :)
So, we are in the Heights, waiting on Anna's friend Kate to turn up (Another Aussie) who takes a rather long time to arrive because we've sunk 5 bottles of wine...... Oops.
Time to go eat I think.
James toddles off, leaving the 3 of us to brave the snow to Sergios for some seriously needed scarn. This will be my second Italian meal in a row!
The food is good. The company is fantastic. And there's another bottle of wine to help us digest the meal.
It's a case of wandering through the blizzard and hailing a cab before I freeze to death on the Euston Road and pour myself into my bed.
Friday
Ouch.
Ouch.
Ouch.
Ouch.
and Ouch again for good measure.
Oh, I'm feeling it after the Panto, Mordor, and the Heights last night. Three solid nights in a row.
I head into my work, clutching my bottle of sparkling water
for essential rehydration purposes and a few nurofen for good measure
and quietly die at the desk.... until I get a text from Jim (The other Weegie).
Drink?
In the Cardinal?
Perhaps a hair of the dog will help?
Off to the Cardinal I go to catch up with Jim, who again tries to tell me jokes that I just don't get and after a few it's back to the office.
Mails sorted out. COINS System and CASSy system all reconciled and the Spring Supps all sorted....well, the first draft at least. Then it's off home.
I get some RP done in NoR, but have to call it quits because I'm tired... pounding headache, which is no surprise given the excesses of the week.
Sleep
Saturday
I slept loads.. and I mean loads. Almost 12hrs of sleep.
I wake up around 11, phone my Dad to wish him Happy Birthday, sort out some mails then head into town were I've arrange to meet up with Jay because he wants to do something Christmassy...... not despite the fact it feels like almost -10 degrees outside. I fear I'm turning into a southern softy.... tis cold!
So, enough of the whinging about the cold. I travel into central London via the no. 73 and the no. 38 bus, hopping off at Cambridge Circus to wander on down to Trafalgar Square where I spy a Santa taking fag and phone breakoutside the pub just down from Leicester Square
I guess he's earned it!
Jay's a little bit late so I decide to be like a tourist in Trafalgar Square and take some pics to keep my mind of the mind numbing bitter cold.
And there is ice in the fountain...
Even Nelson's column is looking cold!
And I swear the tree was shivering!
Even the National Gallery had ice on it...
But not as much as the bear....
Or the fountains....
and when Jay does eventually turn up... he's cold!
So, it's time for us to head back indoors and heat up... and isn't it so handy that Albannach is just across the road? We quickly leave the cold Trafalgar Square and start warming ourselves up in the relative comfort of the bar
with some 'internal' heating going on via Albannach Cocktails
and interesting 'lights'
With a good view of Trafalgar Square
and some more cocktails.... cause it's cold outside and we need to heat up before we head back out to the Square for....
For the Carol singers! And yes we did sing a little bit, and badly out of tune with our teeth chattering in the cold.
It's time to get some scran in to heat up again, as the effect of the cocktails are wearing off rather quickly and we depart Trafalgar Square for Thai Square
It the food was good. Bloody spicey, but fantastic. And I made Jay try his very first Port....
Somehow I don't think he'll be trying another Port anytime too soon as he still refers to Wine as 'Vinegar'. *Sighs* It's going to take a while to train this boy up.
Once we've got hot food in our belly's it's a walk up to Leicester Square, which remember has a carnival in it and I kick Jay's ass at the Dodgems. Of course he denies that such a thing happened, but I was counting the 'bumps'... I whacked him more times than he did me, so I win :P
Queen of the Dodgems I am!
Then it's a trip to Molly Moggs, where there was a dodgy pick pocket lurking about....
but no Drag Queens!
Which is a tad bit dissappointing as I don't think Jay's ever seen one. But that particular Drag Queen I've seen only days before.... Yes, she was 'Cinderella' in the Panto I saw on Tuesday night with Anna 'Sinderfella'. And she goes with the name 'Bette Rinse'
Perhaps next time!
After we finish a couple in Molly's, it's off up to the Intrepid Fox to show Jay where it is and for another pint. I think he liked the place... even the 'alternative' coat hanger
and the music
But it's just one pint in there... Jay's kinda tired, so we leave the loud music and head to the Angel for just the one, but even then that's too much for wee Jay. He needs his beauty sleep so we head off home, but not before I get a good picture of this..
It cracked me up!
Today
I sleep late... Watch a 'The Nightmare Before Christmas', which just happens to be one of my most favourite films whilst I update this Blog.
Now that's done... I now have to put a washing on, clean the Kitchen, Toliet and Bathroom, shower and yeah... get packing for Dundee in a few days.
Hmmm... now, if only I could get started...
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