Christmas Dinners

I can safely say that no work was done today. At all. We are booked to have Christmas dinner at the Navigation Inn at 1.30pm, but colleagues start drifting into the office from about 10.30am, chatting, laughing, generally hanging around until everyone is ready to leave. I left with Noel about 1pm, because he wants to drink and so is leaving the car locked up in the depot. We depart with a convoy of vehicles behind the car, because the directions of "Take the main road and turn right on the Chingford roundabout" was too complicated for those who never drive outside of the borough.

Once we're there, some people have already arrived and are attacking the bar. I have a diet Pepsi and amble to the tables set up along the far wall. I want to sit on a good table! Funnily enough, we sat in our usual 'groups'. There was something I think Joel Schumacher said, about how people seem to keep to their 'groups' even when they don't mean to. We had the managers and surveyors on one table, and the administrators, purchasing officer, and the DA/DPC people on another; basically, the 'professionals' and the 'lay people'. Unintentionally split.

Anyway, we munched through four courses, during which I had half a glass of white wine because I still have to drive home. As coffee was distributed, some people broke off to go back to the bar, and the rest of us bunched together and had a good chin-wag. I left quite early (3.45pm) and drove home, showered, and then went out again and drove to Bow.

Linda and Pamela had invited myself, Mina and Laura to theirs for a pre-Christmas get-together. It was fun and we got to play with Pam's daughter, Daniella, who is still incredibly tiny. She fell asleep holding my finger and I had to prise her hand off so I could leave. It was kind of cool to get to hold her though. Mina did the whole baby-talk thing, which I don't really get on with. Maybe if I was older and had no shame I might... :)

Linda is seven months pregnant and is showing lots more than Pam did. I think she might be having a boy. Linda doesn't want to know what gender her baby is until it's born. When we asked why she didn't want to know, she said, "I'd like to have at least one surprise when it's born." Other than, "Oh my God, a baby?! How did that happen?" I presume...