Last Thursday was B.C.'s party. This is two years after he first said that he was going to give up smoking (and almost 40 days after he said he was going to give up smoking, and challenged me to a bet!). Somewhat strangely for B.C. he wasn't in the mood for drinking, but we soon talked him out of it!! Thursday set us up nicely for the main event on Saturday.
The plan was to play a little game of football first, then jog home, get changed and get out into town for some partying.
I'm a fat bastard. And unhealthy. And unfit. And I think I may have some kind of coronary disease, at least that has to be the reason why I couldn't play for more than 5 minutes!!
I was really looking forward to playing a bit of football all week. I haven't played since I was 17, and at school. Although I wasn't exactly the keenest sportsman at school, I did enjoy turning out once in a while for a game of football (as long as it wasn't too hot or two cold. Or raining). There's something about playing a competitive game that makes the idea that you are doing exercise seem to slip your mind. I thought that Saturday would provide me with the competitive edge again. What it did was remind me that I was shit at football at school!!
We had angled for a 5-a-side game, on a 5-a-side pitch, but due to reasons beyond our control (i.e. people not turning up), we ended up with a 4-a-side game. This meant that everybody was running that little bit harder, and puffing a lot. As I said, I lasted 5 minutes. Sweaty and really, really out of breath, I had to sit on the sidelines. Now, I will say that one of the problems was having two Bacon and Brie baguettes, and soup before the game. Obviously it wasn't
just before the game (I'm not that stupid!!), but maybe should have had it at least more than 40 minutes before. As I was running, and dying, all I could taste was the Brie working it's way back up into my throat!. However, a good sit down, and a chance to play in goal did wonders for me, and I ended up playing the last 15 minutes upfield in was I view my role as, which is a out and out striker (aka "goalhanger").
Toby's mum had made some cake for his birthday (which was amazing - light and chocolatey), which we washed down with lashings of "pop". And then we were given our "goodybags" and went home (really, really like a children's party!) Toby, you have a future in organising this sort of thing!!
We went home, and got changed and met in the pub (The Eagle).
It's interesting in these sort of events to see the different "factions" of people's friendships meeting. I was in a rather stranger position this time, knowing all of B.C.'s friends from school, his friends from Uni and most of his family. Therefore I was well placed to see the different groups staying very separate early on, bonding over dinner, and getting on well in the club (with the addition of much alcohol).
Dinner was a friendly affair. I will say that I thought the food was "nice" (I can't really think of another word to describe it - it wasn't bad, but then again, it wasn't amazing. It sort of sat somewhere in between). I started with Foie Gras (I'm assuming duck Foie Gras), which was smooth and rich, but was lacking in flavour. The main course was a Lamb Shank, which I had no problems with. Fall off the bone, tasty, meaty, with a glossy gravy to go with it. The mash potato on the otherhand I had a problem with. Dry, floury (not flowery) and lacking in butter or milk, it had a slight chemical taste to it. And the service was slow. We had been booked in for a three course meal, but only got two courses before we had to leave to get to the club (and that was at 10.30pm!)
However, this didn't really matter as we were knocking back some smooth wines, and enjoying the chat. I took this opportunity to take a few pictures, but when B.C.'s mum saw me with the camera she asked me to take loads of pictures (a foolish move on her part - as I had been drinking). Therefore I saw my mission to take as many pictures as I possibly could! When I got home I checked how many I had taken - 403! Even after sifting through them, I still had 273 "good" pictures! They are online
here.
B.C. had booked the "upper room" (subtle reference for all you religious people out there) for the party. We were on the guestlist, and walked straight in (almost). There were a few people there when we arrived, mostly Toby and his friends (who hadn't been with us at dinner, but had had a separate party elsewhere - well, in Toby's house). I started by whipping out my camera, and didn't put it away all night. Drinkswise, B.C.'s dad had been kind enough to put his credit card behind the bar. Which for some meant an excuse to try and get as much down their throat as possible, whilst for the rest of us meant that we could have a drink due to B.C.'s dad's generosity. Many drunken hours followed. With one or two casualties incurred.
Toby was the biggest of these. He had told me, on arrival in the club, that he had had "a lot to drink". This wasn't the best way to start the evening, as he was passed bottle after bottle of Peroni. Now, the casual observer will say that he didn't have to drink the beer, although, that would then prove that you don't know our friends! Throw in a few weird Tower of Babylon style drinking flaming things, and you've got yourself a drunk man. Therefore it wasn't long until Toby had passed out. Of course we did the sensible thing (holding his head up whilst we took pictures), before two of his friends from school carried him down the stairs (totally missing the point that they have a lift in the club!)
We carried on partying all night, lots of drinking before I caught a ride with another of Toby's friends (stopping off for a quick packet of chips on the way!).
To misquote another well written text: "And many other things truly did (members of our friends) do in the presence of (their friends), which are not written here: But these are written, that ye might believe that (we had a hell of a party), and that, (as far as B.C.'s dad is concerned, we put drinks on his card) in his name." [1]
P.S. You see Pete, I didn't say anything about you.
[1] If you don't know the reference, you don't read the bible enough. Start about 2/3 of the way through, that's where the good bit is!
