Says It All Really

My first day back at work is accompanied by the sad news that former Derby County manager Jim Smith has died. He was manager of the club for over six years from 1995 to 2001 and took Derby up to the Premier League where they twice finished in the top 10.

On Wednesday I meet my now retired ex-colleague in the Yard for a lunchtime pizza. It’s good to catch up even though he’s only been gone a couple of weeks.

In the evening while I’m at the match, L opts out of arguing nicely over balls in the mud with the boys and takes them for a walk instead. She survives, ta da, and seems rather pleased about it. It’s probably easier than playing the mind reader with MD. We all know he wants a ball chucking but which one and where is it is another question. It’s usually the one that’s now in the Lad’s mouth.

Work offer us a Christmas bottle, either a bottle of spirits or a bottle of decent wine. It’s usually three bottles of indecent wine, so I usually opt for the spirits. This year I decide to put my trust in the company’s wine experts and go for a decent bottle of red wine.

The weather on Thursday is foul and L enquires if I’m still planning on running. Sadly, yes. My sympathy is already with the bus driver. That is if he’s in the mood to let a wet bedraggled runner on to his bus. In the end I keep it to six miles and it doesn’t actually rain on me at all.

L is at Pilates and asks me to pop a bottle of wine in the fridge for later. Yes, we’ll need to toast Boris/drown our sorrows (delete as applicable). It’s General Election time again and I pull an all-nighter until 3:45am.

Friday is our staff Christmas Party, Secret Santa and also Christmas Jumper day. It's also Friday the 13th. Says it all really. Friday the 13^th is also the first day of Boris’s new Government. Says it all really.

Festivities are also going on at L’s place, where the mulled wine is flowing. At ours the free pizza is flowing. L will be heading off for a run with Daughter later, which could be eventful with one of them hobbling and the other sloshed.

In the afternoon many of our staff travel down to our southern office which is where this year’s Christmas Party is being held. I decline to join them. It’s usually a drunk fest anyway and being so many miles from home it will be a drunk fest without an escape route home. They’re also starting the drinking on the train down which means it could get very messy very quickly. 

(Friday 13^th December)