The Demon Drink!

What a week!

That's it, I'm signing the Pledge. No more drinking for me.

Why is it you don't go anywhere for weeks,.... months and then it all happens in a week? It's a bit like buses I suppose.

Thankfully 'The Squatters', my son and his girlfriend, are leaving tomorrow, it's not that I haven't enjoyed having them here on their holiday, it's just that, as they are holidaying, they keep partying and we somehow get sucked in with what they are doing.

I will for evermore associate son's girlfriend with Supertramps 'Breakfast in America'. They went into town last Friday, after first having a pint with us in our village Local. Unfortunately S'sG had a pint of the local Perry, she didn't stand a chance after that!

I had been preparing food after the pub visit, for the party next day and finally went upstairs to read my emails before going to bed. Suddenly the front door burst open and there was a bit of a bump followed by loud giggling. I went onto the landing to 'shush' the inebriates, as hubby was in bed snoring.

The sight that met me was S'sG lying on the hall floor in fits of giggles and my son, standing, just about but also hysterical with laughter. He looked up at me and said 'Look at my girlfriend, what a mess!' Ever since I have this mental picture of the two of them there in the hall with my son singing:-

Take a look at my girlfirend

She's the only one I got.

Not much of a girlfriend,

I never seem to get a lot.

 

I think that event set the tone for the week.

Sunday saw me recovering from Saturday's party.

Monday night we went to the local.

Tuesday night was quiet, as they went to a friend's for dinner and Mike was out doing a Gardener's Questions Forum. That was just as well because on Wednesday I was going on the year five trip from school, around Worcester, doing a survey of businesses. You do not want to be on your own with eight, ten year olds for four hours, when you have a hangover.  I managed not to lose any of them, didn't have to shout too much and I think we had the best time of all the groups as I got them into some places that others didn't think to go and showed them interesting features that they'd never noticed.

These are children that only really know playstations and DVD's. I pointed out a small alcove set in the wall of an old building at the top of the High Street and asked them what they thought it was, it was only about 18 inches high, with a thin metal bar set across it. The most popular idea was a coal cellar. I explained it was there to scrape the mud off the boots of people, back in the days when the roads were just earth. For some reason this really captured their imagination. When we crossed over to the Cathedral Close, one of them spotted a foot scraper outside the first house, this was a different design, not set in the wall but on the flagstones., They then realised there was one outside every house in the close but of different designs and shapes, they had great fun going up and down the close, trying each of the scrapers. If only it could be possible to capture their imaginations in the same way in Maths!

We went round the Cathedral, which they adored and behaved beautifully throughout and we lit candles to departed relatives. Not one of them had been in the Cathedral before, yet they only live about three miles away. How are these  children expected to expand and develop mentally if they are never given any real stimulus?

They were very interested to see the Knave was laid out with large round dining tables and delicate gold chairs and were most impressed when I told them it was for an Award Dinner, which I was going to the next night.Wednesday evening saw us at the pub again, it's a wonderful place, rather like the Cheers Bar, where everyone knows your name and discussions are always lively and interesting.

Next night saw us in the Cathedral for The Heart of England Tourist Board's annual awards. What a wonderful place to have dinner, to say it was spectacular is no exaggeration. I was very good and only drank a little wine, as I didnt want to show myself up, being on the top table. Unfortunately we had arranged to meet son and S's G to get a taxi home. We decided coffee and Jamesons would be a pleasant end to the day.

Very bad decision!

We got home at eleven thirty but got to bed at two am. It's always a bad sign if I get out the Vangelis 'El Greco' CD, a sure indication we should have gone to bed half an hour ago.

When we went to put the pets in the kitchen for the night we realised the oldest cat Fliss was missing. We thought weheard her but couldn't locate her, eventaully we had to go to bed.

I woke again at 5am, needing the toilet and a drink of water. Of course, then I was worried about Fliss, so, in my nightie and sandals I went off outside to try to find her. What a sight that must have been as I crept around with a torch, still half inebriated! I couldn't find her and went back to bed.

Harper Dog decided to start crying a short time later, so Mike went to let him out and came back upstairs a few minutes later to say Fliss was found, she was in one of the kitchen cupboards, I doubt she'll go exploring in there again.

Yesterday was a nightmare as I only had three hours sleep. I dragged myself through school and came home and went to bed for the afternoon. Then at seven I had to go to a friend's leaving party, She is moving to France, so I couldn't not go, even though I was still feeling awful. I got to the wine bar in town and had a mineralwater, followed by another mineral water. Mike had to go somewhere else first and was joining us about nine. When he arrived I had just had my first glass of red wine, he got me another and one for himself, we decided that would do for us and then we would go home.

Unfortunately as we were finishing our drinks, son and S'sG walked in. They insisted on buying us a drink and then another couple bought as another and so it went on. I ended up out on the balcony have a cigarette with a friend, who is a closet smoker and I haven't smoked for years!

One of the women start molesting my husband, which was very amusing as she has to work with him next week. I don't think she will actually remember but you can be sure Mike will remind her, in graphic detail.

I also seem to have agreed to a girlie weekend away. The very drunk woman said she couldn't come, as there would be no sex! I really have to remind her about THAT comment ! Eventually we walked home at twelve thirty. The kids stayed on and crashed in at three fifteen. Son can't remember if he walked, or got a taxi.

So we have all decided that is enough, we are not in the habit of so much alcohol consumtion in one week and I really need to give my liver a rest.

Tonight S'sG is treating us to dinner at the best Thai restaurant in town, as a thank you for having her. We had planned to go to the Austrian Bar first for a couple of halves of their excellent Pils but I don't think we will now. Then again, we could go and just have the one.............