December 2022 was a time of festivities and a display of gratitude (for most).

This time I did not back down on the parties and went socialising with my colleagues and friends. One colleague from my team wanted to do Secret Santa and have an early get together before the many other parties and get togethers started. So she decided on where we were going and there was a random (sort of) name given.

One late lunch (and practically dinner) we all went to Cote Brassiere in Hays Galleria which is situated opposite London Bridge Station. I went in with another colleague and waited for the others to arrive… There was only 5 of us, but we sat there for over 3 hours during the lunch rush hour, do our secret santas AND have an alcoholic drink. 😁

Most of us had the Christmas meal, and there was just one of us who had to have a burger and calamari. Hahahah!! Very filling meal… I actually slept for 2 hours when I got home. Was so sleepy from the steak and chocolate pudding. 😆

It was a pricey lunch! But I shall not complain, as I’ve had expensive meals in my time.

I added this book to my wishlist for the secret santa, and one of my colleagues got it for me! Woohoo! I read Bob Mortimer’s The Satsuma Complex in 3 days the following week. It’s been a long time since I sat down with a hardback book, and read during the evenings

There’s a section on page 18, last paragraph… and my manager and another colleague said almost exactly the same thing about this book. I actually enjoyed as it’s set in South East London. When I pass Camberwell on the bus in the mornings, I look at the gambling arcade, and think is there really a detective agency up there? I very much doubt it. Hah!

Before the above meal, I went on a Toot bus tour with Miss Pinky and one of her uni friends to celebrate Miss Pinky’s birthday. One thing’s for sure, I don’t think we’ll be ever doing the roofless bus tour ever again together… and I will not take them together to eat Chinese food in China Town ever again… the amount selfishness was going up, and my tolerance was very high that day. 🤪

Mrs Hen invited me to her department’s work party (I worked with them before but left them many years ago). We went to Latin House in Camberwell. It was a bit cramped for the amount of people who were invited. Thankfully I had something to eat beforehand because there wasn’t enough food for everyone to enjoy… I got quite tipsy afterwards, and not sure if Mrs Hen was enjoying herself though, so I said to her that we should meet up before Christmas, and just enjoy a meal together. 🤭

And the last work party was a bit too formal (as one colleague said) at Camberwell Arms… but after I left, I think they all went a bit crazy… I’m thankful I wasn’t there to see another drunk team. 🤣🤣🤣 It was a very expensive dinner which I didn’t have to spend a penny.

What disappointed many other colleagues was that they weren’t even invited. Not even the managers who does this team’s dirty work… I felt a bit lonely being the only managerial person in the room, so I was texting another colleague telling her to gatecrash (obviously she didn’t gatecrash), and then I was unshamelessly tweeting my disappointments… 😅

The food was so-so. Those roast potatoes were really salty! Cut down on the salt peeps. And the dessert was meh.

I’ve had an enjoyable December … I had one more get-together for January 2023 but unfortunately I got hit with Covid again. My family caught it and passed it on to each-other. Thankfully, I have the mildest symptoms ever compared to the first time I had it.

Here’s wishing and hoping 2023’s Christmas get-togethers will be a much better one!