Of course, it was the work night out. The thing I had been dreading since around October. But it wasn’t the disaster I thought it could have been. I think I almost enjoyed myself, although that could be a slight exaggeration.

The meal was at best moderately average. The veg was overcooked, the potatoes were slightly underdone (how you can undercook roast potatoes, I’ll never know!) and the dessert had a strange taste for, what they called ‘traditional Christmas Pudding’. There was a slight minty aftertaste, which was not really pleasant. However, the meat (roast beef) had been cooked nicely. I was hoping to have Seared Halibut but that seemed to have transformed into a nut and lentil roast!

I think the worst part was the obligatory “quiz”. The boss’s father always does a quiz and it is supposed to be the fun part of the evening. The problem is that the boss (and possibly her husband too) check that the questions are suitable for the whole team. Guess which two teams came joint first?

Then there was the entertainment! This was a rather loud DJ who only seemed to play tracks where people could either jump up and down, wave their arms, sing loudly, or combine all three. Not for me these days.

I was trying to think of some excuse to leave early when the boss asked if I could take one of the staff to a different venue to go to a family get together. My prayers had been answered.

But I think that may be the last time. The lease on the business is up around August 2023, and the way thing seems to be heading, I think the place may close. Renewals seem to be very expensive and a few businesses have decided to close rather than renew. Plus, I’m not sure the owners want to carry on. Neither appears to want much to do with the day to day running of the cafe and only seem to want to be there when there is nobody else to run the place.

I for one will not be too sorry as I am beginning to feel very weary after each day’s work, which is not good at my age.