CHAPTER NINETY-NINE :
Hello everybody,
First of all, welcome onboard year 2017. May it be sparkling, cheerful and stress-free for all of you !
Now the brand new year lies ahead with plenty of perky adventures to be led, read and shared.
So, are you ready to take your first walk through it with me ?
Considering all the season greetings I have already received on
perkybusybee@gmail.com , I guess most of you are !
But,maybe some New Year's Eve party-goers still feel a little too queasy and lifeless to browse through my blog ...
Quite normal ! No need to be a medical pundit to know that painting the town red on New Year's Eve often leaves that kind of side effects.
Don't worry ! Getting as fit as a fiddle again after a boozy night won't take long. Soon you'll bid farewell to woolly-headed ideas and splitting headache !
What you will remember is just how much fun you had !
At least, that's what I have experienced.
Don't get me wrong ! I used to be a die-hard clubber, and jumping from parties to parties all throughout December 31st night was a must.
As years went by, ringing in the New Year with hundreds of strangers turned out to be,not really a chore, it would be exaggerated, but, yet, a kind of compulsory.
I had to face the facts : counting down to the New Year among the madding crowd was no longer my cup of tea.
That's when I decided to throw a house-party to celebrate the turning of the year with two couples of friends.
In those days, hosting a party was not yet stress-triggering for me ( see The Squeaky Pumpkin -chapter 90). I had plenty of tips and tricks to put on a spread without being washed out : dazzling ' Happy New Year ' banner, lovely tablescape, sparkling drinks and delicious treats would make it awesome !
Well, did my guests think they could not really rely on my talent for treating their tastebuds, or did they want to spare me time and work ?
I don't know and I don't want to know, but it turns out that a fortnight before the D-Day ( I should say the D-Night, but it doesn't exist), one of my friends phoned and said that she had managed to get six tickets for a successful light comedy which had been running for over two years. The tickets were valid only on New Year's Eve, so why not go , and then book a table in a good restaurant ?
No sooner said than done !
The six of us still remember that night, and whenever we meet, we never fail to mention some funny details of what should have been our big night. Just for fun, and not to forget that going out that night often means overpriced drinks and meals, and scuffles for cabs at the end of the evening.
Let me tell you how on that december 31st we jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire...
The theatre play ,we were to see, had captivated reviewers and audience for months, so we arrived at the theatre all excited at the prospect of seeing two legend actors on stage !
Unfortunately we had to make do with their voices, and from time to time their figures ...
When she had bought the tickets, my friend had not paid attention to the warning ' obstructed view ' printed on them.
Well, as we had to make the best of things, we squeezed into our tiny box seats, and spent the whole performance doubled up, not with laughter, but with pain !
I am not kidding !! First , no room at all to stretch our legs (and our husbands are quite tall), and then the sight lines were so poor that we had to break our necks to snatch a glimpse of the actors.
We left the theatre sore all over , and doomed to get a stiff neck the day after.
What a flop !
Not enough anyway to dishearten the jolly fellows we were !
We hopped into a cab and set off to enjoy a fine dinner in the top-notch spot we had selected : a snazzy new venue we should have missed when making our choice ...
Exhausted waiters (it was the second service),our favourite dishes reported missing on the menu, and to crown it all incredibly uncomfortable chairs !!
Have you ever felt like skipping dinner and going straight to dessert ?
Yes ? Well, then you can easily imagine our state of mind.
Unfortunately, after enduring the requisite meal, the baked Alaska which had made our six mouths water all along the starter and the main course, was missing .
That took the biscuit !!
Once out, we realized that the cabs were reported missing, too, cause of ...black ice !!
A quick glance at our watches : it was already 1pm.
Our first steps into the New Year were unsteady and graceless ( no champion ice-skater among us ), but we managed to kiss each other without performing any unexpected triple loops !
That put an end to any New Year's Eve out !
That was a funny mishap the six of us kept secret for years till...I decided to share it with you !
So, a special thank to Jocelyne, Nancy,Patrice , Ron and Dearhubby (of course !) for their generous contribution which made this chapter possible . (showing off a bit, aren't I ?)
Have a nice week, get your tastebuds ready for the Twelfth Night Cake, and don't forget : be perky !
Well, did my guests think they could not really rely on my talent for treating their tastebuds, or did they want to spare me time and work ?
I don't know and I don't want to know, but it turns out that a fortnight before the D-Day ( I should say the D-Night, but it doesn't exist), one of my friends phoned and said that she had managed to get six tickets for a successful light comedy which had been running for over two years. The tickets were valid only on New Year's Eve, so why not go , and then book a table in a good restaurant ?
No sooner said than done !
The six of us still remember that night, and whenever we meet, we never fail to mention some funny details of what should have been our big night. Just for fun, and not to forget that going out that night often means overpriced drinks and meals, and scuffles for cabs at the end of the evening.
Let me tell you how on that december 31st we jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire...
The theatre play ,we were to see, had captivated reviewers and audience for months, so we arrived at the theatre all excited at the prospect of seeing two legend actors on stage !
Unfortunately we had to make do with their voices, and from time to time their figures ...
When she had bought the tickets, my friend had not paid attention to the warning ' obstructed view ' printed on them.
Well, as we had to make the best of things, we squeezed into our tiny box seats, and spent the whole performance doubled up, not with laughter, but with pain !
I am not kidding !! First , no room at all to stretch our legs (and our husbands are quite tall), and then the sight lines were so poor that we had to break our necks to snatch a glimpse of the actors.
We left the theatre sore all over , and doomed to get a stiff neck the day after.
What a flop !
Not enough anyway to dishearten the jolly fellows we were !
We hopped into a cab and set off to enjoy a fine dinner in the top-notch spot we had selected : a snazzy new venue we should have missed when making our choice ...
Exhausted waiters (it was the second service),our favourite dishes reported missing on the menu, and to crown it all incredibly uncomfortable chairs !!
Have you ever felt like skipping dinner and going straight to dessert ?
Yes ? Well, then you can easily imagine our state of mind.
Unfortunately, after enduring the requisite meal, the baked Alaska which had made our six mouths water all along the starter and the main course, was missing .
That took the biscuit !!
Once out, we realized that the cabs were reported missing, too, cause of ...black ice !!
A quick glance at our watches : it was already 1pm.
Our first steps into the New Year were unsteady and graceless ( no champion ice-skater among us ), but we managed to kiss each other without performing any unexpected triple loops !
That put an end to any New Year's Eve out !
That was a funny mishap the six of us kept secret for years till...I decided to share it with you !
So, a special thank to Jocelyne, Nancy,Patrice , Ron and Dearhubby (of course !) for their generous contribution which made this chapter possible . (showing off a bit, aren't I ?)
Have a nice week, get your tastebuds ready for the Twelfth Night Cake, and don't forget : be perky !
