Christmas Party: the Conservatory at Painshill

Yes, I really have been that busy since the party! Only now do I have the time to think about it - Christmas prep will do that to a person.

So, I had that day (last Friday) off work, and was to fly back to Ireland the next day, Saturday - only waiting for the company's Christmas party, at the Conservatory at Painshill. I did some packing on Friday, and some last-minute, late, Christmas posting, and made ready my outfit. The theme was the Snow Ball, and was the perfect excuse to dust off my pale-coloured medieval dress (close enough to snow in colour, I figured) and whatever I could find to go with it. I bought it in a medieval-inspired chain of shops in Quebec, called Excalibor, which I believe has now closed, sadly. They had the best stuff..

For this occasion, I actually ordered a snood especially, sourced from California! The great worry was that it wouldn't arrive in time, but it did, last Monday - and boy, was I glad. Handily, it came with four hairclips - I used several more, since I was paranoid about it falling down during the evening - but it didn't, and it looked great. :-) Add to that a necklace that I bought recently, which suited the dress colours, and had a nice, full, Christmassy look to it - and a pocket watch that I bought at a Christmas fair (they're popular this year, there are loads about) - I thought that would be marginally more suitable for the outfit than a wristwatch - and the rest I had myself. Pity I couldn't have found a more suitable bag - I just used a white, sparkly evening bag I have. But it was fine.

We had a coach arranged to transport us to and from the office, which is a twenty-minute walk from my place. I had been warned to be there in time - the coach had been booked for 5.30, to leave by 5.40, because the traffic had been bad last year. So I set off in good time. I was glad to find that, despite the cold, breezy evening, I was toasty warm. The dress material is quite heavy, and I wore a warm coat. I got just a couple of stares from other people on the street, one of whom seemed to approve. I arrived with five minutes to spare before the coach was due - ran into a colleague, whom I asked the time, because it was easier than reaching inside my coat for the pocket watch that was hanging on a chain around my neck!

She also told me that the others were waiting in the bar nearby, which was preferable to waiting in the cold. So I hiked my skirts - these medieval costumes do have some drawbacks - and climbed the stairs to join them there, where my outfit got some compliments, and I started with the photos. Some people had been very creative with their outfits. Stand-out costume of the night award must go to Nabeel, who dressed himself as a Christmas tree, with a star on his head, a green woolly hat and jumper, a cardboard frame inside the jumper, in the classic Christmas tree shape, tinsel and fairy lights draped around himself, baubles attached to the jumper, and - the coup de theatre - present boxes on his feet. Really, try and top that!

I didn't really want a drink, for two reasons - firstly, we should be going soon and I didn't want to rush it, and secondly, there was to be plenty of free drink at the venue. But after a while, I did start to wonder where our transport was and why we weren't making a move. Eventually, we moved downstairs - still no coach to be seen, even though it was now 5.40! We milled about in the cold, trying to coordinate with Valeria, who had organised it.. eventually, the coach arrived at 5.50. She had a prolonged argument with the driver, and we eventually took off at 6. It took about an hour to get there, during which time we were entertained by a Christmas cd she had brought, and we finally arrived, with some relief, at a venue that seemed to be in the middle of woodland. And promptly parked about half a mile away from the venue, to which we had to walk down dark, wooded, muddy, unlit paths - not the best for people in fancy dress. Or, indeed, any sort of evening dress. Valeria did wonder whether we couldn't have got closer.

The venue was a marquee that swayed a bit in the strong winds, but didn't collapse, thankfully. There was a cloakroom to the right of the entrance, and toilets to the right of that. To the left of the entrance was the reception area, where we were presented with free glasses of sparkling wine or orange juice. And in due course, the curtains were drawn back, and we were shown into the dining area, which was very attractively decorated, with a star-studded effect in the ceiling, and the rest done in white, with white tablecloths and seat covers. Very nice.

The menu was set, with vegetarian options. The starter was a tartlet with bacon and cheese - I forget what else, but it was very tasty. The main course, for non-vegetarians, was chicken with mushroom sauce. Laura, who can't eat mushrooms, mentioned this to a server, who was very happy to bring her chicken with ordinary gravy instead. Again, very tasty. I wasn't so enamoured of the dessert, which was a lemon tart with raspberry coulis, served in a little pot. I found it a bit tart, and anyway, for me, it has to be chocolate.. Unfortunately, the white wine served with the meal tasted just like dishwater. "Las Camelias", I think the name was. Avoid like the plague. I also heard bad reports of the red wine. Luckily, there was plenty of sparkling wine to be had, which I stuck to and had rather too much of!

Afterwards, a bar was set up in the reception area, where there was also a roulette table - coupons were handed out, which could be exchanged for chips. I do think this was badly thought out - there was only one table, which was horribly crowded, so if you didn't grab a place quickly, you might as well not bother. I was winning quite nicely, but then a guy across the table, who had been given the same colour chips, started claiming mine as well. When this happened twice, I just dumped the rest of mine and gave it up for the evening. Eventually, they did also set up a blackjack table, but again, you had to be there quickly - it's possible to squeeze in at a roulette table, but blackjack has a set number of players, and the players who got to the gaming tables first that night were there for the long haul.

A disco was set up in due course in the dining area, but for most of the night, the musical choice didn't suit me. I was glad of the sofas in what was now the casino / bar area. All in all, it's an ok venue, with a decking area for those who want to smoke, but their after-dinner entertainment leaves much to be desired.

As did our coach service. You know, our other office, which is larger, had two coaches to transport them, and left long, long before we did. When Valeria eventually herded us together outside, we were beside one of the coaches going to the other office, and she rang our driver and insisted that he come in there as well - she didn't fancy a repeat of that walk. Well, it took her forever to persuade him - she explained to us that he didn't want to, said coaches couldn't get down there, despite the fact that, as she told him, we were standing right beside one. Finally, she said he had agreed, and we waited on. For about 10 minutes more, and it was starting to rain. At last, we saw the lights of a coach approaching! Hallelujah.

A group of people was waiting further down the road, and the coach.. stopped beside them! Confused, and seeing that they weren't boarding, Valeria rang our driver again. Yes, that was our bus, and our driver now seemed to be refusing to come any closer. So we trotted down the road to him and boarded.

A series of manoeuvres ensued, as he tried to turn. Finally, he stopped, stood up, and told us that we'd all have to get off - we were bogged down in the mud and he had to get the bus as light as possible. He added that he had KNOWN this was going to happen, which was why he hadn't wanted to come down there.

I can't remember the name of the bus company, although she told me - but it's one to avoid. The mud wasn't on the path, you know, it was on either side - granted, the path wasn't wide enough to turn, but if he had dared to go down to where we'd had to come from to board, he could have turned there without going into the mud. So, we stood to one side, in the rain - which was now coming down in buckets - and watched as people pushed the (49-seater) bus, laid mats under the wheels - to no avail. It was stuck fast. Ironically, the motto on the side of the bus read "Travel in Style". Eventually, the venue manager was persuaded to let us shelter back in the marquee, and off we went.

Poor Valeria took it very much to heart, and after counting us, immediately got on the phone and booked a fleet of taxis to come and rescue us. On the company's dime. There were 19 of us - she ordered six taxis. We divided ourselves into groups according to destination, and in due course were despatched. Well, at least I was delivered straight to my door - but not until 2.35am, from a party that had finished at midnight. And me with a lunchtime flight the next day, and not yet finished packing. And the fare for our one taxi was about £75. Ouch! I hope they sue the bus company for it.

(sigh) So, here I am in Ireland. I made my flight ok, took the dog to the grooming parlour, did a massive shop, took my mother to the bank, and have started with the Christmas decorations. And I am beginning to relax. I must mention, BTW, this evening's dinner. While we were in Tulla for the bank, we paid a visit to the SuperValu shop down the road, where there was something she wanted to pick up, and I spied a pre-prepared turkey joint, basted and stuffed, that looked quite tasty. I picked one up, and an onion and mushroom mix to go with it - I have tried their ready meals before, and have nothing but good to say about them. Well, this turned out to be far and away the best turkey meal I have ever had! Crispy skin, succulent meat, spiced to perfection. If you should happen by a SuperValu, do try their own brand ready meals. They are a wonder.

More decorating tomorrow, I guess, and an emergency trip back to Tulla - I'm short on wine. Storm permitting - it's due to last from midnight tonight until 4pm tomorrow. Well, but it seems quiet out there now - hopefully, no repeat of last week, when there was a mini-tornado in the village, trees felled and structural damage.. And my next planned outing is Christmas lunch, at the Greenhills Hotel in Limerick. The weather is supposed to have cleared by then, so we should be safe to drive.