Meal out was OK. Food was nice: salmon in a crab & prosecco sauce with crushed potatoes and green beans followed by passion fruit cheesecake (mini pudding) & coffee.
Everyone was all dolled up, except me and one of the dinner ladies, who obviously didn’t get the message either; she was wearing a scruffy “santa baby” t-shirt. Thank goodness for her as she made me feel less awkward in my “work” purple blouse and purple cardigan and black jeans. Though that was smart and reasonably festive, but everyone else was in dresses or sparkly and/or lacy tops. You’d think, with my experiences in Benchland, I’d not be the one that was under-dressed?! 
Mental note: buy a REAL sparkly top in the post-festive-party-season sales.
The service in the pub was terrible, not helped by the fact that none of us at our school ordered starters but the other school did (we share an exec HT, so it was a joint “do” and we pre-ordered, at our respective schools, weeks ago). It was an hour and a half after we got there that I finally got my meal. Colleague didn’t get hers until after we’d all finished our mains because they’d delivered her rump steak to someone else, who’d ordered sirloin, and it had been sent back, so they had to cook her another one! When it came it wasn’t cooked as well as she’d asked, but she wasn’t going to send it back after waiting so long!
I’m glad I made the effort to go, especially after not making it in to school, but I probably won’t bother with the next staff do. There’s too many of us when it’s both schools, so it gets cliquey and the atmosphere is not so relaxed. 
I came home after the meal, glad to don the PJs and sink into Friday night zombie mode (OH goes out on Fridays so I get the TV remote and some *me* time! :)) They were all heading off to a gin bar and then probably off to a club. I’m too old and party-pooperish to want to do that anymore (or ever?!!)
Welsh cakes made yesterday and presents all wrapped. I seem to have bought massive, awkward to wrap presents for everyone this year! I also made some sweets from the left over marzipan, for my neighbour, by coating balls of it in melted dark chocolate and sticking chopped up dried apricot or a chocolate peanut on the top. Today, I have done the usual Sunday chores and iced the Christmas cake (a whole week before Christmas?! Must be a record!) and will hand deliver the local cards this afternoon. Quite impressed with myself. Trying to make next weekend less of a mad dash as we don’t finish school until 1pm on Friday!
Dinner tonight is roast beef, roasties, Yorkshire pudding, roast parsnips, carrot, sprouts followed by something chocolatey - probably chocolate pudding and pears - because I’ve got some melted chocolate left over from yesterday and the yolk and half the white of an egg from the icing. Waste not, want not?! Dinner will be served at 6:30pm - or *virtually* anytime you want it!
Christmas jumper day, at school tomorrow in aid of our charity, so that’s tomorrow evening’s outfit for meal out with ex-colleagues sorted?!
Good luck for tomorrow, Mary, let us know how you get on!
We can sing (silently of course!) the Benchland carols.