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It sounds bad but I feel like I’ve had a hangover for several days! I can’t remember the last time I managed to have three nights off in a row and have going out plans – it was like being a House Officer again!

Thursday night was fun. Fi and I went out for dinner with one of her friends from the Kid’s Hospital called John. I met them in the city centre (as I was post-nights and they were both on an early) and we went for a drink at The Exeter, which is a fairly ropey pub on Rundle Street. I suspect it means a lot more to you if you were a student in Adelaide than if you’re a Londoner but the company was nice enough. John had booked us a table at one of his favourite restaurants – Amalfi Pizzeria. The food was great. We shared a couple of delicious pizzas, a bottle of wine and some good conversation. After dinner we grabbed some gelato from Cibo (very tasty) before deciding that it was too early to go home and heading back to The Exeter (glutton for punishment obviously) for one last drink. Rather comically, some random (gap-year age) bloke chose to come and sit down with us. He was pissed as a fart and could barely talk and we rather enjoyed taking the mickey out of him (he seemed completely unaware of this fact). I think he was from Barnsley. Some where up North anyway. He started to annoy us after we finished our drink so we headed home.

I spent Friday daytime sleeping in the morning (be kind when you judge me – I’d just finished nights) and the afternoon programming. Yes – I am that cool.

Friday evening was date-night (that’s mine and Fi’s guaranteed weekly night out we strive for) and we went out for dinner at a Thai restaurant called Star of Siam on Gouger Street. Fi had eaten there before earlier in the year with Tammy when she came out to visit but it was a first for me. The food was fantastic. We both had seafood dishes (one of them was ‘drunken seafood’ that, I’ll be honest, I chose because of it’s name!). Prior to the meal we had a cocktail at the Hilton (one of the few ‘classy’ bars in Adelaide).

We took it easy Saturday daytime as we had plans for the evening. I hired myself a nice blue waistcoat and matching bow tie (as there doesn’t seem to be anywhere decent in South Australia to buy formal wear (God I miss England!). We then bought ourselves a Christmas tree (they were on sale somewhere to raise money for the Make A Wish Foundation). Christmas trees here seem to be a little bit on the pathetic side (but then I guess that’s what happens when you try to have a white Christmas in the bloody desert!). Fi delighted in regaling the world the story of how a little seven-year-old girl (obviously a relative of the people selling the trees) offered to help me carry the tree (Fiona is convinced she thought I was struggling). Cheeky mare!

Saturday night was the big one – the ED Christmas party (or just ‘The Show’ to it’s regulars). The party was held at the Morphettville Racecourse and was due to kick off at 18:00. Fi and I headed over to Anit’s at 17:00 for pre-drinking, er, drinks (bad idea) along with a load of other people. We rocked up to the party at 19:00 about 30 minutes before food was served. To put the evening in context, I went to the loo as soon as I got there only to see one of my (male) consultants, wearing a dress, hitching it up to have a pee. It was going to be one of those nights…

I think the shot below sums up the evening rather nicely:

To say I have full recollection of the evening’s events would be a fib. To say I didn’t embarrass myself would be an utter lie. I do vaguely remember a ‘dance-off’ with one of my consultants (I do have pictures but I’m not brave enough to put them up!).

Fi and I managed to get a lift home with one of our consultants (Jim) and his wife. That was rather lucky as we had no phone on us and we weren’t exactly near a taxi rank. I’m pretty sure I didn’t embarrass myself during the car ride home but I can’t be certain as I haven’t bumped into Jim since!