After a libation with the crowd in the hotel bar we meet in reception for our coach trip. Several guesses about our secret destination reveal we are probably going to the Flight Club in Victoria. Sure enough the coach pulls up by Victoria station and we walk a short distance to the Flight Club. I am not enthusiastic about more stairs! My knees are still yelling from the roving around London and the subways on Tuesday & Wednesday. We are struck by the size and decor of the Flight Club and realise this will be a fun team building afternoon. We are split into pre arranged teams and take turns challenging each other’s teams at darts. The scoring is automatic. You even have your photo come up on the screen when it’s your turn to play. Tables around this large private room are full of Prosecco, wine and beers. Delicious food is brought out during the afternoon ranging from bbq meats on skewers to pizzas. The whole afternoon was great fun, top scoring teams facing playoffs followed by individual playoffs & all winners given huge cheers and presented with gongs! We are instructed we can’t leave the club until all the booze has gone!! Being probably the oldest couple left in the group Roger and I are one of the first to leave wanting to walk back to the hotel in Kensington. Most of the others catch a bus or taxi! We missed an medical emergency when Justin the Molson Coors area manager suffered a suspected heart attack on leaving the Flight Club and was taken to A & E!!! More on that later!!! The walk back was fabulous. 4pm & now dusk we pass Harrods a bright sight with Christmas lights, the Royal Albert Hall looking majestic. & Prince Albert’s memorial etc. Back at HQ Roger has 40 winks while I get ready for our gala dinner. The eve begins with champagne in the piano bar. We catch up with more old colleagues and trade reps then on to The York Suite. Dinner was a smoked salmon starter followed by braised beef with roast baby carrots, fondant potato with red wine and shallot jus, ending with a chocolate soufflé & coffee. Speeches include our chosen charity for next year which will be Big C – appropriate as we lost two members this year to cancer. A presentation to the founders of Norwich Inns Roger Cawdron & Mike Lorenz of an anniversary cake on the start of the 40th year of the conception of the buying group. A huge cheer then goes up as Justin returns fit & well from the hospital having been diagnosed with wind!!! Pratt Of the Year nominations are heard and the award is given to Justin for not only his A & E trip but for arriving for supper without his dinner suit! Fines are issued for various misdemeanours during the few days all proceeds going to our nominated charity. We all retire to the piano bar where a lovely young lady entertains us on piano singing lots of favourite tunes and we all drink and dance away the rest of the evening. Jason from our wine suppliers Peter Graham wines drags everyone to the dance door. He is such a brilliant young ambassador for his company but he dosnt understand ageing joints – my knees are now beyond repair and I’m drugged up with pain killers for the trip home ! But it was great fun. Bed at 1 or was it 2 am! Can’t wait for next year!
Liquid Tales 
Looks like great fun and a great read as always Ants Pants xx
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