As I hinted last time, I’m not feeling so good at about 9:30am 23 Dec – when Ursula and Helen turn up to collect me. But, I manage to make it to the car. And to not make a mess of the car while Ursula drives us to the supermarket. Then, I try to get out of the car to walk around the supermarket. Legs don’t work. Feel hollow, to the point where I am actually sure I would fall over if I tried to stand up. I think I proved it. I tell the lovely lasses that I’d catch up with them. And then try to recover. I get woken up by the girls returning with several trolleys full of groceries. Oops.
Return to Finn’s, and this time manage to help out. Carry the groceries in, and discover that the brags about the size of the turkey(s) weren’t exaggerated. Huge. Then, some recovery cervezas and shepherd’s pie. And so on, and so on. Helping out behind the bar once in a while, drinking always, and playing absolutely awful pool. And limping about. Figure I may have broken my foot somehow, so go to hospital. A fair amount of time and money later, I discover I just have an inflammation around the tendon. Or something. So – it’s bandaged up, and I’m told to go home, put it up, put ice on it, don’t walk on it, and take some pills. I of course walk back to Finn’s, as I figure a pub is the best place to find ice, and to sit around with your foot up. Of course I quickly find sitting down fairly boring.
And, it turns out to be the staff party. The owners of Finn’s also own about 5 other bars/cafes/etc. So – lots of staff – mostly ecuadorian. And I figure that seeing as it’s supposed to be a party for the staff, I should work the bar while the Finn’s staff has fun. Turns out to be a silly option, as there was free drinks. I don’t think ecuadorians are used to free booze. But they learnt pretty bloody quickly, and there were some instances where I thought brawls would break out between people trying to get to the booze first. Turns out they probably had the right idea – as we ran out of nearly every booze available. All the beer, whiskey, rum, wine, vodka which was supposed to be free got used up rather quickly. So then we had to pour beer from the taps – and went through every keg in the place. Madness. People jumping up and down, causing the jeebersmas tree to sway, and then actually start hopping along from the vibrations. Eventually people leave. Leaving me rather tired, and a little intoxicated.
24 Dec – get up and go to Finn McCool’s. Cerveza, shepherd’s pie, cerveza, irish stew, cerveza, etc. Help out with the cooking for tomorrow’s dinner a little bit – but mostly watch/tend the bar while others do the kitchen stuff. Another big night, with plenty of drinking behind the bar. And then we close early – allowing Lee & Ursula to spend the night in the bar by themselves, doing the gift thing in front of the fire. The theory being that tomorrow, they’re already here, and can start doing useful stuff early.
But, 25 Dec arrives – and then I turn up to the bar. Lee & Ursula very much asleep in the middle of the floor. We clean up the place a bit, and set up the tables for christmas dinner. Drink some champagne. More champagne. Get into a santa suit, but the first two children were old enough and smart enough to figure I wasn’t really santa. Third child, however, a gorgeous little girl – seemed rather convinced. Couldn’t stop staring at me. But I’m used to that now. Lunch was eventually served – and we discover we are rather short of cutlery. I run down to another cafe owned by the owners. Quite the sight – fully costumed santa running down the street, in order to beg for knives and forks. With a bandaged foot. But, I succeed, and the dinner goes off rather well. Except I couldn’t eat – because of my santa beard. And the little girl kept standing next to me staring, so I couldn’t sneak the beard off for a couple of minutes.
Eventually dinner is over, and I give a couple of gifts out. Then, wave goodbye, out the back door – and finally get out of the ridiculously hot and restrictive santa suit. And get some food. Very good meal – and I don’t think anybody could finish their plate. Then, watching some christmas type movies on TV, drinking more champagne, then beer, then wine, then whatever one could think of. And so on, and so on. Until the bar becomes busy, and then I work the bar again. Everybody enjoyed themselves quite a bit, I think – and once again it was a struggle to get people out at closing time. Then, a few more drinks with some of the regulars/friends entrusted to stay after closing. And a few of us end up sleeping here.
Next update will hopefully be written from London. If they’ve got internet over there.