Christmas comes but once a year
This year nerves were even more on edge to ensure that the Keyo Christmas parties went to plan. So while the backroom girls were wrapping raffle prizes and Carl was making sure that all the empty shifts were covered, it was left to the directors to put in an order for good travelling weather.
As the delegation of five set off to Brynford in North Wales on Saturday morning, it was still unclear if we would make it through the snow and ice, but the bottom line was nobody would be to upset with our no show until the bill was presented! As it turned out we got there in just a bit over two hours.
On our arrival at the Crooked Horn (not a made up name) it was obvious we had got on way too well, however it wasnt many minutes before the advance guard turned up in the form of Lee Price, so we all settled in around a roaring fire getting caught up on the football, family and food.
The hosts Steve and his lovely wife Lisa came across and welcomed us to their hostelry and gave us the inside line on their micro brewery beer, which I must say was excellent. There is just no excuse for rubbish beer! And whats more, their unbelievable meat and two veg gravy dinner was pound thats right, a pound and I can tell you it was decent!
All three local teams made it including the guys from Anglesey. We also had a guest appearance from Glyn Davis, a man who could never sit still at the best of times, and was just doing a quick taxi run. Good on ya! It was great to catch up with Glyn who retired from the job at 65 and was on really good form. He looked as though he had twenty years work left in him despite being retired for the last fifteen.
The thing with being a national company is that a lot of people end up being just a voice on the phone. One such voice is Carl Martin a long term associate of ours who has played the angel of mercy just a few to- many times to go unmentioned, which made it all the more enjoyable to have a chat to him in a somewhat less frantic manner.
The strip poker went down well, even though nobody actually got their kit off, and just for once Gary didnt have to force his ample physic through the toilet window after fleecing everybody. Unfortunately we did have to leave before the Welsh singing, even though Rick was booked in for a rendition of Yr eneth gad ei gwrthod, which as we all know is. The song of the rejected maiden.
As always it was a pleasant day full of merriment and reminiscences. A big thank-you to everyone for battling through the elements, and to Steve and Lisa for welcoming us to their pub. See you next year.
And of course no Christmas party would be complete without the nativity scene. I dont know who the wise men were, or what strange tongues they where speaking in, and why somebody always stands in front of the baby!