If the party can't go to the restaurant...

Backblipped 10.11.21


I've been looking forward to today for ages.  

The plan was our best friends Agnes and Adrian and their daughter (our god-daughter) Emily and her fiancee Sam would come to ours for pre-dinner drinks before we went for dinner at our favourite local Italian restaurant to celebrate Emily and Sam's engagement.  They would come back and stay at ours afterwards and I would photograph Emily and Sam tomorrow afternoon to mark the occasion.

 As soon as I woke up this morning I knew there was no way I would be able to go to the restaurant as my sciatica was as painful as ever.  I was quite upset as we've been looking forward to being able to celebrate the occasion for so long (they got engaged in February.)

David phoned Agnes to tell her and said I had suggested they go to the restaurant without me.  David wasn't happy with this suggestion but I hated the idea of everything being cancelled because of me.  Agnes was  horrified at the thought going ahead without me.  Then we had an idea.  During lockdown the restaurant did takeaway food and still do when they're not busy (although post lockdown they are always busy :-) and we wondered if they would do the meal as a takeaway for us.  We know the owner and manager well and were hopeful they would say they could.   Well they did!  Yay!  

They took a photo of the specials board and sent it to us along with a link to their main menu and we had our order placed by mid afternoon and arranged to pick it up at 8pm, the time we would have been sitting down in the restaurant. 

Although I had been taking strong painkillers, I knew what I really needed was an anti-inflammatory but since ending up in hospital a few years ago with side effects from taking Ibuprofen, I no longer take them.  But I gave in and took two and within half an hour, for the first time in over a week, I could take a step without searing pain.  I actually cried with relief.  

This brief respite allowed me to make myself presentable and I was sitting in my party clothes, feet up with my slippers on (oh the glamour!) when everyone arrived for pre-dinner drinks as planned.  I allowed myself one glass of Prosecco to toast the happy couple :-)

So after starting the day in pain and fretting that we'd have to cancel the whole celebration, we ended up having a lovely evening.

David collected the food at 8pm.  It was wonderful as usual.  Agnes, Emily and I had ordered cinnamon churros and roast almond dip for dessert.  Worried that there may only be two or three little churros in the dessert, we ordered two extra portions.  OMG!  Turns out there was about 8 large churros in a portion!  Unless of course they gave us extra!  lol!  Either way, David brought a mountain of them to the table and I managed two.  I think Emily and Agnes had three each and the others helped out too (despite having their own desserts) but there were still a load left.  That will teach us to be greedy!  

After dinner we all chilled and had a lovely evening that eventually ended at 3am!

And I was able to get to my bed without squealing in agony!  Result!