Farewell for old colleagues

Another cold day today and spent the morning at home.  I hoisted the Scout Association Flag for Thinking Day as requested by the local Scout Leader. Sara went into Salisbury at lunchtime to visit the dentist for some emergency treatment for her toothache.  It seems that she'll either need some root canal treatment or have the tooth removed.  She was given a temporary filling and came home with a number mouth.  This meant that she did not do her normal stint at the Lord Nelson this lunchtime. It has been snowing on and off today - nothing much but the weather is raw.  At around 4 p.m. I set off for Dorking (a trip which used to be a weekly event but is now seldom done) to join others in saying a fond farewell to five colleagues who have been made redundant from Friends Life.  I arrived just after 5.30 p.m. following a good non-eventful journey along the M3 and over the Hog's Back.  It was good to see some old friends - many of whom, like me, are now living a new life after Friends as well as some old colleagues (six in all) who have avoided the "chop".  We had a few drinks in the Sports and Social Club (apparently as a "pensioner" I retain my membership of the Club) and chatted to quite a number of people including my old boss.  We later all went for an excellent Chinese meal at the Chifan Restaurant next door to Dorking Halls.  In all there were about eighteen of us and we enjoyed a buffet/banquet for £14.99 each - really good food.  I finally said my farewells at 10 p.m. arriving back at Winterslow at 11.30 p.m after another good but snowy journey along the motorway.