This week we found our tent, which had been missing since we moved to Auckland, hiding inside Andrew’s dive bag. We put it up and of course the girls immediately wanted to spend the night in the tent. We managed to put them off camping on a school night, so last night was the big night.
But first, I was busy continuing my reputation for law breaking, by being refused service and having my drink confiscated at an inner city bar. I seem to be attracting trouble at the moment. There were some work drinks at a lovely bar in town last night. I sat chatting quietly with my colleagues, making occasional trips to the bar to buy my round, until for some reason (and honestly, I really was my normal self, after five or six drinks. Which is talkative, but not stumbling around crashing into furniture) the barmaid decided I was too intoxicated to buy any more drinks. She told all the bar staff not to serve me. The next person bought their round, including one for me, and the barmaid came and confiscated my drink. I went to the bathroom and she was waiting for me outside to spend some more time telling me I shouldn’t drink anymore.
You might think I just can’t remember how incredibly drunk I was, but honestly, I wasn’t!! I was starting to think this woman had a personal vendetta against me. (Again with me and people in authority! Its taken me 35 years to get into this much trouble but I’m obviously hitting my straps now.) I went and sat down, and she stood leaning against the wall, watching me. So at that point I gave up and went home, at 11pm.
Which was good, because back on the ranch (or the back deck) the girls were wide awake and not sleeping at all. I popped into the tent, which was beautifully appointed with all manner of cushions, blankets, duvets and pillows, as well as toys, torches, tissues and snacks, and after a little chat the girls agreed that they’d either be asleep in ten minutes or back in their rooms for the night.
Ten minutes later, they were sound asleep and shortly after, I was too.
At about 6am, we were woken by the girls screaming into the room, telling us that there was a rat in the swimming pool. Andrew graciously went to deal with it, and luckily, it was a mouse and it was still doing laps – until Andrew fished it out and put it in the garden.
We set off for our first event of the day, a four year old’s birthday, and one of the guests happened to be a police officer. Apparently last night police in New Zealand and Australia decided to crack down on bars selling alcohol to drunk people, and the poor barmaid was living in fear of a $10,000 fine. Because of a mildly tiddly 35 year old tax lawyer. Seriously, at this rate I’m going to be arrested by the end of 2009.
Posted by Pam on December 14, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Words fail me. I was refused drinks in a bar in Rotorua one time. The reason was not too drunk but underage – I was about 24! Some one has something against us!