A Toast

Yet again, Boat Race day finds me on the roof of the Rutland in Hammersmith. A friend of ours runs the pub and we go there every year for her Boat Race party.
Today was quite special. Sarah is leaving the company. She is the last of the “bunch” to go. Many moons ago David and I worked for Scottish & Newcastle, a good outfit to work for. Then in 2002 S&N sold out to Spirit.
Spirit were a bunch of shyster bastards. A shit-house, asset stripping outfit run by a scruffy bitch [Karen Jones] from hell with a whole host of 16 year old area managers, all scurrying around doing her bidding while covering their own arses.
Anyway, on the day that Spirit got their hands on 2000 odd pubs up and down the country they sent all of their new [old S&N] managers a bottle of champaign. On the label it said “Spirit, welcome to your new company”
At the time, I was running a pub in Brighton [Hove, actually] and had a little ceremony of opening the champers and pouring it down the sink.
Today, Sarah had a little ceremony of opening her bottle, which she has diligently kept, and all of us ex-Spirit, ex-S&N managers made a toast to Spirit and Karen Jones.
Here’s to you Karen, from David, Christian, Sarah, Aiden, Mary, Jim D, Mary D, Chris, Jan, Richard, Richard M-D and Caroline, cheers, you sad old bitch, we hope you’re happy.