Goes with the flow

So TheSingleEater turned in to TheSingleDrinker on Saturday night.  It was partially by accident and as a woman, I wouldn’t necessarily condone drinking alone for safety reasons, but sometimes you just have to go with the flow.

Earlier in the day I had met my BFF for a stroll around Borough Market, after which we would have a little lunch in a nearby restaurant. Upon arrival at the market, both BFF & I realized we hadn’t been to the market in over a year. Now I love a market and I used to love Borough Market – but it annoys me now. For one, I don’t like crowds and unless you get there for 8am, you will be bumped and bustled along for ever checking to ensure you're not being pick-pocketed. Moan Two – the market is overpriced: Now I don’t mind paying for food – but charging £4.30 for Quince or charging £4.00 for a piece of focaccia is daylight robbery!

After a little bump and grind, we wandered down to Bermondsey Street to The Garrison. I have eaten at this lovely gastropub before, and I adore the eclectic décor and magnetic vibe of the place. This little spot also holds a special place in my heart after enjoying a very memorable evening with a beautiful and special friend.  

Even for a Saturday afternoon, The Garrison did not disappoint. BFF and I started with a peach bellini, a real one I must add and not one of those artificially flavoured things. Since this was merely a little lunch, we only ordered Guinea fowl mains, which was excellent - moist and juicy.

I had invited a long lost school friend to join us for drinks. Long Lost Friend had recently made contact after years of silence. We'd lost contact in the days before the internet and we'd both lived around the word. We had  spoken a few times over skype in previous days and this was our first official meeting.

It’s always interesting when you catch up with people you haven’t seen in years. Not only have you both have changed physically and emotionally, regardless of how intimate you had been in the past, nothing will ever replace those periods of absence.

Long lost friend and I had both been looking forward to our reunion and the conversation flowed easily, and so did the drinks. BFF left, we spoke more intimately and yet we still only scratched the surface of our past. We wandered through the now dark isolated streets of London, changing venues and drinking more.  We joined tables of people we had never met and included these strangers in our story of both past and present, sharing intimate fragments of our lives.

At some stage long lost friend left me to meet other people. I had always known this had been his plan but suddenly, here I was in the blur of booze alone with complete strangers. What interested me the most is that I did not for once think – should I go home? Instead, I went back to the table, finished my drink and ordered the group the next round.