Birthday bash v2.

Both Neil's and Devon's birthdays (happy birthday, guys!) fell on or near this last weekend, and so a combined bash to end all bashes was planned for Saturday night.

Of course, before we could approach such an endeavour with the (specific) gravity demanded of us, we had to warm up. On Friday night, then, the chief protagonists - a Mafia hardcore - went out for a gentle night's boozing.

Neil's summary the next morning: "7 pints, 3 bottles, 3 shots, a bottle of champagne: not too little, not too much". Ice cubes had been thrown/inserted. Neil had been inverted and had a lovely chat while upside down with a concerned passer-by.

On Saturday night, after a gleeful stag party of Irish farmers had vacated it, we turned up at the Brass Monkey and took up station in the back room. After a couple of hours, a thronging mass of Mafia and archaeology types, plus Neil's Glasgow crew, had filled the place entirely. It truly was a sight to behold, but as is my wont, I vanished off to the chippy at midnight to try to salvage the last vestiges of sobriety, and surfaced only at noon the next day. Ah well...