escapism

to risk being incredibly uncool by talking about it (because i'm easily impressed and was overwhelmed by the opportunity) i happened to spend the night in the country in a safe house. without going into too much detail, i've a friend with an unsafe job and she was in town for work. she knew i was around and invited me back to hers for dinner with people in the same industry. as she was staying a distance from city centre (and i'm spoilt and don't drive) she'd initially asked if i'd like to spend the night. was too paiseh to accept because for some reason i'd presumed work had put her up in a rural hotel and i didn't want to inconvenience anyone. so i got a ride out with her after work (straight from the drug and rehab centre i was at and into the fire!) and was gobsmacked by her accommodation. turns out it's a proper house with full-time staff and panic buttons! because there may or may not have been an attempt on her life the weekend before (thankfully she wasn't around). this obviously appealed terribly to my inner bond fantasist. sort of awkwardly retracted my initial answer and did spend the night.

hadn't seen her in a few years, the last time being outside bond*street fenwicks and she'd clued me in to their brow bar. so it was a lovely catch up over tea and cake before her guests arrived, then i was showed my room (!!!) before we re-grouped for pre-dinner bubbles. it felt like being on a movie set, or what it must feel like if cluedo, the whodunnit boardgame, came to life. 

"it was the disgruntled barrister with a candlelabra in the drawing room..."

it'd been weeks since i'd met a non-medic (sad but true) so i was in the throes of intellectual ecstasy for the next 12h. because her guests were incredibly clever and i sort of sat in rapt attention soaking it all in. there was a fair deal of medic bashing which i refrained from joining in but couldn't help secretly agree with, and a lengthy discussion about the n*hs. ironically, this bunch has never used the n*hs (no surprises) but their observations were astute enough for me to find the argument compelling. i suppose i find it hard to articulate what it is i miss about my previous life and it's that breadth of knowledge and collective wisdom. medics, bless them, often don't know much beyond medicine and the world is so big it's a waste to know top to tail bodily and no more.

best night in a long time, slept like a baby without nightmares of potential risk to life and limb (!). had a lovely breakfast with more brain tickling banter and rode back to work with her before going in search of a massage. gotta love a mid-week morning off.