I met
Kelly in Lewes last night for a few drinks after work and we got onto the topic of blogging and how we miss the random posts (and emails) we used to do in the 'good old days' before work intervened. It was time to bring it all back! And so The Great Friday Tea Caper was born...
09:48 – Arrive at work.
09:50 - Hear the sound of the kettle boiling. BP is the only other member of staff in, apart from SC who rarely makes hot beverages - as he’s the boss - so I assume that she is making the first round of drinks.
09:56 – Receive Kelly’s first update reminding me about the sequel to
The Poosday Drinks Project. She's titled it The Great Friday Tea Caper. "
What happens if we all drink coffee?" I enquire.
09:59 – With DF off sick it looks like there will just be six of us taking part in today’s task. Plus SB – but he rarely has a hot drink and only ever makes them after 6pm when everyone else has gone home.
10:00 – The office is open and there’s no sign of our drinks.
10:17 – Still no drinks. I was hoping to scive out of making a round of drinks today but am getting desperate. Sadly the phones are ringing off the hook, so I can’t get away.
10:23 – BP sits down and starts taking calls. Where’s our drinks?!
10:27 – I’m getting twitchy now, I need my caffeine! Damn, my phone is ringing again. Right, b*ll*cks to it, I’m logging off after this call and making the drinks.
10:31 – Put the kettle on. Realise SB isn’t actually at work after all, he’s at the dentist. BP’s mug has gone missing. Have to find a replacement.
10:37 – First round of drinks completed as follows:
- Me – Coffee (Kenco) white, two sugars
- SC – Tea (builders) white, one sugar
- BP – Coffee (Nescafe) white, no sugar
- PC – Tea (Redbush) white, no sugar
- JC – Tea (builders) white, no sugar
- AD – Tea (builders) white, two sugars
10:39 – Oh dear, SB arrives at work, just a fraction too late for the first round of drinks. Not that he’d have wanted one anyway, probably.
10:45 – JC thanks me for the cup of tea! Nice to know that my efforts are appreciated by some members of our office.
10:49 – AD is eating a chocolate Penguin biscuit – without providing communal biscuits for everyone. It’s a disgrace!
10:51 – I find the packet of cookies left over from yesterday and grab one of those before they’re all gone.
10:55 – AD is sneakily eating her
second chocolate Penguin biscuit. I voice my displeasure. Still, no-one else wants a cookie so that means I can finish off the packet.
11:01 – Finish eating all the remaining cookies. That was a bit greedy of me really, but hey, I was hungry.
11:02 – Finish my coffee. A very good 8/10 if I do say so myself. Submit first report to Kelly.
11:26 – All quiet on the drinks front. AD tries to make amends by offering to share her packet of Mini-Cheddars with me.
11:37 – One hour since the last hot drinks and I’m ready for another… so who’s going to make the next round? It’s like the Cheltenham festival but with hot beverages! Here’s the latest betting odds:
- BP – 3/1 FAV
- JC – 5/1
- PC – 11/2
- AD – 30/1
- SC – 100/1
- SB – 500/1
- Me – Non-runner
12:04 – Two hours in and only one hot drink so far. People are slacking in their responsibilities today. Or maybe they’re just too busy doing their work? I’m going to have to start dropping hints in a moment…
12:09 – “
I must make some tea in a minute, we’ve only had one drink today,” mutters PC. Come on then, get that kettle on… I’m timing you!
12:12 – PC is in the kitchen making drinks!
12:15 – AD finds the box of Cadbury’s Heroes chocolates. I am entrusted with the task of Guardian Of The Heroes, to ensure that BP and AD don’t eat them all. After my earlier incident with the cookies is this a wise move?
12:20 – PC arrives with the drinks. BP has been given half Nescafe half Kenco in error.
12:33 – Stuck on the front counter so I haven’t had chance to sample my latest cup of coffee.
12:34 – Good effort from PC, nice and strong but perhaps a little lacking in the sugar department. A strong 7/10 for that one.
12:41 – I’ve only eaten two Heroes chocolates so far.
12:58 – What devilish magic is this? In an attempt to locate my original Poosday Drinks Project notes I discover that I suddenly have access to my blog. My blog has been barred at work for months… what is going on here?
13:08 – Second update submitted to Kelly.
13:43 – All quiet on the hot beverage front. I’m still getting over the shock of being able to get onto my blog again. I bet it doesn’t last…
13:57 – I think I’m going to have to start dropping some hints here. We’re distinctly lacking in the hot drinks action at the moment. Time to liven things up a bit.
14:13 – Hmmmm… this isn’t working. People keep disappearing off to lunch. My stomach is rumbling. Tesco is calling me.
14:23 – I casually mention that a drink would be lovely with my forthcoming round of toast. “
If that’s supposed to be a hint then I’m ignoring it,” says AD, a notorious shirker when it comes to tea making duties.
14:26 – I try bribing AD by saying she can go to lunch before me if she makes some hot drinks first. She declines. I go to lunch.
14:35 – I return from Tesco with a loaf of bread. You know, a cup of tea would go nicely with some toast right now… but it doesn’t look like I’m going to get one unless I make it myself.
14:44 – AD gets back from lunch and asks how I’m enjoying my toast. “
It’s a bit dry,” I respond, “
Just needs a drink to help wash it down.”
14:45 - My attempts to make AD feel guilty are not working. JC is still stuck at the counter so that leaves BP the only other alternative at this moment in time.
14:53 – BP looks very busy. Tea making doesn’t appear to be top of her agenda right now. Sigh. This is fast becoming a disaster.
15:07 – JC is at lunch now… maybe he’ll offer to make the drinks when he gets back?
15:19 – Hurrah! BP announces that she’s going to make drinks in a few minutes. I tell her not to bother making one for AD since she obviously doesn’t want one.
15:27 – Will BP put the kettle on before I die of thirst? Submit third report to Kelly.
15:33 – Is that the kettle I can hear boiling?
15:40 – Still no drink… that BP is a demon at boiling the kettle and forgetting about it, as demonstrated already this morning.
15:43 – BP finally collects the mugs from our desks… hot drinks imminent!
15:46 – Suddenly realise that I haven’t specified that I’d like an Earl Grey tea instead of coffee for this round. Catch BP in the nick of time, phew!
15:49 – Whoo hoo! My tea arrives… only three and a half hours since our last hot drink then.
16:04 – A surprisingly good effort from BP – sweet and strong, just how I like it. 9/10 for that one!
16:17 – Finish my tea, mmm! Try and post a comment on Kelly’s blog but can’t remember my own log in details.
16:33 – Into the last 90 minutes of the working day. So will JC squeeze in with a late round of drinks like he did yesterday?
16:54 – Drinks have taken a back seat while I’ve been busy looking on Google to see if I come up on a search for Arcade Fire at Brixton Academy. If you put the phrase in quotations then I’m on the second page of results – I guess that’s why I’ve had a few hits today then.
17:06 – Stop searching for stuff relating to my blog on Google, it’s far too distracting!
17:12 – JC has finally escaped from the counter – so will we get a last gasp cup of coffee? It’s going to go right down to the wire!
17:32 - Into the final half hour. It's not going to happen, is it? Three measly drinks all day... a disappointing display.
17:59 - AD gets stuck with a massive festival booking just before we're about to close. That's karma at work. She should have made that drink at lunchtime...
You can read Kelly's transcript of her own Great Friday Tea Caper
here.
