The official leaving do

After saying au revoir to so many people individually the time finally came round on Friday evening to have our leaving party at the Cricketers pub in Rowtown. Steve and I had invited lots of people as we took into consideration the fact that many would be unable to attend for one reason or another. But we were very pleasantly surprised to see lots and lots of our friends and family - more than we could have hoped for.

Toni came to our house as she didn't know the area and needed us to take her round to Pat's where she was staying for the night. After taking her there Steve and I went to the pub at about 6.15pm to be able to greet people as they arrived. Shame on us that 3 or 4 people were already there - terrible hosts!! you always can tell the ones that can't wait to get to the bar! Joking you lot. Soon after that people starting arriving until the pub was heaving and the noise level was very high. A cold buffet was provided which Steve and I were very pleased with - there was enough and it all tasted good - what more could we want. I took lots of photos - not enough as I found out the following day as some people escaped my camera. I wonder if that was intentional in a few cases - camera dodgers. I'll try and grab a few of you again before we leave. I'll use this blog to say a few thanks to people I think -

To my gorgeous little brother Graham and his fiance Sue who travelled down from Bedfordshire - fantastic to see you both and you made it extra special for me.Make sure you visit us soon.
To some of the staff of the Intermediate Care Team at St. Peters Hospital who I used to work for from 1997 to 2002 and then still worked alongside until recently - thank you for the lovely flowers and card - they mean a lot to me.
To Chris and Lynne who drove up from Poole - great to see you both - keep in touch.There aren't many guys as mad as Steve Chris!
To Martin and Michelle who drove down from Bedfordshire and stayed overnight in a hotel - don't lose touch now guys - make an extra special effort, Steve will really appreciate it.
To my darling colleagues from the Social Care Team at St. Peters Hospital - my memories of working with you are wonderful. You are fantastic people and deserve a lot more than you will get from Surrey County Council - keep in touch please.
To Colin and Ally, Dean and Linda, Maureen and Steve and Woodsy - the Windlesham team! Thank you for all the laughs and good times we have had - lets have loads more in the future on both sides of Europe.
To Tony, Lisa and the children and Lee, Vicki and the boys - thank you for re emerging into Steve's life and making him a part of the family again. Please keep in touch.
To Steve and Jackie - our neighbours and new friends - thank you for coming along and I hope you have better neighbours after we leave!
And finally to my special friends - Pat, Ann and John, Diane, Carey, Toni and Judith - be happy, be lucky and be out in Cyprus on a regular basis to see me as I will see you in the UK when we come back to holiday here.

If I've missed anyone out please don't feel offended - my head is very full at the moment - as is my heart.

The night could not have been better for Steve and myself - it made us feel very loved and happy and it also created many memories that we will cherish.