Softel Christmas Party 2002

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The annual company jaunt, this year held on Saturday 7th December at the Dormy Hotel in Ferndown, Dorset.

18:47:57 Kevin made a slightly reluctant guinea pig for trying to get the camera settings right.

18:48:13 It looks like I didn't really have them sorted out then.

18:48:52 Andy with his super miniature spy style camera.

18:48:59 Mike asked if all pictures taken of him could be edited afterwards to take off 3 stone and 10 years. Bless.

18:49:49 Barry and Jeanette looking smiley as ever.

18:51:01 A very blurry messrs Kenna and Symons.

19:00:44 I really ought to have got the camera settings right by this stage.

19:01:49 Back to Kevin the Guinea Pig then.

19:02:24 Look it's me! Looking very pale and unhealthy. I blame the camera.

19:04:37 Hopefully the camera is set about right by this point.

19:05:14 Me making a rather poor attempt at the two pint glass challenge. Apparently a good cure for hiccups (or is that meant to be spelt hiccoughs?).

19:06:32 David and Andy looking very stern.

19:14:48 Simon, an Olympic standard sitter.

19:15:13 Simon, with Andy doing his started clown (?!) impression.

19:48:51 We must be sitting down for dinner by this point. All melon puns are strictly prohibited.

19:49:17 A bit of Kevin's shoulder, and slightly more of Duncan's.

19:50:00 Garry, bless his little cotton socks.

19:51:19 David hiding behind Rosemary.

19:52:04 The Tanswells, possibly looking at a camera.

19:53:03 Sesame street was brought to you today by the letter "D"...

19:53:53 Darren and Lydia.

19:54:38 I think this may have been a sneaky attempt at getting Ian in a picture, but he seems to have ducked out to the side.

19:55:08 Clearly Duncan has noticed something horrific just out of shot... The Salmon Mousse?

20:21:11 Duncan, immersed in a crazy kaleidoscope world full of Kevins.

20:49:05 Aside from Ian, the other old faithful of hating having his picture taken is of course Graham. Here he has arranged his napkin into some form of garotte like device, with which to strangle me.

20:49:33 The other side of Table J - Stuart, Clare and Lou. Apologies as usual for all the probably spelling mistakes.

20:50:09 It would appear blue is the new brown, or something like that.

21:03:02 Graham here attempting to snap my neck via telekinesis.

21:05:54 George making a point about something or other.

21:07:28 Duncan looking like he's straight out of an episode of The Sweeney here.

21:07:52 A sneaky look at Mel and Richie T.

21:10:05 Meanwhile, on table D...

21:17:13 Duncan looks a bit sozzled here don't you think.

21:17:27 Not sure what I was trying to get a picture of here.

21:18:32 Gary's cuffs, it would seem.

21:18:39 Fantastic ensemble of Garry doing his cowboy thing, whilst Duncan attempts to stab him in the groinal area, with a fork.

21:19:44 HA! Look I got Ian in a picture! And I don't think he even noticed! He seems to be having a very serious conversation with Mike.

21:20:45 Mike has a really superb facial expression in the background here.

21:20:54 This must have been a further attempt to get Ian in a picture.

21:25:08 I believe this fine gentleman's name is Roy, along with his wife, two of the other good people present on the wonderful table D.

21:27:19 A nice picture of 'our David and 'our Cheryl.

21:27:29 For some reason this picture gives me the impression David is floating along, rather than walking. I don't know why.

21:29:16 A charming picture of Alison and Duncan. I should be getting comission.

21:29:25 OK there's no need for any of that!

21:32:14 Barry and Jeanette also wanted their picture taken together.

21:32:32 Well I like it. Perhaps software engineering was not the right career choice after all?

21:33:35 What zany antics are going on over on Mike and Garry's table...?

21:34:56 Hmmm I think I got the angle wrong here.

21:35:09 Curious choice of hand positioning there Garry...

21:35:21 Nicely retorted Mel!

21:37:01 At table C, it looks a lot like Gordon has fallen asleep!

21:37:29 The other side of Table C...

21:37:39 The other other side of table C.

21:37:54 Mr. Duncan Edwards. Looks a bit like the sort of photograph you get when a celebrity is stopped unexpectedly by a reporter in the street.

21:38:10 All smiles on Table B.

21:38:29 Marvellous!

21:40:53 You wouldn't want to bump into these three gentlemen on a dark night now would you?

21:46:33 Just after the somewhat bungled awards ceremony, Mike and Jim enjoying their trophies, after they finally get to their rightful owners...

21:46:45 And I'd like to thank my parents, my producer...

21:47:00 Whether they're trying to kiss them or eat them I'm not sure.

22:09:12 The view through a little plastic kaleidoscope from a christmas cracker, before Simon informed me I'd need to use the zoom.

22:09:35 Much better this time around. Although a bit scary.

22:10:12 Graham planning the trajectory of things he can throw at me.

22:10:22 He started quite generously with the little plastic kaleidoscope thingy. Following that he went for a fork instead. Nice to have Garry officiating over the proceedings.

22:20:47 Mr. and Mrs. Singh being charming as ever.

22:21:10 The Etheridges looking very smiley indeed!

22:40:08 It must be time to move back to the bar then.

23:06:23 Simon looking mean with a very cheap cigar.

23:06:34 There was a choice between a box of five for just under three quid, or a single one for about a tenner. Guess which one we plumped for.

23:06:41 I find this picture of David disturbing somehow. Maybe it is more the bits we can't see that are the problem.

23:09:40 Me, a long way off, enjoying a cigar.

23:10:07 The most like Popeye I've looked so far this evening.

23:12:13 Mel and Kevin both looking insanely smiley.

00:20:51 Garry seemed really keen on group photos at this point...

00:20:58 Fantastic cowboy thing there. Also quite great is Kevin's odd happy dreamy sort of look. Probably thinking about marshmallows, or Black Forest Gateaux.

00:21:23 Kundan and Shaz enjoying the special cowboy treatment.

00:29:26 A variant on the standard cowboy maneuvre being demonstrated here.

00:30:07 Great picture - and not just because I'm in it!

00:55:47 Softel employees in beer drinking shocker.

00:56:05 The bar is certainly very well guarded.

00:57:31 Enter Mr. and Mrs. Toothill...

01:01:11 Kevin with a hint of catalogue pose, and Simon, by this point really very drunk.

01:01:55 Some blokes legs, then.

01:03:19 A bit out of focus, but lovely nonetheless.

01:05:19 Kevin looks a lot shorter than normal!

01:06:18 A great celebration of manliness going on here...

01:09:40 I asked to get a picture of the barstaff. They were clearly so excited at the prospect, that they threw the contents of the till all over the floor.

01:12:32 All tidied up now, and what a lovely photo it was! Another example of curious hand positioning... hmmm...

01:17:46 A bout of snooker/pool playing ensued. Here's Kevin racking them up.

01:17:53 Simon, usually pretty good at pool, as far as I understand. Tonight though, he was not so good, on account of being somewhat trolleyed.

01:18:04 Erm, snooker.

01:19:26 Les and Simon sharing a "special" moment together.

01:27:59 Simon trying to remember which colour he was allowed to poke at with the stick thing.

01:49:36 Mr Sumner, and a load of balls.

01:49:50 Kevin, with no balls.

01:51:07 Garry had fallen asleep. Not sure why the cue ball needed to be floating above his head here, but I'm very glad it was nonetheless.

01:51:55 Simon, still sitting down with remarakable skill.

02:03:33 No real point to this picture. Look at all those golf balls though!

02:04:30 Everyone's starting to look really tired... I think Simon went off to bed shortly after this picture...

02:06:35 Here's Garry going to bed too...

02:21:37 A bit of a random picture to end on really, but there you go!