I'm writing this at 9.30pm and everyone is pissed.
I'm just home after spending the day hanging in the sun in Richmond with my GF.
We had one of those idyllic lazy Sunday's where you take the papers, camp outside a cafe in the sun, sit, chill, read, laze, talk, drink tea (me), wine (her) smoke, chat to people and watch the world go by.
It was an afternoon equivalent of Crosby, Stills and Nash. Easy listening. Middle of the road. Half paced but not half arsed. I liked it.
It was followed by a relaxing dinner at a great pub with live music, reclining on a battered sofa and topped off with triple cooked chips and a fresh cream Sundae. Bingo!
There was a great atmosphere on the streets today. You could feel it. The sun was out, no work tomorrow. It's a Bank Holiday weekend, so everyone was milling about, happy, smiling, chatting and mostly drinking. I love it when Britain's like that.
A classic summer bank holiday. The mood is good and the weather is sweet, to spend it lazing around watching the world go by, by the river was a real treat. There's something about being by the river. By water on a sunny day that makes everything OK.
By 9pm, we nipped into Richmond to pick up some stuff and everyone was pissed. Girls were swaying across the street in their long flouncy summer dresses, boys staggering around balancing bottles of Magner's with Marlboro Light in salmon pink shorts or chinos. Groups of OAP's bumbling around like they'd forgotten their mobility scooters. The whole place was arse holed. It was hilarious.
A full summers day of boozing merrily in the Sun meant lots of red faces and strap lines as people swayed about not wanting the day to end. Bank holiday Sunday's when it's sunny is a freedom pass to drink. No work tomorrow so Britain becomes one massive Wetherspoons. Sometimes I miss the freedom of those endless afternoons.
You could almost see the hangover forming on some of them. Even looking at them made me thirsty.
But what struck me was that nobody were alcoholics. They were just normal people getting on the lash because it was sunny and they had no work tomorrow. I love that.
I never demonise drink. It's just not for me or other alcoholics. But I would never ever look down or criticise people for getting pissed. It's what we do in Britain. It just made me laugh that all the conditions seemed to give everyone an excuse to tear the arse out of today. I like being sober enough and out and about to observe it.
But the thing is Richmond is so posh and middle class attracting so many out of towners when the weather is sweet because it's such a good spot by the river, that the pissed up crew are like Extras from Made in Chelsea. Coupled with the fact it had one of those Foodie Festivals going on, like a mass Farmers Market it was as if the entire audience of Great Brutish Bake off decided to meet in Richmond for a wine soaked piss up.
I did spot a couple of good old alkies though, drinking Special Brew, shirt unbuttoned to the navel shouting at the traffic just to keep the town honest. The practicing alkies weren't entirely drowned out by the part timers.
In the morning I went to a great little meeting and felt good to be sober. I met a guy who was shaking like a shitting dog at his first meeting. A street drinker who had, had enough. He had no teeth and was 4 days 'off the booze'. One more strike and he would go to prison for a long time. Like most, it was all alcohol related.
I suppose to the outside world, me, looking like a poor man's David Beckham chatting to messy gap toothed Big Issue seller would look like an odd combination. A mix match. But we have the same disease. I am him if I don't go to meetings and pick up a drink. And he is me if he can put the drink down and do meetings. It's an amazing leveller and I love it. No man is better or worse. That's why in AA it is a We programme not 'I'. I know when I'm in my disease when it's all 'I'. It's been a little like that this past week if I'm honest.
I gave him a few quid and a meetings list and sent him on his way. He was a lovely little fella. I just hope to God he took the £8 home to his missus so they could eat instead of bagging 6 tins of Tenants Super. I hope I see him back, but we shall see.
All in all I had a great day. It showed me that normal people who like a drink far outweigh us alcoholics. It showed me that Bank Holidays in the sun send the population booze bonkers. It showed me that The sun does bring out a cafe culture in certain parts of the country. And it showed me that we are all equal. Not what we see on the outside.
Hope you have a good Bank Holiday, whatever you're doing and just for today I'm very grateful I don't have kids as everyone who went by from our spot outside the cafe who had kids all looked totally stressed, miserable and overweight. It may have just been weird odds but nearly all of them looked like they wanted to be doing what I was.
Weirdly everyone who walked past with a dog all looked happy and lean. Is that a coincidence parents out there? For this self centred, responsibility phobic loony hasn't got a clue about all that. I merely observed it today, granted through 12 cups of tea and 21 silk cut but boy did I look happier than most of them.
Together We Are Stronger
Nicholas E Evans
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