Busy, busy weekend......part 1

So on Saturday we went to ds convocation. The doors opened to the hall at 12:30pm, so we were there just after 12:30pm, by 12:45pm, there were no seats left. There were 1,200 graduates, and each graduate was allowed two guests. It started at 1:30pm and it finished around 4pm. It was a lovely convocation and Ken Shaw was the master of ceremonies, and was so good.

We were staying at the hotel where all this was at. We had checked into our room before the ceremony. Now this hotel is a fancy dancy one, not one that we would normally stay in. So we pull into the unloading area and the guy came up and asked us if we wanted to valet park so we said yes, as we were unsure about it all, we asked how much and it was $40, which would be added to the bill. I go over to get a cart to put our luggage on, and the guy comes rushing over and said you can't do that, I'll get a bell boy to take your luggage??? So I say fine and go and check in. I ask about our luggage, and they say it will be upstairs in a few minutes, and sure enough a couple of minutes later, there is a knock on the door and there is our luggage, had to give him a tip, another $5 spent there. So we have been in the hotel 15 minutes and it has already cost us $45!!!

Anyhow, after the convocation me, dh and ds all go to our room to catch up, and then ds goes to his room to change and we change into our evening wear. There was a drink's and canapes reception for the company ds works for between 6pm and 8pm. So me and dh sit in a quiet place and eat the delicious canapes while ds networks with everyone.

At 8:30pm, we finally go into the ballroom for dinner. There were three ballroom's as there were 3,300 people attending the dinner dance. The menu for the dinner was:

Roasted Pear and Winter Squash Bisque with Chive foam - it was yummy

Baby Spinach, with fresh berries and goat cheese, with a port vinaigrette, again this was really good, and I think I will make this one in the future, and I don't normally like spinach.

Chicken, with mushrooms, potatoes, veggies and au jus (fancy dancy gravy!!), I have had worse, but it was nothing exciting.

Chocolate silk, with berry compote, and vanilla coulis. It was like two brownie's, cut in triangles with a fruit sauce and a custard swirl through the berry sauce. It was actually very sickly.

Coffee or tea.

By the time we had finished it was 10:45pm, which is way, way too late to be eating if you ask me. Me and dh left the ballroom, at 11pm, as we were tired. Ds then went to meet up with accounting friends, and to cut a long story short they ended up crashing the BDO Dunwoody party, as they had free booze, plus they knew people who work there. Ds finally got to bed at 2am, but had, had a super time. Now as an example on how overpriced the booze was, it was $9 for the cheapest glass of wine!!!

I will post photos and it could only happen to me story, which is really quite amusing tomorrow, as I am pooped