Dressing up, down, and to the right

The thing about this time of year is the social events that one feels obliged to decline.

There are Balls. I only went to one last season. It was excellent. But I had declined three.

This year I probably have to decline four.

I have two school reunions (including an annual Old Boys dinner) to decline.

There is the inevitable ‘former colleagues’ Christmas Party to decline (three of those).

I don’t mind getting in to a Black Tie (or White Tie for that matter), I just don’t like the way that some “do’s” pan out.

There is another annual event, that occurs at this time of year, that used to involve a party.

But I don’t do jelly and ice-cream any more and Karen Hargreaves is now married with kids and has stopped trying to snog me in the garden shed.

That’s such an easy annual event to walk away from, I couldn’t remember, earlier this evening, what the number behind it is.

Senile, obv.