And so…as the fate laden pen neared the sign out sheet of destiny this evening…as I (theoretically and ceremoniously-if not quite accurately I’m sure) balanced my last babaganoush, and pulled my last pint…I had a few reflections. Some interesting some not at all…when I arrived at Abar a year ago, feeling cellloless and therefore soulless in free fall like a fish out of water, it was reasonable to imagine that waitressing would be quite far out of my comfort zone. What… I certainly never could have imagined however is the miscellany of weird, wonderful, whacky people I would meet. And (with a few notable customer exceptions aside) it is these completely fantastic people that I shall miss the most. I have been blown away by the generous spirits and caring hearts of those that I have met-the solidarity amongst waiting staff makes for firm friendships indeed-something like a desire to triumph in the face of adversity! Friends and customers who took my ‘portsmouth education’ seriously, who taught be that I could be so uncool as to be considered cool, who taught me how to converse on subjects other than music and how to interact with the world as a whole, how to carry 10 wine glasses whilst seamlessly balancing countless plates up my arms, how to chop bits of square butter into round dishes and conquer the humble milky heart on a flat white (all enviable skills I know…), taught me to care whether carrots sit horizontally or vertically on a plate, and how to bribe with hot beverages a kitchen full of chefs into cooking some food. People who taught me to like wine (a little too enthusiastically successfully!) and of course ham & mustard crisps, to coax dried wax off a table, and as if I could ever forget…how to understand the finer nuances of the word ‘drill’…my list goes on and on…to all the staff, customers and regulars at ABar, I will never be able to express my thanks fully for in part saving me this year-for welcoming me into the family (and to one customer-for finding me a bagpipe teacher!). You all rock. If I never polish a wine glass, item of cutlery or restaurant floor again, never wait a small proportion of my life for a card machine to print a receipt or a customer to decide what they actually want it will be no great loss. Never having met you guys would be. To those I haven’t said goodbye to yet-ill find you-kitchen I’m sorry I left in a hurry! But thank you one and all for one hell of a year…