...an engagement card

A few years ago I changed careers. I went from being a scientist to working in the Professional Services within Universities (I added my work sector as I realise that saying I work in the Professional Services could be misconstrued...!!). Not long after I did this, I joined the AUA (Association of University Administrators) and soon after went to conference at Warwick University where I met someone from UCL called Lee Standen. We got on well from the start and when I moved to UCL Lee and I became very close friends. He is a one of my 'important to me' people. A couple of years ago he started seeing Emma, another AUA colleague from the University of London and they make each other so happy, it's just lovely. Anyway, earlier this year, Lee and I went on a training course together and at the pub after, Lee said he was thinking of asking Emma to marry him, which I wholeheartedly endorsed! So after a bit more nudging from me, on their holiday in Mexico in September Lee popped the question to a very surprised Emma! She obviously said yes, and so that spurred me into making an engagement card! The outcome of which is below...

...whiskey

At work I receive many, many emails from the various mailing lists I'm on. It does mean that I don't tend to subscribe to many in my personal life. For those, I rely on my friend Cathy. She gets sent information about a whole load of random events and so when she received details of a whiskey blending taking place at Brown's in St Martin's Lane, well, it was a given that we were going to do it! It was a really good deal and included a 3-course dinner (which is fortunate because I just dread to think what my hangover would have been without the food!).

Anyway, following the first two courses we sat down to a table with the following in front of us:

The evening started with Phil, the Brand Ambassador for Chivas Regal, telling us a bit about the history of whiskey (which as I'm currently engrossed in the Outlander series was a little familiar!) and explaining the different whiskies we had available to blend. There were 5 in total, covering a range of flavours from very light to smoky to ones with more depth of flavour. Following a review of the individual whiskies, the idea was to blend them to give a whiskey which suited our own personal taste.

And so it began...

I started off OK, but then decided I'd added to much of the smoky whiskey. I'd only added a what seemed like a small amount but it was very overpowering! We had a sheet that we were writing in the proportions of the various whiskies we were adding and I decided in my - at this point somewhat drunken state - to remove half of what I'd made and dilute down again with the lighter options. You'll see from this sheet, trying to do sums when you have consumed a substantial amount of whiskey is quite tricky!!

The idea was that we ended up with 250ml of whiskey. I really couldn't tell you from my scribblings if I achieved that, all I can say is that it fit in the bottle!!

I should probably say at this point, that I'm not a big whiskey drinker at all... So I'm unable to say whether or not it was a good blend or not. I can say it didn't win the prize for the best blend on the night, nor did I win the best name for the whiskey, nor could I expect it to appear in this guide...

...but it was a fun evening, at that's what matters isn't it!