View from the 23rd floor....

After a successful day's training, and dinner in the hotel, I was feeling really, really tired: weeks of not sleeping well was seriously catching up with me, and now all I wanted to do was sleep, it was only 10pm, but when colleagues headed for the bar, I decided that, feeling very full and not wanting a drink, I had best go to bed, especially as I had struggled not to nod off during the afternoon session.....

I went into the bar to say goodnight, feeling like a party pooper, but hey, at my age, I need my beauty sleep..I paused to say goodnight to one colleague I know quite well, and she too was deciding to opt for an early night. As we turned towards the lift, two of our group appeared, M and J, saying they were off to get a taxi to the H*lton, to visit the bar on the 23rd floor, where the view of the city was absolutely stunning. Come on they said, join us...no-one else wanted to go. S and I looked at each other...M was retiring very soon after 30 years with the organisation, this was a chance to say goodbye to her. Oh, you only live once, so I said yes, and next thing I am in a taxi speeding across the city to the tallest building and a posh cocktail bar.

Once in the hotel lobby, red carpet took us to the special lift that went directly to the 23rd floor. 'Evening ladies,' said the security guard, 'have you booked?' No, we hadn't. 'Never mind, go on up and enjoy yourselves.' We obviously didn't look like trouble.

We stepped out of the lift to be greeted by a smiling hostess, and taken across the bar to be seated by a floor to ceiling window and the best view of Manchester by night ever. I ordered a melon non alcoholic cocktail it was only £6 for a bit of lemon flavoured water with ice, but jolly nice.

As I walked across the bar, my eyes got used to the dim lighting, and I saw groups of extremely attractive, extremely well turned out young men. And groups of young women, scantily dressed, and making several trips to the ladies to show off their bling and try and pull.... well, as several pairs of eyes watched our progress across the floor to our table, I never felt so old, and overdressed in my long skirt and marks and spencer's cardie......'Do you think we'll pull? asked the youngest in our group of four. 'You might,' I said, 'But I don't stand a chance in hell.....' I probably reminded them of their grandma!!!

But we had a giggle, a cocktail each and a girly chat, we took photos, and as we left and called a taxi back to our hotel, I was stupidly pleased I had gone, and not vanished to my bedroom ten seconds earlier, and missed a real laugh.....the photos are not the best quality ......