Nothing says Christmas quite like giant mirrored disco balls suspended over the street, at least, it does in Shoreditch.

And so to the work Christmas lunch yesterday, held in deepest Hackney. The doorway looked like it hadn't even been cleaned since circa 1980, all dirty tiles and on grubby Mare Street, but down the long passageway that led through the building and a turn right and... Voila! A chi-chi gastro pub kind of place with something like Farrow & Ball's French Grey paint on the walls and waiters in matching check shirts.

A sort of mad mix of trivia questions and Jenga ensued post-meal. I think the idea was that if you didn't answer the question right, you removed a Jenga log and if you knocked the whole thing over, you had to do a shot. What wasn't clear was if this was a punishment or a prize...

Today is the last work day for me pre-Xmas - amazing. Actually, what will be truly amazing is if I get all packed and organised before I go to... (drum roll...)... New York tomorrow! Whoop, whoop.