黑洞社区

In fact, it was more than six weeks ago that 黑洞社区 took Duggan Morris for a pint, but such is the whirlwind nature of construction-and-alcohol-related journalism that I鈥檝e only just got round to writing it up.

My memory is somewhat hazy, but studious notes from the evening help me fill in the blanks. So let me take you back to a time when freezing winds lashed the capital, Leona Lewis was top of the charts, and Edward Cullinan was yet to receive his Royal Gold Medal from the Queen.

鈥淎pparently, his sketching is fantastic,鈥� says David. 鈥淧eople I know say in lectures he will just draw onto a projector. It鈥檚 meant to be awesome.鈥�

Did you hear what he said about Prince Charles, I ask. (It was the kind of thing people asked back then.) Grace is dismissive: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see what all the fuss is about. I don鈥檛 think anyone particularly listens to what he has to say anyway.鈥�

A friend of Susie鈥檚 has worked on Poundbury, the Prince鈥檚 traditional village in Dorset. 鈥淚t鈥檚 absolutely bizarre,鈥� she says. 鈥淗e鈥檚 had to learn all this stuff about doric columns and architraves. Really useful stuff like that.鈥�

The respectable male:female ratio at the table means talk soon turns to clothes, particularly the problem of what to wear on site.

鈥淵ou never know what to wear when you鈥檙e taking clients on a site visit,鈥� complains Emily. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 wear a dress, but you don鈥檛 want to wear jeans. It鈥檚 difficult.鈥�

Footwear is an issue for Susie: 鈥淚f only they invented high heels with stainless steel toe-caps,鈥� she says, dreamily.

The conversation moves on, with grim predictability, to matters of love. After all, Valentine鈥檚 Day is just round the corner. David is cynical: 鈥淎 girl I know put all her details on one of those dating sites saying who she was and what she was up to. It was all fine until her boyfriend found out.鈥�

A friend of Grace鈥檚 had more success online. 鈥淚t worked really well for her,鈥� she says, wistfully. 鈥淐learly there are exceptions.鈥�

Indeed there are, as partners Joe and Mary will testify. 鈥淲hen are you going to have children so we can make Mary and Joseph jokes,鈥� teases Andreas.

Joe doesn鈥檛 look too keen. He recently visited a maternity ward. 鈥淚t was terrifying, all these kids wrapped up in blankets, row by row,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was like a scene out of the Matrix.鈥�

I think we then moved on to human body warmth powering sustainable houses, but my memories 鈥� like this article 鈥� end there.