In the meanwhile

I went for the traditional Christmas dinner in one of the local pubs. The landlord had apparently offered the free meals to a nearby old people's home, where my acquaintance lives. So I tucked into a lovely dinner in the company of thirty or so old 'uns. That was fine, as I didn't particularly need to talk. I had been worried about who else would be there, but there was nothing to worry about. That was a nice surprise, even though I'm not quite myself.