in actual fact , it was a perfectly pleasant morning : a lot of guests had been in the same situation as me and had turned up early , but the caterers had foreseen this eventuality and a steady supply of food and drink was forthcoming ; the weather was good , the gardens surrounding the new building provided a conducive environment for whiling away several relaxing hours ; there was the promise of some entertainment later on - i understood that there was to be a demonstration of le parkour , no doubt by a mad frenchman , across the rooftops of the buildings at the base of the wendelson building , and that a group of abseilers were planning to lower themselves from the fifteenth floor viewing platform - all in all , the day held the promise of being interesting , and recognising that i was only a minor league player amongst the invited company , and having no official involvement in the days events , i was looking forward to switching off from thoughts of business , having a few glasses of good champagne , and enjoying myself .