But the rules were quite clear, their was no discrimination between having " a few drinks with people" or visiting a sick relative. Both were against the rules. You didn't break any rules by relaxing in you're garden, so no one would be upset by that.
Don't get me wrong, I accept I'm in the minority here, but I don't think the rules in this particular instance are that cut and dried. Had they invited other people in or held the events at another venue or even travelled in especially for the occasion then I'd be in complete agreement. However, the same group of people who had been working together all day having a drink in their place of work before leaving? I'm not sure that really violates too much; the only difference between what they did and working overtime is they had a drink in their hand.
Doctors, nurses, binmen, warehouse operatives, factory workers... I'll bet all of them at some stage or another had breaks where they socialised with their colleague and I'd be amazed if there weren't plenty of businesses where the owners didn't bring in a crate of beer as a thank you for their staff to enjoy at the end of a shift. I was a stickler for the rules while they were in place, but even I wouldn't have begrudged people who had to keep going to work this small comfort.