Lost...

Once more a long while since my last post - I was going to write all about my visit to Tewkesbury Medieval Fair, and how I ended up holding a carpet python:

(sorry about the fuzziness - this is a photo of a laminated photo...)

However, events have overtaken me, and I wanted to have the opportunity to tell my family (both direct and the in-laws) before I broadcast it on the internet.

I've lost my rings. My wedding ring, my engagement ring, my eternity ring, and the amethyst ring that John's mum gave me (through John) at the wedding. They were looped on my watch (a 21st birthday present from my grandmother), and, as I was rushing out of the door (being late for work), I ended up with one of those horrible mix ups - I thought the bundle was in my hand, then it wasn't, so it had to be in my pocket, then it wasn't, then it had to be left in the flat, so I went back in and it wasn't, so it had to be out on the grass or path outside the house, and it wasn't, so it had to be in my bag, and it wasn't. The whole thing seems to have vanished completely into thin air :-(

And there is nothing I can do now - I've filed a lost report with the police, I've stuck a notice up outside the flat (offering a reward and with my phone number on it - I've not even had drunken idiots call me! The only thing that has happened is that someone stole the plant pot (with a dead gladioli in it) which was holding the notice down), and I have a number of searches up on eBay. The insurance company has been informed, and I had an evaluator out last week; thoroughly professional and nice about it, but I still don't expect them to be very sympathetic!

The sickening thing is that someone had to have picked it up in just a few minutes between me going into the flat and coming back out again. There are only a few people who walk past in the mornings; commuters and dog walkers. And they do it every day. So I have probably met the person who took it, and they've seen my reward notice, but still not contacted me.

At the moment, I keep on flashing between the unsentimental "It's just jewellery - whilst it has huge sentimental value, particularly the wedding ring which John made, the vows we made haven't been broken, we are both still alive and well(brought home with a thump by these two stories - the second of these happened at the building site opposite our offices), and everything I have lost is replaceable," to wanting to curl up in a ball, scream and hit things. And I think that I will still have that sick feeling at the bottom of my stomach until the day that I die.

But - hey - now that I've told the entire globe (or the miniscule portion of it that still reads my blog!), I'll probably find the bundle hidden in plain view when we move flat at the end of the week....

The Wedding Part III - Return of the Guests...

{EDIT} Just to say, I've only just realised that it has posted this with the date that I first started writing it in Blogger - I did only publish it Saturday night (13th...)

Final part of the trilogy now :-)

And given that it is now over a month since we got married, I really ought to get this published! (Bear with me - work has been manic, and it has been tricky to find the time to write) The photos all link through to Facebook, however you do not need to have an account to be able to see them...

We left the Westminster Suite to find that a few of our evening guests had already arrived. There was lots of chatting, quite a few photographs, and even a few tears from my aunt. It was very difficult to try to get round to speak to everyone - I really hope that I managed to, and that no-one felt like I was ignoring them. The band, Diabolus in Musica (we had Paul and David - shown at the bottom of this page of their website), once they had set themselves up, came out to play some pieces for us as we waited to be allowed back into the Westminster. They really helped to set the tone for the evening, and it was brilliant to be able to hear the tunes that I'd enjoyed from their album. Their whole performance was given in Elizabethan English - fantastic!

We also had to disappear (although I did delegate most of this to Emme) to clear our 'civvies' out of the changing bedroom and move through to our own rooms.

By the time I got back, pretty much everyone had arrived, and I was walking past the Atrium to hear John calling me through the second door. He wanted me to meet his friend Adrian, and we chatted for a bit by the Atrium bar. We were both so happy with the way the whole day had gone - "It's just been fantastic. Absolutely nothing has gone wrong!" John said, waving his arms expansively, and knocking the pint of beer standing behind him all over the bar. Fortunately, it was his father's, rather than the beer of anyone who would make a fuss...

Then the band announced that the Westminster was ready for us to go back in, and we headed through. The new layout was lovely - the long tables had been replaced by circular ones, and they had moved the runners across, added circular mirrors and put little candles everywhere. It looked magical.

Diabolus Paul (not to get him confused with Best Man Paul...) took John and myself aside to teach us a few simple steps (yes, called Simples) for our first dance. I had managed to completely forget the fact that we would have to do a first dance solo, and was a little bit nervous at this point... Fortunately the moves were very easy, and Paul told us that he would let us go round the room a few times, and would tell us through the music when it was time to stop.

So, we headed to the dance floor, and D. Paul announced that we would be doing our first dance. The music started, and we stepped forwards. At this point, for me at least, all co-ordination seemed to cease. I was juggling dress, husband and trying to concentrate on when I was stepping (and in which direction - front, left or right), and when I was doing the funny little lift... However, you would think that by the fourth or fifth time round the dance floor, I would have been able to get it right... However, it was all fun, and set the scene for the evening's entertainment.

This started by D. Paul getting as many people as possible onto the dance floor for another version of the Simples (this one including going backwards...) A very stately and genteel dance, and much enjoyed by those taking part - particularly shown by the fact that no-one really wanted to leave the dance floor when the dance was over. (and this was really notable throughout the evening - in most Ceilidhs that I have been to, the music finishes, and everyone instantly disappears to get a drink. Not only did we not lose that many people between dances, but after the dancing breaks, they all came back for more!)

Then D. Paul announced "The Horses Brawl." At this point, I couldn't stop myself grinning, because this was the dance that D.Paul had made us do in front of a Nottingham audience when we went to see them play so many months ago. Therefore we knew what everyone else was in for... Essentially, this is a dance from Tudor France. Along with the Simples steps, there is a section where, in turn, the men and women must raise their hands into hooves, paw at the ground, and turn round. It all looks very silly, particularly when the music started speeding up. But not as silly as the "Peas Brawl", where we were peas in a pod, 'popping' round the circle, or the Washerwoman's Brawl, where we had to scold each other.

In between dances, Diabolus took the time to show our guests how the hurdy gurdy worked, and generally kept everybody very much entertained. Rather amusingly, at one point, he was playing the hurdy gurdy over the pram of little Guy Sidney, at that point just over a month old. The son of our orchestra conductor and lead cellist was so used to music that he didn't even stir.

Whilst the music was playing, the Tortworth staff had also brought out the evening buffet, complete with fantastic butterscotch choux pastries (the only thing I could eat all evening - my adrenalin was still running high!) The cheese cake was also available for people to eat, though they didn't have nearly enough (we ended up with a shelf and a half full of cheese in the freezer afterwards!)

The evening really went by in a bit of a blur. Talking to family and friends, dancing, and just generally looking round at everyone enjoying themselves.

11 came round far too quickly, and Diabolus played their last piece. This was not a dance in itself, but a story in song - the story of Brave Sir Eglemont and the Dragon - acted out by guests Bruce (Sir Eglemont) and Jayne (the Dragon), and the chorus being provided by the audience. It was very silly, and great fun!

Then Diabolus left, and the guests started to leave too. Quite a few, however, stayed until 1, when the Tortworth staff rather plaintively asked us to leave, as they had to reset the room for a conference the next morning. Whilst most people went to bed, a few of us (including my brothers) ended up in the guest bar for one last drink before retiring. We ended up in bed at about 2 in the morning - the room provided for us by Tortworth was room number 1, which looked out over the gargoyles which guarded the entrance to the hotel. They'd also very kindly given us a bottle of champagne and a box of chocolates (both of which we took home rather than consuming then and there!)

And that is the story of the wedding, in all of its glory and detail...

Sorry that it has taken so long to get it posted, and well done if you managed to get to the end!
(I will now go back through the previous posts and link some more photos...)

A Married Couple's Wish

This was part of the text of my father's speech - I loved it so much that I wanted to share:

A married couple’s wish

Give me the Grace to accept that on occasions I will irritate my spouse,
In what I do or say;
With my catch-phrases, my hygiene habits, or how I like things done;
In the same way that they in turn will get on my nerves from time-to-time.

Give me the Understanding to realise that just as I have “off” days when I am tired and grouchy,
I cannot expect them to be 100% sunny all day every day,
And help me make allowances for that.

Grant me the Courage to raise the truly significant irritations with them,
And not just grind my teeth in mute and impotent frustration.
But grant me too the Wisdom to know the right time to broach the subject,
And the least hurtful way to ask that they change their ways.

Above all, help me to remember that I am not perfect,
But show me how I can learn, so that I improve with age.

(c) Nigel Foster September 2007

Wedding, part 2

Well now, where did we get to...?

Oh, yes, walking out as Mr and Mrs Toon. Kristina greeted us with a glass of champagne each, which I managed to juggle (slightly) with the dress and flowers, and we were then whisked off to the grounds to start the round of photographs. I did manage to get about a sip of my champagne down me! (and therewith began the event known as "waving alcohol in front of Jo but not letting her drink it..." Which was actually a good thing, meaning that by the time I got to the wedding breakfast, I was still completely sober, and, after about half a glass of red wine, not actually wanting any more drink. Unlike the reports of the other bride partying at Tortworth that day, who, half way through her wedding breakfast, was falling under the table...)

The photographs were tremendous fun (although I understand less so for John, who spent most of them with one foot on the step below the other, meaning that his leg muscles were whacked by the end!). We had all of the traditional photos (family and friends groups) - a little bit embarrasing that my family pretty much filled the stone stairs we were using, but John's was just a little cluster! We did the throwing of the bouquet, and I'm pleased to say that the person who is getting married next managed to catch it :-) (no, not planned that way - I couldn't see a thing behind me!)

After the group photos, and the pair photos (me and John, me and my father with Lorna), I was taken off by the photographer to have some solo photos done. These were rather fun, and most with the aim of showing off the dress (and avoiding all the cars in the car park!) We'd just come to the last couple, when Daddy came out of the building to say that "Cook says if we don't get the receiving line done now, then we aren't going to get to eat!" Of course, without a watch on, I hadn't noticed time flying past...

We headed through to the atrium where everyone had gathered for a drink, and then Tony said "we just need a photo of you cutting the cake." So John and I disappeared into the wedding breakfast room and posed with the knife whilst Tony snapped away. Finally he was happy with the results, and we went back out for the receiving line.

Barbara was amazing at this point - she knew that we were running up against our time, and, without seeming to hurry anybody, got everyone announced and through in double quick time! Everyone took their seats, and we waited outside the room (to the consternation of at least one guest who saw the doors being shut in front of us) for Barbara to announce us. Then a procession around the room to our seats, and I discovered that it is very awkward to hold a huge train out of the way whilst someone else moves a seat for you :-) We managed it without anything nasty happening to the dress, or it being inadvertantly caught and shortened so that I couldn't move (which has happened to me in shorter dresses than that!)

The food was brought out quickly and efficiently - I rather enjoyed the fact that the waiting staff lined up behind us and all stepped forwards to put our plates on the table at the same time. The food was truely delicious - I'm just rather sad that the adrenalin was still pumping round my system, and I was unable to each most of it (I managed the light starter and dessert, but the main course completely defeated me).

After the food, and the cutting of the cake (well the pushing the knife into the bottom layer, and discovering that there was a very thick rind of the cake...), the speeches!

My father started the proceedings, and, given that he is a management consultant, he did his speech with the aid of a powerpoint presentation (including embedded sound of me doing a church reading when I was 5 years old...) Many references to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and a very funny (if occasionally embarrasing) speech set a very high benchmark for John and Paul to follow.

John's speech was short, sweet and lighthearted :-) He had his list of people to thank, and followed it up with the lovely story of how we met. He finished by giving me a gorgeous ring - a family heirloom.

Paul's best man speech was very funny - stories of himself and John at school, and finishing up with two brilliant pieces of advice: (1) The best way to remember your anniversary is to forget it once; (2) Always remember those three important little words: "You're right, dear."

The formal proceedings nearly over, there was just one little speech left, which was a lovely one from Barbara - she went through the traditional wedding poem (Something Old (the husband); Something New (the dress); Something Borrowed (the tiara); Something Blue (I was stumped here, but she told me to say my knickers....)), and then said that it traditionally concluded with "And a sixpence for her shoe". She then gave me (in a shiny blue box) a sixpence (that I didn't put into my shoe - they were far too comfortable for that!)

We then headed out of the Westminster Suite, to allow the staff to reset the room and the band to set up, and into the Atrium, where they were serving more drinks, and where the evening guests were arriving.

And, once more, I shall pause here, because I'm on another two pages in Word, and I don't want people to have to scroll too far! One more leg to go, and then the Honeymoon...

Getting married

A week away, and it feels like forever, and like it has gone by in a second.

The wedding seems an age ago, but looking at the photos that have now sprung up over Facebook (a small selection that I have gleaned from other people…), and the official photos, which are now up on the photographer’s website, and the emotions that flood back remind me that it was only 10 (well, 13 now that I’ve actually finished writing this post…) days ago that I became a married woman!

The wedding day itself was a day to remember. I know that they all are for the people involved, but I also know (because I’ve been told by many people, including the Tortworth staff) that ours was extra special. It even started off unconventionally – not only did John and I not do the whole “not seeing each other before the wedding” thing (hopelessly impractical when you live with your husband to be!), but my father stayed over the night before. He had brought Lorna down with him; his gorgeous Singer Roadster, which I have been in love with ever since he first bought her. I had decided very early on that she was going to be my wedding car (not only for the joy in riding and being photographed in her, but also on a practical basis that as we were getting married and having the reception at the same venue, we didn’t want the expense of hiring a car!) After a relaxed night (I was expecting to at least have problems sleeping, but, although I woke up early, I had no trouble getting my head down), and a small breakfast, we packed up the Punto (and with three people, four wedding outfits, my father’s suit, table decorations, banners plus an overnight kit, it was a bit of a squeeze!) and headed up to Tortworth Court.

There, we met Kristina, who looked after us for the whole day, and, with Graham and Sarah, started decorating the Westminster Suite; adding the bright red runners and the fake roses to the tables, and finding somewhere to hang the banners.

We got to see the cheese cake being brought in, and the flowers being made ready to go on the tables. At this point, everything still felt slightly surreal – I couldn’t really believe that it was happening!

Because it was an afternoon wedding, people trickled into the hotel – we all congregated in the bar area, and were able to sit down and have a chat (and even order lunch…). This was really nice – I was able to be with people and talk with them, knowing that I wasn’t going to have much time once the festivities started. One comment that I got a lot was that people were surprised that I wasn’t more nervous – my feeling on the day was that at this point, anything that went wrong would either be fixable, in which case there was no point in worrying about it, or we could do nothing about it, in which case there was no point in worrying about it! I think other people did the worrying for me, though…

I did start getting twitchy at about 1 when neither the photographer nor the toastmaster (well, mistress…) had arrived – they had both said that they wanted to say hello before I went to get ready. Fortunately, both turned up before 1.30, and, with an hour and a half to go, John, Paul, Emme and I went off to get ready (Emme and I assisted by Sarah and Graham) The photographer came in to take photos part way through the getting ready – not a little bit distracting for Graham who was doing my makeup at the time! (I don’t think it helped that I started talking whilst he was doing my lips, either…). It was brilliant to be able to finally wear the dress – I’d been taking many a sneak peek into the wardrobe and gloating over it – and we were very lucky in that the weather wasn’t too hot, which meant that the dresses weren’t too heavy. Sarah helped me work out how to juggle the flowers , the length of the dress and the heeled shoes (I normally live in trainers, so even wearing heels was a novelty!), but the size of the room meant that I was only able to take a few steps before having to turn round (and I got thrown later on when Barbara (the toast-mistress) said that Daddy was supposed to be on the other side – I had to rework everything out!)

Then, suddenly, it was nearly 3; Sarah had got ready (in her gorgeous handmade blue dress), and Graham had disappeared to use the changing room. It was just my father, me and Emme, and at this point, I was starting to get a little bit nervous! Barbara was supposed to appear at 2.50 to take me and Daddy up to the registrar in order to do the last minute checks (one of them being a “You are definitely sure you want to go through with this?” check…) At one point Emme spotted her going in the opposite direction – she seemed to be a bit lost!

She turned up just before 3, and led us down the hallway to the lifts – my first real walk in the dress that was more than a few steps. Fortunately, I didn’t trip too much! Up the lift to the first floor to meet the very friendly (and chatty!) registrar, who seemed quite unconcerned that time was ticking on (at this point, I had stopped being really aware of the time, as I wasn’t wearing my watch…). Then, out onto the landing and down the magnificent staircase, where the photographer took many, many photos… At the bottom of the stairs appeared to be most of Tortworth, who had heard that it was not the usual white meringue wedding and wanted to have a look!

Then, finally, we were ready to go. Outside the door to the Moreton’s restaurant, and listening to the medieval music and the slight buzz of conversation. We had decided that Emme was going to walk in front of us, as the train pooled quite a long way behind, and it would have been a bit awkward for her to squeeze round to her seat without treading on the dress! And here is where I think that Barbara was very cruel. She did her announcement of “Please stand for the Bridal Party,” and the “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” started playing. Emme started making her way up the aisle, and I could hear people turning to look. I started to move forward, but Barbara stopped me, and said “make them wait.” At this point, they’d been waiting for 20 minutes! Finally, about halfway through the piece (when I was starting to worry that we’d run out of music...) she let us start walking (saying “He looks a bit worried now, you can go…”).

And this was the point that I actually did start to well up – stepping forwards with my father next to me, seeing all the people that I love being here for me (and John, of course!). I had to concentrate very hard on the music (plus on the juggle of flowers, dress and shoes…) in order to bring myself back under control. But, despite that, I couldn’t stop smiling, even though I had intended to go down the aisle looking quietly demure – instead I had the biggest grin you can imagine plastered on my face.

I got to the top of the aisle, handed my bouquet to Emme and stood next to John, who had been looking resolutely forwards (apparently there had been a few threats from the best man if he looked round!) This was the first time I’d seen him in his full finery, and I have to say that he looked very fine indeed (and he was all mine!  )

As the music faded, the registrar started the wedding ceremony, using words that we had chosen. For some reason, I didn’t get my usual urge to jump up when the question “do you know of any lawful reason these two may not be married?” was asked – I wonder why! The ceremony was short and simple - we had made a conscious effort not to be too mushy, and I think that we pitched it just right. Emme sang Voi Che Sapete from the Marriage of Figaro, and if she was nervous, she didn’t show it at all – it was gorgeous. Enough to bring another lump to my throat! Then the signing of the register, the actual contract that makes it legally binding. Multiple photographs, on both sides of the table (using a ‘dummy’ register – fortunately the fact that it had blank pages in it didn’t show in the photographs!

Suddenly, after what felt like only seconds since I walked up the aisle, the registrar was asking John to “bring your wife round to the other side of the table”, and we were walking back down the aisle, as Mr and Mrs Toon. I don’t think that the smile once left my face.

And I am going to pause the story there, because it has taken me all week to write this in Word, I’m pretty much at the end of two pages, and I know that people are waiting to read this! Next post will cover the party after, and then I’ll follow up with a gushing epic on our holiday in Norway…

Quick post...

Well - just a very quick touch base :-)

I am now no longer Jo Foster, but Jo Toon... (though that name change is going to take a lot of getting used to (I signed into the hotel swimmingpool this morning as Jo Foster, and had to correct it!), and doesn't help that all my email accounts are some derivation of Jo Foster!)

There will be a full post on the day, probably when we get back from Bergen, but I just wanted to say that I still haven't stopped grinning. It was a fantastic day; the weather was (in my mind) perfect - not too hot, a bit of blue sky, and no rain! So many of my friends and family were there, either during the ceremony, or joining us in the evening (sadly, there were a couple of last minute hitches for a few friends and relations, which meant that there were a few empty seats). It was just fantastic to be able to share the most important day of my life (so far) with everyone who is closest to me (and to meet my new extended in-laws {waves to Gerard and Denise :-)} )

It is very difficult to believe that the event that I have spent so long planning for has now been and gone, but the memories are going to stay with me forever :-)

And I did spend about 2 hours when we got back this afternoon cutting up the cheese-cake in order to freeze it in manageable portions!

See you in a week, when we get back from Norway :-)

Poing!

Ok, I've gone a bit Kiki again...

Gerald Ye Herald has emailed me some pics of the banners that he is going to put in the post this afternoon....
(apologies for the size - I don't know how to change it... It doesn't matter how much I shrink the picture in Windows - it is still cut off by Blogger {headdesk})



Links are here:
Foster
Toon

Plus the Deaf chap came in for his presentation and test, and, to my suprise, I was able to understand him (well, 95% of it, anyway...), and to make myself understood. I'm really happy - and now I'm keeping my fingers tightly crossed that he gets the job!

Time flies like an arrow

And fruit flies like a wheelie bin...

(Heroes spoilers below if you didn't see last night's episode...)

I can't believe that it is Thursday already! Work has been manic (tender hell continues unabated - deadlines are coming thick and fast), and we are in the final stretch of the wedding planning.
I now have:
Cheese cake paid for
Final photography bits paid for
Banners from Gerald ye Herald paid for (still need to arrange delivery, though)

Tonight I'm meeting with Graham, who is going to talk makeup at me (I'm not very good at it. I know I need it, but I know so little about what looks good that I definitely need the help of an expert!)

I still need to do final arrangements on:
Florist - need to pay
Finding ivy (real or fake) to decorate the hall
Collect shoes (should be ready next week)
Meet with Tracey (our co-ordinator) at Tortworth to go through final arrangements
Contact South Glos registrar and inform them of the slight change in the wedding service
Finish stitching the final seam on my dress (Sarah H has very kindly done three of them, but I wanted to put a bit of work in as well!)
Arrange my hair and nails - I'm not having a hairdresser on the day (wearing my hair down and 'au naturel', so I don't need anything fancy), but I'm going to have a haircut the day before and sort my nails out.

John is sorting out:
Belts from Stagman

And I think that I'm pretty much getting there!

Watched Heroes last night - still excellent. The tension is still high, and it is interesting how the different threads are starting to come together. There is so much that needs to still be explained, and so much for us still to discover (I'm waiting to see what will happen with the kid - both his parents have this special gene, so he has to have some sort of power as well :-) ) The glimpse of the future last week has left me desparate to know how things get from now to then - how far in the future was it? (How quickly did Hiro learn to speak English...!) We also got to see the "making of" showing how they did the stopping time effect - an incredibly clever mix of CGI and patience - making actors keep so still for so long (particularly child ones) is a feat in itself. Plus the end result looks beautiful - incredibly realistic, and means that the tiny amount of CGI that they do add in only adds to the realism, rather than detracting from it.

New Resolution

Second of the wedding nightmares last night - I'm expecting to get these for the next month....

I am sure that I have mentioned below that we are going to Norway for our honeymoon. So I am trying to learn a little bit of Norwegian so that I don't have to act like a typical British tourist... (the memory of my overnight stay in Japan, where I had to communicate in mime with the shop lady who didn't speak a word of English still haunts me). So, I have put down DayWatch (at a very exciting point...) and I've taken the Norwegian phrase book to read on the train. I'm really hoping that 15-20 minutes morning and evening will help the words to stick!!

And another weekend gone...

Less than four weeks to go till the wedding - and the checklist is slowly diminishing...
Emme came up for Sunday and Monday - she got to try on the bridesmaid's dress, and looks gorgeous in it :-) We then went out on Monday and spent most of the day at the Mall trying to find shoes / underwear (45 minutes bra fitting!!) Managed to get shoes for Emme no problem, but my feet are awkward sizes, so JJ at work has just driven me up to Clifton to the other wedding shoe shop, where we've found a pair that is similar to the now discontinued ones that I liked. And it only cost me {whisper} Eighty-Five pounds to get them dyed and delivered. I've never spent that much on a pair of shoes in my life! (and don't think I ever will again...) But they are satin all over and look beautiful....

What I did on my weekend...

The weeks are flashing by at the moment - it is rather scary to think that in 7 weeks' time, I will be Mrs Toon.
However, this weekend was a mixture of wedding preparation and taekwon do.
Saturday mid morning to early afternoon was spent at the Castle School in Thornbury desparately trying to stop my muscles going onto autopilot whilst doing my patterns, line work and step sparring in front of an examiner. The problem is that I've practiced these so much that my muscles know what they are doing without a huge amount of intervention from my brain - this does, however, lead to sloppy work (and the occasional complete "Huh?" moment as my brain wakes up and tries to remember what it is actually supposed to be doing!) However, the questions that I was asked were reasonably easy (not exactly what was on the sheet, but, as I'd been expecting that from the last grading, I'd memorised more than just the "You will be asked 4 out of these 10 questions" section)
So - I am now officially a yellow belt - 8th Kup and definitely off the bottom rungs of the ladder. At this point, I'm expected to be getting a good groundwork in the basics (the meaning of the yellow being "The ground from which the plant grows"), and probably shouldn't be still being muddled between side kick and turning kick...
So - after TKD, John took the car into town to drop off some books at Oxfam, and I killed people on Theme Hospital (yes, it's an old game. Yes, it isn't the best God game about, but I find it very relaxing, and can lose a good couple of hours in it without any trouble!)
Then, when he got back, we headed to Cribbs, John to buy some new trousers, and me to see what Per Una had to offer... (I *hate* clothes shopping with a passion. Even the thought of it gives me a headache. But for some reason, I love Per Una - it is my one fashion weakness. Fortunately, even though it is slightly on the pricey side, it isn't the most expensive shopping habit I could have!) I was very restrained in the end - after going into the changing rooms with a total of 8 items, I only came away with 2 - a new pair of linen trousers and a lovely Batik kaftan. So my hunter-gatherer instinct is assuaged for the time being :-)
Then home for my favourite butternut squash recipe (halved, brushed with oil, roasted in the oven for 40 mins, with slow fried veg, goat's cheese and parmesan breadcrumbs over the top), and Jekyll...
Now - I am one of the demographic that the BBC hates. Unless I have a really good motivation to watch TV, I don't, and my motivation severely dips if I don't watch a series regularly. Last week Jekyll was bumped for some small concert, and it felt like a big effort to sit down and concentrate for an hour, even though I was left bouncing on the edge of my seat at the end of the last episode. However, this episode was really worth the effort! It was all told in flashback, with about half an hour of "now" time passing. I am really enjoying this form of story telling - moving the current story on slowly, and letting us try to piece it all together. It definitely wouldn't be as fun being told in linear format. Some lovely lines, including the really cheeky "Are you my Daddy?" (and if you don't get it, then go and watch "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances", also by Steve Moffat), and I am loving Gina Bellman as Claire Jackman - she really got to come into her own in this episode. And we are out next weekend, so I'm going to have to wait for the Replay on Sunday to see how this cliffhanger ends! (nice BBC didn't spoil edge-of-seat cliffhanger with a trailer - I was shocked!)
Sunday we had a lovely long lie in - they don't happen that often, so I tend to make the most of them (and then completely smash my sleeping patterns as a result!), and then off to Tortworth Court to meet with our wedding photographer. Tony Charnock (although his website isn't loading at the moment!) is a really nice, genuine guy. He was really helpful - getting us to think about things that we hadn't even considered (such as "What time will you be getting ready?"), and was really enthusiastic about the dress (he was dreading that I was going to say I was getting married in Ivory, which apparantly is a pain to try to get right in a photo!) He also showed us a number of different albums, including a book - i.e. you have your wedding photos vanity published into a really nice coffee table book! (I'm hoping that this will be on his website when it comes back up again - if so, I'll link to it...) Unfortunately, that option doubled the overall costs, and wasn't *really* justifiable! So we've gone for a lovely leather bound digital print option, (again, if the option becomes available on his website, I'll link to it...), where the layout isn't just photo;photo;photo - there are lots of overlays and backgrounds (difficult to explain!)
And then, Sunday evening was TKD again - this time a fitness evening, where we spent over an hour and a half (because Kerry lost track of the time!) doing skipping, stomach crunches, running and other circuit exercises. Great fun, but my legs are paying for it now - every time I stand up, my muscles have shortened by another inch!
Finally, back home for the sausages that wouldn't cook (15 minutes in the George Fornby grill, plus 10 minutes extra (after I cut them open and realised they were still pink), plus half an hour or so under the grill. John ate them, I didn't...), and a mild panic when I realised that the info on the wedding ceremony should have been with South Glos council two weeks ago... Fortunately, they let me fax the completed copy through today...

Honeymoon Excitement

Eeeeee!
I've just booked the hotel for the honeymoon - we are going to be staying for 6 nights at the First Hotel Marin in Bergen. (The photos on the website aren't as good as the ones on Expedia, but I can't link directly there, as Expedia wipes the search each time)

And the very nice lady in the Bergen Tourist Office pointed me towards the Fjord Pass people, where, for spending 120 NOK (approx £12 when the credit card commission is added), I managed to save approx £200 on the hotel costs! Not to be sniffed at, and the savings will almost cover the activities that we are going to do - the Royal Fjord Tour and the Hardanger Fjord Tour.

So I'm very excited now - the flights are booked, the hotel is booked, and I'm going to wait until after the 15th to book the tours and get the currency, as it will be a bit easier on the credit card and bank account!

Catch-up

Well, even with a blog to try to force me to write, it has still been a long while since I stuck something on here (C- must try harder)

Since I last posted, there have been: 3 Dr Who Episodes; 2 Theatre trips; 2 Wedding Rings made; 1 Cinema trip; 1 birthday celebrated (and a partridge in a pear tree...)

Dr Who

"Human Nature / Family of Blood" (Paul Cornell) was the best episode of the season by a long way - rich and believable characters, a story line that had me holding my breath, and an ending that had me blubbing like a baby! Fantastic acting from the leads - I could feel John Smith's terror as he realised what he had to do, and Baines (Harry Lloyd) was just perfect - the staring eyes and twisted lip giving him a complete otherworldy feel. If this doesn't win the Hugo next year, then there is something very wrong with the universe.

"Blink" (Steve Moffat) - a dark and very scary 'non-Dr' episode. I freely admit to a jump (although not a scream, unlike Empty Child...) when the "Angel" appeared in front of Sally. Another lovely offering from Mr M, although I still feel that Paul's story was better - there are too many plot holes in "Blink", and the obvious circular nature and determinist feel to the story doesn't help (she had to survive because otherwise she couldn't give the Dr the information he needed to help her survive...) But the minor pickiness isn't going to stop me shivering next time I look at a statue!

Theatre

"Cyrano De Bergerac" at the Bristol Old Vic - we saw this in the middle of May - an interesting production - the new translation was good (John felt it was better than the Anthony Burgess script that he performed), and there were some nice performances from the leads - Cyrano settled down after gabbling his first few lines. However, I have no idea why they decided to set it in WW1 period - meaning that the cast who made specific references to 17th C costumes (the swords, lace ruffs etc) ended up wearing them along with their WW1 costumes, and the effect was slightly comical. The theatre itself is very uncomfortable to sit in (it is being refurbished later this year), and John was very cramped (my slightly shorter legs were ok, just).

"Avenue Q" - we stayed with my Uncle in Crouch End over last weekend, and he very kindly took us out to the theatre to see Avenue Q - a fantastic show. Very funny, very blue - definitely not one to take the kids to go and see! But the versatility of the actors, a number of whom were playing more than one character at the same time (the scene where Katie and Lucy are having a dialogue, meaning that the actress had a conversation with herself, was fantastic!) I am so glad to have seen this :-)

Cinema

"Pirates of the Caribbean III" Very funny, very silly, and a musical score to die for! Loved it (and no, not just because of Jonny Depp...), although the twists and turns in the plot were a little bit confuzzling - I'm glad I took the advice of the Classic FM reviewer who suggested to let it all wash over you, and not to concentrate on what was going on!

The Wedding Ring Workshop

The workshop was amazing - we got there at 10 on the button (local church bells chiming the hour), and into a very hot workshop. There were 4 couples doing it, and we each had our own expert to help us (ours, Tom, has been jewellery making for 15 years!). We started off by sitting with him and discussing exactly what we wanted - there were lots of plain bands that we could pick so that we could look to see what different sizes and weights looked like, and we discussed how we could make mine so that it fitted to the engagement ring. Then we got taken over to the workbench, and got given our lumps of metal and a blowtorch. Under the guidance of Tom, we melted down enough each of the metal to make each other's ring, and poured it (quickly - it solidifies really fast!) into a bar mould. Then, after Tom had dipped it in water to cool it down, we squashed the bars through a mill which stretched them out and squashed them into a length that could go round a finger (with a bit extra for overlap. Then, after a reheat (squashing them like that stretches and knots the molecules and makes the bar impossible to manipulate), we got to bend the bars round into a ring shape. Mine was easy - because John's ring was just a straight band (and reasonably thick rather than being delicate), it got put into a vice, and I got to hit it with a mallet until it was roughly bent round! John had a bit more work, as my ring is more delicate, and had to be bent in a specific way to start the shaping process, so he had to bend it with pliers. Then cutting off the overlapping ends with a hacksaw, and using gold solder to seal the ring together. Tom then dunked the rings in diluted sulphuric acid to clean off the oxydised blackness (glad he did that bit - it splashed, and he had to go to wash his arms because they were starting to itch!), and the long process of filing and polishing began! (At this point, Tom said that as the dangerous stuff was finished, did we want our champagne now?) It started off with a filing tool, but quickly went on to differently graded sandpaper, right down to a very fine polishing paper. It was just amazing to see the lump of metal that just happened to be bent into a circle transforming into a ring! And then we got to take them down to the professional polishing machines, where they were buffed to an amazing shine (and Tom buffed up my engagement ring for me as well - he got out the dirt that had been caught under the diamond that I couldn't remove by myself :-) ) We also got to see one of the other couple's white-gold rings being electroplated (I don't really get white gold - why take something that is nice and yellow and make it look like silver?)

They are then sending off the rings to be assayed (i.e. to prove that they used 18 carat gold not brass...) and hallmarked - they will then post them down to us in a couple of weeks' time. So no rings yet, but once I remember to bring the camera in to be developed (they gave us a disposable camera, and Tom took photos of every stage), I'll be able to upload photos.

And I apologise for the variety of fonts and sizes in here. I've tried to edit it, and it keeps on playing silly buggers at me, so I give up...

Bank Holiday weekend

When the long weekend stretches in front of you, you envisage all of the things that you can get done with the extra 24 hours of freedom. The reality always seems to be that the extra time is spent in bed, or faffing, or generally just slobbing.

However, this Bank Holiday, we actually managed to fill it quite satisfactorily. On Friday night, I opened up our freezer and discovered that it was practically empty. Thus the decision was made to go to Farrington Farm Shop, where we get the majority of our meats. Normally we end up going completely overboard, the credit card takes a hammering, and I then spend half an hour whilst meat defrosts all over the kitchen floor trying to work out how to fit it all into the freezer. Not this time! We arrived at Farrington in time for lunch, had a glorious meal in their café (Enchiladas and tortillas – surprisingly filling, and a huge plate, with summer pudding to follow), and watched the clock tick round for an hour (the clock in the café is a cuckoo clock. With a cow instead of the cuckoo… We heard it go ‘Moo’ as we sat down, but missed the cow popping out. On the realisation that we had nearly been there an hour, we started obsessively watching the second hand tick round in order to be able to catch the elusive bovine! Rather bizarrely, it popped out with 20 seconds to go…) Completely stuffed, we then headed round the farm shop, where I discovered the bonus of investing £10 on my stomach – usually when I shop I am hungry and spend ages working out the exact meal that I’ll make with each piece of meat. This time, however, I was full, and even the thought of cooking made me feel slightly queasy! Net result – I spent approximately half what I would normally spend, and, when we got home, it all fit very snugly into the freezer.

Saturday evening was spent with the normal Who watching rituals. A surprisingly good episode, from what had looked like being filler material. A further introduction to Martha’s family (and the mother is irritating me already far more than Jackie ever did, which is saying something!) The monster was interesting – with more explicable pseudo-science than the Dalek episodes of the last couple of weeks – even if the conclusion seems to be that, had humanity gone down a different branch of evolution, we would have all been 10 ft high scorpions, with the ability to squeeze through 6ft high doors, to dislocate our jaws and to suck the life energy out of people… Mark Gatiss also reminds me far too much of Peter Davidson – not just the sweep of blond hair, but the raising of the eyebrows and the posture. Still – he did make an excellent villain. (although surprisingly bloodless – even if the monster had been killed from the fall from the belltower, it should have gone kersplat as it hit the floor…) Obviously, though, the most exciting thing was the post-episode trailer for the rest of the season – I was on the edge of my seat until I twigged that this wasn’t *just* going to be next week’s episode!

Sunday morning was spent getting up earlier than I should have to go to Bristol Southmead for my second attempt at platelet donation. Rather sadly, even with my platelet count being sky high, my veins just don’t seem to want to let them go. The needle goes in, the samples are taken off, and then, as soon as I’m connected to the machine, all the alarms go haywire. I just don’t seem to have the pressure to get the blood out (which is, on the one hand, a reassuring thing – at least I know that if I do cut myself, I should heal very quickly, but is also frustrating when I want to be able to donate). As this was the second time this has happened, the nurse stopped the attempt without too much digging around in my veins (so at least I’ve not got a mega bruise), and has put me back on the normal blood donation register.

So, back home earlier than expected, I did then spend a good chunk of Sunday afternoon slobbing and playing The Sims. I know I shouldn’t get so addicted to a computer game, but it is far too easy to let the hours slip away! I did, however, find the time to do the Sainsbury’s shop with John and to bake a quiche for Monday. And to head out to Tae-Kwon Do in the evening for the hour’s work out. We did a good session on the pads, which is a fantastic release of tension – my knuckles always come away red and a bit sore, but I thoroughly enjoy it.

And then… Monday… The day off…. In which we took a trip into the darkest wilds of Wales (ok – Cosmeston, just outside Cardiff and Penarth…). Sarah came up to ours, and we trundled off, following the AA directions (and, despite a query over exactly how long 2 miles was, they got us there very well). We did spend a short while doing a tour of the car park, as Karen and Dave had already arrived, and John wanted to park next to them – unfortunately, the car park was a one way system, so we circled all round their car, without actually being able to get to it! The weather was grey and grimbly – perfect conditions for giving the cloak that I had bought at Joust an airing… The medieval fair that we were going to was not very big (particularly in comparison to something like Joust), and the talks and demos weren’t particularly well announced (we missed the start of the ‘Medieval Surgery’ talk because we were waiting by the archery area (as stated in the leaflet), and it was actually round the corner. However, the battle was good fun – a bit more of a commentary would have been good for those of us who couldn’t see a huge amount. But the main reason for us going, was to meet Cherry of Shadowlight Designs, who is making my wedding dress for me. She has made up a ‘prototype’ in a cheap fabric, so that I could see what it would look like, how it would hang, and whether, after all of our discussions, what we were asking for was feasible! To say that I was pleased is an understatement. The Dress, despite being slightly large on the top (I’ve lost two inches since I was measured…) feels glorious to wear, and looks almost perfect. She’s had to make some slight adjustments (the original idea for the sleeves would have torn the fabric), and the top and arms need to be tightened a little, but otherwise, we are happy, and she is going to make the real thing, ready for me to try on at Joust.

So the next stage in the wedding saga is coming to a close – we are now heading into the final moments (the invites will be sent out in the next couple of weeks, we will be making the rings at the beginning of June, and then the slippery slope to the 1^st Sept really begins!)

Alas – Monday came to an end all too soon, and now I’m back at work, having had an all afternoon Sales Meeting yesterday. Only a 3 day week for me, though, as on Friday, I’ll be heading back into Wales with this lot – John has declined to join me – camping isn’t really his thing! (I don’t actually know if it is my thing, either – I’ve had a few very bad camping experiences. Hopefully this will not be one of them!)