Priorities

I've decided that wedding magazines are evil, they propagate the myth that the bride can have everything just so and it is your right, nay almost your solemn duty to insist on having it all your own way.

The groom is almost treated like some form of Ken doll, his only purpose is to propose and be dressed up on the day as the bride wants. Often ending up looking like a butler from a dodgy am dram production of an Agatha Christie play.

It's all arrant nonsense designed to force up the costs and create guilt, envy, misery and consumerist lust in brides. It's rubbish because even if you are rich beyond the dreams of whatsit it's not possible to get everything your own way nor is it sensible to try. You have to compromise over the fripperies and try to meet in the middle over the menus because otherwise you'll go mad trying to achieve the impossible and lets face it' the chances are, your undiluted taste is probably a little shit, it requires the input of others to stop you making an utter tit of yourself. Blaxplotation themed wedding when you are a pasty faced ginger anyone? (Although I did think that a "Sound Of Music" theme had merit, but I was cruelly ignored ;-) )

The magazines tell you that it's all about you the bride, and it's not because if it was all about you then it would be a party to celebrate that Ms A. N. Other has got the chance to dress up the way her inner 6 year old would have wanted her to do (see above about taste) and get loads of presents at the same time (something else that's popular with 6 year olds).

But presents and parties are not the raison d'etre, they are just fripperies I'm not saying that Si and I haven't drunk some of the wedding kool aid, I've got a new frock and shoes, Si's got the shoes and getting the suit, We are going to throw a party and we hope that our guests will throw confetti however I hope we are doing these things because really want to not because of some subconscious urge to conform. They are all just extras though, they don't really matter. The only bit that does really matter also happens to be about the cheapest at £43.50 and that's the wedding, it doesn't matter what we wear, we don't actually need rings what does matter is that we love each other, have belief in our relationship and that we want to make that public and legal commitment to each other by getting wed.

Callouses and other things

I have a callous on the middle finger of my left hand, I've had it since about first year of secondary school. It's caused by the pressure of supporting the pen on it. I've just written out umpty wedding invitations and my finger is now throbbing like a good un.

And I've forgotten what else I was gonna say except it's a bank holiday tomorrow and we're going to Norwich.

And Now Can I Say "Phew, It's Warm"?

Finally the weather is doing what it's was supposed to do all through August, be warm, sunny and encourage us all into the garden or at least the gardening section of B and Q. As we don't yet have a garden we went over to Buckden to use my Mum's and inspect the wedding cakes, they've been made, steeped in brandy and are slowly maturing. The icing will occur closer to the day. If the sample cake was anything to go by, they will be very nice indeed.

Apart from that, like Stephanie I've not felt the urge to blog much recently, it's been too cold and grey, I've felt more like crawling into a warm bed than sitting up at a desk to blog. Also although, I've got half worked out pieces I finish off and blog, they've just not inspired me enough to put finger to keyboard hopefully this good weather will kick me out of the lethargy.

Brrrrr

Can I just say Brrrrr. It's been a miserable summer so far and today has been the worst, frost up in Scotland (if I heard the weather forecast right this morning), the autumnal mists were in evidence this morning and when I got home this evening I went straight for the cosy grey cardie and slippers. I don't think we will be having many more light salads "because it's too hot to cook" it will be stew and dumplings weather at this rate.

Duckface

On Tuesday I went to see the consultant at the QEH about my potentially dodgy right eye.

He did various test, he looked at my eyes under coloured lights and pressed various objects against their surfaces (not too hard and under a very local anaesthetic so it didn't hurt, just felt odd). He made his notes, consulted the chart from the last visual acuity field test I did and decided: yes this duck has wings. The pressure is markedly raised in my right eye and slightly too in the left and the field testing shows the classic arc of vision lose for the right eye. I have glaucoma.

I'm now on beta blocker drops which means that my snooker playing should improve but my hopes of being an Olympian have been dashed. I'm ok, although I will admit, I did have a little weep the next day I think that was more because I'm going to be on medication for the rest of my life and that seems so final. But really, the glass is more full than empty, it was spotted before any serious damage was done and with continuing treatment there's very good chance that I will never have noticeable sight loss.

Phew That Was Hard Work

I've just completed a job application form, they are never easy to do, I agonise over what to put whether it is what they want to hear or am I putting in too much or too little. I will get back to blogging nonsense tomorrow.

Meanwhile here is a pretty picture of a flower.



Not bad for a 2 megapixel mobile phone camera.

Useful shopping

We went to Saint Neots on Saturday with my Mum to sort decorations for the cake. That sorted we had a look at the stalls of the small market on the square. It was more farmer's market than fruit and veg. Local cheeses, chilli plants and chillis, superior plants, organic free range eggs and chicken and game and superior curry cook in sauces.

Drawn to the curries I tasted the garlic and chilli pickle and was completely smitten, it packs a punch but isn't just about the heat. We now have a pot of the pickle sitting in the fridge and the kitchen smells delish.

And then there were these

little pots of pure magic, even if I never use them in anger the colours are fantastic and owning them makes me smile. A worthwhile buy I would say

I Made My Cake

Well I made my cake, and with the yoghurt rather than the lemon curd too. It's not quite cake as we know it but, I think with a few more adaptations, like not making it lemon cake since Simon has told me he doesn't like lemon cake I could become a bit of a whizz at low fat, low calorie, gluten free cakes.

Proper Spelling

I've only just noticed but Blogger now offers British English or as we like to call it in the Mother Country "English" no longer do I have to center documents I centre them, I can use vivid colours and talk about jewellery and woollen socks as these are some of my favourite things to talk about. If only it could spot "gotten" as the misbegotten declination of get that it is.

In other news, the harvest is in full swing, the fields are being combined and the straw rolled up into bales. Then the farmers move it, I think that they are secretly moving straw amongst themselves, Farmer A is buying Farmer B's straw bales whilst he is selling his bales to Farmer C who supplies Farmer B and A with barley bales. Surely there can be no need for such long caravans of lorries loaded with straw bales? In some cases it's being hauled by beat up, rusty pick up trucks with a trailer behind but mostly it's big lorry loads of the stuff. I'm amazed at how much dust is thrown up by the combine harvesters I was expecting bits of stalk, irritated thunder bugs and wheat grains but not dust.

And finally I'm going to try to make Lemon Couscous cake tomorrow, I don't have any lemon curd so I'm going to try substituting it with manderin mullerlight any thoughts?

It's My Birthday

And I'll dine if I want to.

Si and I are going out for a meal in a couple of minutes I'll be taking my new bag (a present from Si :) for swishing around. I've bought a new mobile phone it's the same model as the old one except for it's silver and a fair bit cheaper (ignoring the fact that I'm buying it for the second time.).



It seems that I forgot to post this before we went out, it's now nearly the end of my birthday. It's been a lovely day, I wanna thank you all. :D

No Joy Whatsoever

I had an almost brilliant day out with my mother today in Peterborough doing our bit for the British economy and I she gave me my birthday presents in anticipation of tomorrow. I got a skirt (ideal for the honeymoon), "1066 And All That" (kewl) and a mug (which is also kewl). What was not kewl is that I've managed to lose my mobile phone, I think I left at the Costa Coffee and some fuck wit half inched it instead of doing the decent thing and handing it in to the staff. The phone is now off when you the number. I know I was stupid to leave it there but still, I hope he or she gets no joy out of it whatsoever or the fiver they'll get from selling it to their fence, or the drugs they buy with that fiver. No Joy Whatsoever.

A Week Of Good Weather? Must Mean It's My Birthday Very Soon

I'm on leave this week as it's my birthday on Friday and I always try to avoid working on my birthday. Also I've noticed over the years that this week often will be one of the hottest and there is nothing like sitting in an office full of hot, thermometer-watching, grumbling civil servants to completely kill the birthday feeling which is another incentive for not going into the office.

Unfortunately Si hasn't got as much leave left so I've had this time off alone. Which has been great really, ok it's not as good as if Si had the holiday time but I've been able to bimble around at my own pace, flick through a thousand CDs in HMV without worrying about the time and daytime TV is mine all mine. Ok I'd probably alone in my fight for the remote when it comes to satellite day time telly but I've been enjoying the re-runs. Well... actually I've been marvelling at how bad the first series of Star Trek: Next Generation was. Not so much the acting the main cast could/can all act but the plots and script was plodding, sexist, patronising and some the special effects would have looked shoddy in the original Star Trek.

The other thing I've been enjoying now the sun has come out, (for overseas readers - we've had a miserable summer so far this year) is Schweppes' Diet Summer Punch Lemonade - it tastes a lot like Pimms except it's non alcoholic, very nice indeed in a non alcoholic way. Would make a great mixer for gin ;-D