No Rest, but Plenty of Work and Play.

We've been busy over the weekend.

On Saturday at a gathering of Linda's family (for those of you who've not met her, or haven't yet sent us your RSVP, Linda is Simmi's mum), we took part in my first ever game of croquet. Unlike John Prescott, I was a winner. Of course, my partner, Tim, had more to do with it than I did, but then there's no 'I' in team (although, to quote Ricky Gervais, "if you look hard enough, there is a me"). Simmi's team came second, much to the annoyance of her brother Kiran, who'd been leading the game from the start and choked at the finish. Linda ended up in last place despite much vigorous "rule-bending" by her partner Vee.

When we got back home, we had a seating-plan meeting. In my experience, this is something that is always better to do with a fair quantity of Nastro Azzurro to hand.

Yesterday, we went to Southall to pick up the bridesmaids' dresses and the groomsmens' shirts plus metres and 16 metres of fabric for the table covers. We got the dresses and the fabric, but the shirts will have to be sent to us by courier. Still, two out of three ain't bad.

We then went to have a look around Syon Park with Linda and Kiran. We hadn't been there together since last September and Linda hadn't been to the place for years, so it was useful to have a look around. Lovely day for it, and we managed to inadvertently wander into the Duke's private garden, where a few blue-blooded types were busily picnicking. They studiously ignored us of course. Anyway, we took a few measurements, checked out some things, and came up with a list of questions to ask the Syon Park Events Manager, Becky.

In the evening, I updated a couple of things on the wedsite, which included adding an A to Z page. This is basically a quick-list of additional information for guests. Have a look and let us know what you think.

I also did a tally of RSVPs that we've got back and I believe the count of acceptances has risen to 89 people. Which is nice. I'm beginning to favour a Ryanair-style seating policy for the meal based on when the we receive responses, so if you want a good seat, you'd better send it soon. I can almost smell the deadlines!

Da Nice Lady, Denise

This morning, we went to Hounslow Registry Office to meet Denise, the nice lady who'll be marrying us. It was a good meeting as she sketched out how the ceremony will run, where the principal players should be, how Simmi's entrance will happen, where we'll be signing the register and how everyone will get from Great Hall to the Courtyard for the champers & Pimms.

She also asked us who our witnesses are going to be, which slightly caught me unawares as I just assumed it's always best man and head bridesmaid, but apparently not. We have a couple of ideas for who we'd like to do it and will be approaching those people presently.

We turned up there having picked two readings, but she said that in her experience, it's better to have three as otherwise the ceremony would be over far too quickly. Also, we're not allowed to use one of the readings we wanted to as it's from a religious text. Civil marriages allow no mention of God, heaven, angels, the hereafter, or any other notions of an even slightly religious nature. So I'm afraid the passage On Marriage from The Prophet by Khalil Gibran was deemed unacceptable, which is a pity.

Our other reading is OK, which is something at least. We now have to find two more readings and one more reader. If you get a call from us in the next few weeks, remember that the level of desperation in our voices will help you nicely gauge how many people have already been asked!

Special Prize Draw!

Hiya!

We'd like you to meet two of our most honoured and far-flung guests.


This is Olga Stalinova McSporran. She hails from the beautiful Kamchatka peninsula in eastern Siberia and is famed for her knowledge of types of snow and reindeer dung; her amusing regurgitation party-piece involving spoons and napkin rings; and her almost insatiable appetite for English-speaking men. Can't get enough of 'em apparently. She's really looking forward to coming to the wedding.


Our next guest is a rather astonishing fellow. Quentin Farquhar Trevarrick-Slocombe is probably the leading accountant in the Falkland Islands. His interests include counting things, using different coloured pencils, and sheep. He really likes sheep. Many's the evening he has spent in the company of people who've wound up sheltering in the same place as him, regaling them of his engaging and exciting life ranging across the low, windswept hills of the Falklands counting sheep. As he amusingly says, he's "not so much a bean-counter, as a sheep-counter!", usually followed by his trademark laugh which sounds something like a very loud magpie with the hiccups.

We thought that Quentin and Olga are such wonderful company that we'd run a little prize draw. So, we've decided that whoever is last to send us their RSVP, will get to sit between the pair of them at the Wedding Breakfast.

So come on, the RSVP 'respond by' date is fast approaching and if you want any chance to avoid win this wonderful prize, you're going to have to get that card back to us sharpish!

Slight Re-design

Changed the template that we use for the blog as the previous one didn't make the links stand out too clearly. Some people missed the link to the Bond St. Jeweller's shady past f'rinstance.

Let me know what you think. Sure, and isn't dat what dem Comment yokes are for anyway?

Oi! Get that Bloody Bike off the Tiles!

Looks like the daughter of our host on September 16th is into motorcycling.

The picture on the left shows her astride her bike in the Great Hall of Syon Park where the ceremony is going to take place.

She better not have left skidmarks on the tiles!