Messages tied to the Apple Tree

Wedding number 4.

Technically the wedding ceremony actually took place in one of Norwich's Cathedrals (the city has two - cue wedding guest confusion, arguing couples and mad dashes across Norwich to find the other Cathedral, thankfully we didn't make that mistake).

This was the marriage between my cousin and her long-term boyfriend (who she has two gorgeous kids with) and what an awesome day it was too. After a rather brief ceremony (yay) we made our way to Great Melton just outside Norwich where, in a little wooded area, we all gathered for the reception. The setting was picturesque - a clearing amongst the trees (save for the apple tree in the centre) where tents had been put up with toadstools, bales of hay and sofas inside them. We were greeted with a glass of pear cider (or pink lemonade) and a little label to tie around our glass. The label served two purposes: 1) Something to write our name on - the glass was yours for the remainder of the day. 2) At the end we could write a message on it to the happy couple (wishing them happiness etc - mine was a drunken scrawl of genuine sentiment and inebriated babble, we left late) which we could then tie to the apple tree. Beautiful idea.

The catering was just as cute, an afternoon tea with sandwiches and cupcakes, ensuring we didn't starve whilst waiting for a pretty substantial BBQ in the evening. But it wasn't just the setting or the labels or even the food (we were offered a variety of cake) that made the day, it was all the extras...

Archery. I guess some people might need convincing that archery belongs at a wedding - not me. As soon as it was announced my sister and I were off to try it out. Verdict: It's awesome, especially in the woods with the wind in the trees, I felt like Maid Marion.

The Folk Band. A DJ would have been completely out of place amongst the greenery but the band were perfect. We all danced for a good few hours to folky versions of old school tunes and they even took requests.

Lanterns. I am a totally sucker for these. They look so beautiful; little blobs of light in a clear night sky. This was the last surprise of the evening and after we watched all the lanterns (apart one that got stuck in a tree and caught light) disappear into the distance we made our way back to the hotel.

The next day I felt super rough (apparently I'd drunk more wine than previously thought) thus rendering me grumpy, exhausted and useless. We made a couple of stops along the way, a visit to my grandparents' and a model and toy expo - the latter being entirely my dad's persuasion, and what with the traffic in s.w London, I arrived in Surbiton late. By which point I was even more exhausted and utterly useless, two characteristics entirely unsuitable for the Rollerderby Championship Final and so I missed it. However I can happily say that the Steam Rollers won! V.good news!

Have your cake and eat it too

These past couple of weeks I've been indulging in a little bit of etymology...as well as doing other fun stuff.

The cake in question is a Chocolate and Guinness Cake (happily) baked for Mitch's birthday. The title of this post is of course refering to the famous phrase about someone having the best of both worlds. It was first used in the mid 1500s and although the saying has been corrupted thoughout the centuries the meaning remains the same.

Also in my etymology search I also found the French and Italian equivalents:

vouloir le beurre et l'argent du beurre (et le sourire de la crémière) 
wanting the butter and the money for the butter (and the smile of the female butter-maker)

vuoi la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca
you want your bottle full of wine and your wife drunk

I quite like how the English one is about cake.

Aside from eating cake (and going to the pub), we also celebrated Mitch's birthday by spending a day at Thorpe Park (cue several awful ride photos of me looking like a man with a loose toupee). But, despite the weather and the uncool pictures it was an awesome day. After going on most rides (but not Samurai - I don't think I'll have the guts to) I felt suitably shaken up and exhaused. Running about, eating burger king and being quite damp (damn those water rides and the english weather) you could've mistaken me for my 14 year old self (save better dress sense and a decent haircut). The rollercoasters - Stealth, Saw and Colossus - are my favourites.

The earliest Rollercoasters can be attributed to the thrill seeking and inovative Russians during the 15th century, at which time they were called 'Russian Mountains'. These 'mountains' were specifically built from snow and ice, reinforced by a wooden structure, which riders would slide down on something that resembled a sledge. 'Russian Mountains' still remains the term for rollercoasters in several languages including Spanish.

This was wedding number 3, a lovely affair in a renovated barn just outside of Basingstoke. They had a three tiered cake (each one was different) and provided chips and sausages for us guests who were a little worse for wear later in the evening - v.good idea.

'Wedding' comes from the anlgo-saxon word 'wed' refering to two things: 1) a man vowing to marry a woman. 2) the money/bartering process between the groom and the bride's father. Hmmm, romantic. Hence the tradition of the father of the bride 'giving away' his daughter. Nice.

Lastly I went to see the Glee Live tour at the o2 arena which was fabulous, made extra special by appearances from The Warblers and...Holly Holliday (aka gweny paltrow)! This was also my first trip to the o2 arena. It is gargantuan, not to mention terrifying. Our seats were three rows from the back and it took me nearly the entire show to muster the courage to stand up.

Last little fact: in a Latin sense the word 'arena' meant sand. In classical amphitheatres, sand was used in the central 'stage' area in order to soak up the blood of competitors taking part in contests. And so, by extension, the arena became the term for a central area in an enclosed performance space.

Class dismissed :)

Cut Off

So, dear readers, it's been a while since my last post. One was scheduled for last weekend but the powers that be (in this case virgin media) prevented me from posting anything and indeed watching anything. No TV and no internet all weekend? I asked in utter shock. The man at the end of virgin's support line apologised profusely (poor guy, it wasn't his fault) as well as light-heartedly suggesting I buy and read a book.

Being cut off when you're away from home - fine. There's things to do and new places to explore (see previous post). Being cut off with the prospect of another fairly empty weekend in Surbiton yawning before you (I'm broke and impatiently waiting for payday) - not cool, not cool at all. So what did I do? I enjoyed a (relatively) cheap weekend in Surbiton.

Saturday morning/afternoon was spent in the Crafty Cafe painting a ceramic teapot (one of Mitch's birthday presents). They charge just a fiver for the paint and varnish + the cost of the item (they have a range of stuff to paint too, from egg cups to piggy banks). The two and a half hours spent painting was fun and very relaxing. I love making and painting things and now I'm older I find I rarely have the time...

Taking place that very same afternoon was the Surbiton dog show. I only caught the contestants from the 'Waggiest Tale' category. I never thought I'd be a potential dog owner but...they are beginning to grow on me and to be fair, they were cute - jumping around, wagging their tales, gazing lovingly at their owners. Definitely cuter than the attention-seeking child who had chosen to climb a nearby tree and yelled out it's progress at 20 second intervals. "Mummy, I'm climbing the tree"; "I'm very high mummy"; "Mummy I won't go any higher, I think I might need a harness" (eugh).

The rest of the afternoon reminded me very much of my Uni days - watching a lot of Futurama in bed. Thankfully my flat-mates returned in the evening to pull me from my uni regression.

Sunday I went to the gym, which isn't free but I've already paid for this month. Followed by a game of giant Hungry Hungry Hippos. Yes, that's right, remember that game when you were young? Well the awesome people at a local pub made a giant version in their garden. Sadly I was just a spectator (like a lot of other people) but it was hilarious to watch the contestants (mostly grown men) furiously working their hippos to eat the most balls. Loved it. And all the proceeds went to charity.

Lastly, as Sunday was father's day, dinner was had in Richmond. The Jamaican burger at GBK should definitely be tried, delish. By the time we returned Virgin had got their act together and our connection to the world had been restored. However, at the risk of sounding corney, I probably wouldn't have done half the things I had done this weekend had everything been working as normal...it was a lucky time to get cut off.

Beside the Beautiful Sea

As you may or may not know, my Summer is jam-packed with weddings, the first of which took place on Wednesday by the coast not far from Plymouth. The happy couple: my cousin and her long-term boyfriend (they met at Hull Uni over a decade ago). That's right, my cousin, making it my first family wedding (I can't count my auntie's, although I was a flower girl being only three I don't remember much and probably fell asleep before the party started).

After a slightly cramped 4 hour drive we arrived in Kingsand, our home for two nights. The village of Kingsand (and it's close neighbour Cawsand), is full of colourful and unique buildings each with it's own name, winding narrow streets and plenty of steep hills leading up from the stoney and sandy beaches to the numerous forts dotted around the coast line. Our own cottage, we had one to ourselves, was called Margery Hill Cottage which boasted two sitting areas, a spacious kitchen and of course beautiful views of the sea.

The wedding ceremony itself took place in a tiny little church on top of a hill, and, aside from the vicar being a bit of a grumpy sort, it went very smoothly. But it was the location of the reception afterwards which made the day. Polhawn Fort. Originally built during the 1860s to form part of the coastal defence against Napoleon's invasion, however, the fort never saw any action. It's an awesome stone structure with walls several feet thick, a roof garden, turreted stairs leading to an open plan floor and several bedrooms beneath. The interiors create a sense of occasion but upon going outside you see why it's become a bit of a hotspot for weddings, the views from the  expansive garden are stunning. We were a little exposed to the elements (my hair resembled straw by the time I went inside) but it was worth it for glorious sunshine, champagne and canapes on the lawn, sitting amongst the pretty wild flowers and taking the overgrown and rugged path down to the beach - the definition of picturesque.

After v.good food, three types of pudding (win!), a few peach bellinis and quite a lot of wine it was time to dance the night away. The newly weds also, as the party continued into the morning, presented us guests with a brilliant surprise - a silent disco (this was not in concern for the neighbours, the fort is pretty much isolated, rather for the very young guests and those who'd passed out early) - genius.

Beard also in attendance.

First Class

Wednesday, or more specifically Orange Wednesday, I went to the cinema. Film of choice: the new x-men movie. Verdict: Awesome and very well balanced in the sense that there was enough back-story to each of the characters so you don't think 'this is all about the action sequences', and the special effects are large scale and a quite a thing to behold incase you do perhaps get a little tired of the all the teary-eyed bits (but there aren't many - fear not). The cast is superb and full of faces you'll recognize. The highlights for me were Michael Fassbender as Erik (might have developed some sort of crush there, also I'm a little intrigued as to how he will fare as Rochester in the new Jane Eyre remake...); Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique (she's an oscar nominee, she's been in an x-men movie and she's not even 21 yet - sigh); James McAvoy who brings out a more charming (and slightly drunken) side to young Professor X which we don't really get to see in the previous films; and finally Kevin Bacon. I, because I'm terribly unobservant, failed to notice the Bacon in any of the posters or trailers so when he appeared on screen as the twisted Sebastian Shaw, I was shocked and delighted - he really is a great baddie. I was a little confused at Take That providing the theme song but hey ho it's a crazy world.

Also this week I attended the Visions Festival at Hertfordshire University. Why, you ask. Well, my sister has just completed her degree in Film and TV Production and her film was put forward, along with the other top 12 films in her year, for the mini festival. The students' finished work was screened for all to see and from these 13 short pieces 4 were picked to receive specific awards for being the best in the different categories. It was an interesting afternoon and an epic treat to see my sister's film on the big screen. And the day got even better, turns out that Space Detective ticked all the right the boxes for those on the judging panel and my sister was awarded the Stanley Kubrick Award for Fiction. So very proud.

And here she is being presented with her award by Jan Harlan (a producer on a number of Kubrick's films). 

Beard Status: At present there's a slight unbalance in the hair to beard ratio. Personally I'm not a huge fan but I guess it works if you're playing a bad guy in a movie. The three below are all sporting the two extremes (very beardy and completely baldie). As much as I love Jeff and Bruce (not you though John) they are not looking at their best.

Mitch however seems to be working it. Beard most certainly approved.