With our wedding venturing ever closer I have recently turned my thoughts to that of my precious cat, Dylan, who will be in need of somewhere comfortable, safe and friendly to stay whilst Mark and I are away on our honeymoon. Earlier preparation for this included me taking Dyl to the vets to have his annual Cat Flu Jab - Click on link to see post. (Tess, our little dog is going to be staying with Mark’s parents as they have a dog she is friends with).

After careful research involving Google Maps, and imputting our postcode whilst searching for the word ‘cattery’, I stumbled across about ten in the local area I never before knew existed. Once I had narrowed down the list to ones that had websites and pictures for me to see what was on offer, I rang to book an appointment to visit and check them out in person.

I am pleased to say that I have found what I hope will be a suitable place for him to stay.
- Dylan has now been signed up to attend his “holiday camp”, as I refer to it, whilst we are away. Fingers crossed he will be pleased and fairly happy with my choice for him or else I’ll never hear the end of it when we get back!

I write currently ill and off work - have been since yesterday.
On Monday evening I started to get a sore throat and by the time I went to bed it was even worse.

In the morning I was in a lot of pain and looking in the mirror at my throat I could that the back of my mouth was all red and swollen and I could see a white lump on my tonsil on my right hand side.

I tried to get an appointment with my Doctor, but whilst I was waiting and being told by the automated voice from the surgery telephone that I was 8th in line, I completed a ‘Signs & Symptoms’ online form via the NHS Direct website. This told me that I could request a call back within 2-5hrs, so I clicked yes and really surprisingly within the next 20 minutes someone was ringing my mobile!

I had got down to “You are currently number 3 in the queue”, so decided I’d speak with NHS first and see what they thought before pursuing an appointment with my Doctor. I am glad that I did as straight away I was informed not to bother to go to my GP for these days they do not even prescribe antibiotics for sore throats. I should take paracetomol and drink hot drinks to help burn off the infection.

I wasn’t even advised to take the day off work, but told if I felt fine, which I did other than a very painful sore throat, and I didn’t spit, sneeze or cough over anyone, I wasn’t a public health risk! So I rang work and discussed it with management and decided to go in for the day as physically I was completely fine, and I have access to hot drinks at work (we have a kettle in our office and Earl Grey Tea* - which is my favourite).

I did end up sneezing a lot and feeling a bit under the weather by the time I left the office that evening. When I was home, about 8pm I started to get a runny nose and then cold like symptoms, headache followed and I felt very sorry for myself. Also, what made it all worse was that I wasn’t able to sleep at night as my nose was blocked.

In the monring, after a very restless night I rang work and had to admit I couldn’t come in today. I spent the whole day in bed apart from getting up to make a hot cup of soup (Cauliflower and Broccoli). Poor little dog Tess didn’t get to go out for a walk at all!

However, last night I managed to sleep a little better, but still felt awful. Today I am feeling slightly better and more alert. Still blowing my nose every few minutes though. Fingers crossed I will be fit to go in tomorrow.

* As I have had a lot of time on my hands during the day today I have been looking up Earl Grey Tea and it has a number of health benefits linked to it. I discovered that amongst other things that might be attributed to drinking tea, Earl grey tea may help me to enhance my immune system and fight viruses that are causing my cold! That’s handy that I like drinking it then!

**********
Update - Friday 9th July:

Went back to work today as was feeling much better! (Must have been all that Earl Grey!)

Well, as you already know from Mark’s update below, we have just arrived back from London where we went to visit friends.

It was our chance to be nosey and look at Paul and Davina’s new flat, which was really lovely. We also headed off to snoop around Josh’s flat too - which was 5mins further down the road. Whist there we were treated to a BBQ with Josh, Ryan, Paul and Davina, and listened to some great party tunes. This got us in the mood for heading out, and off we all went to a club called ‘Proud’ in Camden, where we were on the guest list!

When we got there I got ID’d! I am 27 years old, but obviously a young looking 27yr old!
The last time I was ID’d was about 7yrs ago at Hemstead Valley Shopping Centre in Sainsburys!! I suppose I should be flattered. Still, once in, I had a lovely time.

Davina and I headed off at about midnight and we left the boys to it. We heard them arrive back at about 4am. They definately had a good time. In the morning Davina made us brilliant bacon sandwiches and we had an icecream later on as we all walked back to the Station so Mark and I could catch our train home.

We are really looking forward to seeing everyone and going out again soon.

It really is getting frighteningly close to our big day now!

Paul and Davina come to stay for the weekend!

Over the weekend of the 5th-6th June, Mark’s best man, Paul, and his girlfriend, Davina, came to visit us. After they arrived, we also invited Mark’s brother, Jon, who is also our best man (yes, we have two) and had a BBQ on the Saturday afternoon as the weather was so nice.

As you can see from the pictures below, we put our marquee up again. Having taken me about an hour to figure out where all the pieces join together to assemble it the first time around, last summer, I managed to erect it in a very respectable 20mins this time around!

However, the main event of the weekend revolved around a trip into Birmingham and a visit to try on suits that we are going to hire from Moss Bros!

Mark and I are aware that as time draws closer to our big day, we need to finalise the last few bits and pieces which has included needing to sort out and arrange suit hire. We had decided on the type and style of suit we wanted a few months ago, but needed to decide on the colour of the waistcoats, cravats and handkerchiefs.

Below, you can see that Mark and Paul were taking things very seriously in the changing rooms! I think it was all they could do to stop themselves acting out a scene from Reservoir Dogs! Still, it was good fun.

After the suits were organised and ordered, we wondered around Birmingham Bull Ring and its surrounding area. Mark and Paul went to have a Nandos and Davina and I had icecream!

**********
Hair Trials and Dress Fittings:

I had my first dress fitting on the evening of Friday 25th June which was very exciting. I took my new shoes with me for the fitting and had my dress it pinned up to the right height off the floor so I dont tread on it or trip over the hem. Well, that’s the idea anyway - I go back at the end of July to try it on for the last time before I wear it for the big day itself.

I had a hair trial the next day, on Saturday 26th June, where I tried different hair styles and placed my veil in different positions to see which I liked best. I’ve definately got a much better idea of what I want my hair to look like on the day, so it was a very successful morning.

My plan now is to find a nice tiara to put in my hair to finish off the look!

**********
Car Tax Saving:

My car tax needed renewing this month and I was very pleasantly surprised to find that this year, what with so many prices rising and bills increasing, my tax has actually gone down! Last year my Car Tax was £35 for 12 months as it is very low in C02 emissions. I was expecting to pay the same again and even wondering if it would be put up, but I found I only had to pay £20 for another 12 months. How good is that? I was very impressed.

Time is flying by!
- Today we have 3 months left which actually works out as 13 weeks.
Progress report on current wedding preparations:

Stationary: All our day invitations for our wedding have now been sent out and we have received all our replies. Now our main focus is on the preparing and sending out of our evening invitations.

Mark and I had originally wanted to invite all our family and friends to the whole event. However, as our venue is restricted to a certain amount of people during the day and in particular for the sit down meal, it has meant in order to invite everyone we would like to, we have had to invite some people to the evening only.

As you can see from the above pictures, we got ourselves a fancy little paper cutter with a corner cutter! Mark had immense fun trimming all the edges of each invitation with this!

Shoes, visiting my family and another trip to Hobbicraft: I went down to Kent on the weekend of the 15th May. My Mum, my sisters and I went to look around my favourite shop of the moment, Hobbicraft. Specifically at cake toppers, flowers, fabric and ribbons.

We got a rather large and circular cardboard box which we are going to cover with a gold fabric and put a long slit in the top of it for people to post cards into.

However, the main decision of the day was about which shoes I was going to be wearing for the wedding? I had already decided that I didn’t want big heels as Mark and I are pretty much the same height.

In the end I found a really lovely pair of shoes from a well known shop. However, further details relating to type, colour and style are being kept under wraps for fear of the information falling into the wrong hands…i.e. the groom’s! Not that he would remember them if he saw them! Bless

It was really good to see my sisters and my Mum and Dad. I think we played with my nephew Conner and his train set for a good couple of hours!

- Mark with Conner

**********
Other News, and for those who are interested in our other going ons!

First Aid at Work: I went on a 3 day course from 17th - 19th May to renew my First Aid Certificate which had expired in August 2009. I am pleased to report that I successfully passed and am once again fully qualified to deal with incidents that colleagues or indeed young people (or Mark) may get themselves into for the next 3 yrs!

A special mention should go out to Mark as he was subjected to two nights of me playing ‘Doctors & Nurses’ with him whilst he endured me practising all my bandaging techniques and putting his arms in slings. Thank you Mark!

Car Service: My little car had it’s 50,000 mile service during this month. This is quite depressing as it hasn’t had it’s two year birthday yet, which is next month. It shows that I do lots of miles each and every day to and from work and then all the travelling between appointments during the day on top.

Friends come to visit: A trip to an icecream parlour & Hen preparations! Last weekend, 21st-23rd May, Lisa come up to see us and Nicky joined us on the Sunday.

The weather was lovely, sunny and warm, and after coming with me on the Saturday morning whilst I went to work for the morning, Lisa was left to wonder around Gloucester for a few hours. However, she said she had a nice time and went to look at the Cathedral in the town centre there. I also know that she sat on a bench in the sun and read ‘Eclipse’. I have already finished the Twilight Series, so was banned from giving anything away, so its probably just as well that she was free to read it on her own without me offering criptic clues!

Following this, we were in the mood for Ice Cream! So we googled the closest real made icecream and made our way to Henley-in-Arden, to the Ice Cream parlour there. It was simply lovely and I would highly recommend it. It is already very popular as there was a long queue but it was definately worth it. We then set off exploring the town and were able to go inside the Guild Hall there and look around. We were also told a bit of the history there in a mini private tour. Eventually, we ended up in the little Museum which was our last stop before returning home. Henley-in-Arden was really lovely to see with its history and lovely buildings and walks. I was also very impressed that there was free parking at the back of the town with a direct footpath into the main high street. Very handy and convenient for people visiting.

When Nicky joined us on Sunday, the four of us went on a summers walk around the farm. Later on in the afternoon, after a lovely meal cooked by Mark, Lisa headed home and Nicky and I searched the internet for inspiration for my Hen Do.

**********
Wedding Invite: A friend that Mark went to college with is getting married in August.
We have been invited to Claire and Mike’s wedding on Friday 6th August, which is three weeks before ours, and so, aware how difficult planning for guests can be, Mark and I replied to their RSVP request within 3 days.

Both Mark and I are really looking forward to it and wish them all the best.

This weekend, with 4 months left to go until our wedding, Mark and I have been busy continuing with our arrangements:

Hair & Make Up: I have trials arranged for both my make up and hair in the coming weeks to test out different styles and see what I like. For these, I have arranged to collect my veil from the wedding dress shop to take it with me so that I can experiment with different arrangements!

Catering update We met with our Caterer on Saturday and have chosen the types of food we would like throughout the day. This included our menu for the sit down meal and our choices for the evening buffet.

DJ/Disco and Musical Entertainment: DJ is all confirmed and we are looking forward to seeing the performance on the big day! However, we still need to pick songs and tunes we like, and of course, choose the song for our first dance together! We will be putting song cards on the tables for guests to make requests throughout the evening.
We are also looking forward to meeting our other musical entertainment before June, and need to get thinking about the sorts of music we would like for our ceremony.

Outfits: Mark also got to see the bridesmaid outfits for the first time. There was a tense moment as he looked them over, but luckily he thought they were great, so I was very happy. I had obviously chosen well! (With the help of my sister - thanks Ann!)

Photography: We booked and met with our Photographer this month. We are going to arrange to visit our venue with them in order to explore the grounds and identify nice settings and locations for group photos etc. We will also need to have a think about what formal shots we would like of the wedding party, family and friends.

Stationary We need to design our invitations for the evening reception. These are going to be different to our day invites.
We will also be designing and making menus for each of the tables, then name place cards for everyone.

Shoes: This is quite a priority now, as I am aiming to have dress fittings in June and July and need to have shoes so that my hem can be raised off the ground to the right height for when I am walking around.

Congratulations!

A big congratulations to Gemma and Craig who had two wonderful things to celebrate with us in April; their engagement and house warming!

Mark and I were invited to Cardiff in Wales for the occassion, on Saturday 10th. As we were travelling directly from my work and not our house, our journey took us over one of the two large bridges into Wales, across the Severn River. (See picture below).

- approaching the bridge and crossing into Wales

Once there we were able to book into a lovely little hotel close by, in Pentwyn, for a very reasonable £35, including breakfast!

Although simple, the ‘Campanile Hotel Cardiff’ (shown above) was very comfortable and did the job of providing us with accommodation within a 10 min walk of our friends’ house. Very convenient - we were very impressed.

We had a wonderful evening, which involved a BBQ and Kareoke along with a good catch up with friends, Claire and Peter and Liz and Richard.

**********
Cardiff Bay

The following day, after checking out of our hotel having stuffed ourselves with breakfast, Mark and myself with Gemma, Craig, Claire and Peter, all set off into Cardiff, to the bay.

We were able to look at some of the various artworks around the bay, explore the visitor centre, see the Welsh Assembly building and perhaps most exciting, see where BBC 1’s Torchwood was filmed!

It was a beautiful, warm and sunny day and we certainly made the most of it, as I hope these photos reflect:

(Click on any of the photos on this page to see a bigger picture)

**********
Mark visits America

I have been fortunate to have a few days off over Easter and was able to carry over three days annual leave from last year into this new year 2010/11 entitlement.

Mark has been on holiday too and was able to take more time off than me which I felt was very unfair! However, it was neccessary as he has been to America, to San Fransisco! (Although I think he feels he could have done with at least two days off following his return - to recover from the jetlag).

A holiday in America has never really appealed to me, however, having seen photos of the wonderful scenary in the National Parks and the Grand Canyon I would definately consider the States a possible destination in the future.

**********
Wedding Update

Entertainment: This week I have been busy contacting various djs, disco providers, string instrument players and live bands to arrange the different types music for our wedding. We are still in negotiations and talks regarding what we want but will hopefully have it sorted soon!

Table Touches: We have chosen various different items for our wedding breakfast tables. I am excited about being able to arrange everything and making up a practice table to see how things will all look on the day.

Wedding Insurance: After careful consideration and research, we settled on a company for our Wedding Insurance. This is something our venue insist on us having, in order to safeguard against any damage caused to the building. (For anyone else out there thinking of doing the same, we found the Which? site very useful as it had a table and comparason prices for us to look at).

Wedding update

Invitations: March has been a very successful month for Mark and I in planning progression for our Wedding. We decided to make our own invitations and have had great fun in choosing different types of card, ribbon and stamps with which to be creative, as well as trying out various different font types.

We are now happy with our design and only need to replicate it by the amount of people we are inviting! Not a lot of work left then!!

DVD: We have arranged for a company to film our wedding. This is mainly as Mark’s Grandma will be unable to attend. It would be nice for us to be able to show her our day and for us to have a copy ourselves.

Bridesmaids: I have chosen the dresses for the bridesmaids and now need to get them together for a fashion parade! I found the dresses at ‘Bluewater’ in Kent.

Suits for the boys: About three weeks ago we went to look for suits for Mark, his dad, his best men, ushers and my Dad. After spending about 3 hours dressing him up in different outfits we finally reached a decision! Another thing to tick off our ever growing ‘To Do’ list!

We even found a little suit outfit for Conner, my nephew and pageboy, who will be just over three and a half at the wedding.

Accommodation: We have arranged lists of suitable accommodation for our guests to stay in and have negotiated special rates with three hotels in the area.

Wedding Fayre: I have attended yet another Wedding Fayre, however, this one was actually at our chosen venue, so it gave me an opportunity to measure the tables and look at flower arrangements as well as finalise some details around positions of guests and table settings.

Honeymoon: We have begun looking at various destinations for our honeymoon, including; Mexico, Cyprus, Italy and Crete. No decisions made yet however, but at least we have made a start!

For Valentines Day this year Mark surprised me by whisking me away for a romantic meal at The Chateau Impney

It was early evening when we arrived and the Chateau was beautifully lit. We had a lovely five course meal in The French Suite and I recieved a red rose upon my arrival.

I had never visited Chataeu Impney, but have passed it on many an occassion and wondered what it would be like. It was simply lovely. We were very well looked after, the food was wonderful and we had a brilliant time.

Unfortunately for Mark, I may come to expect this annually as a treat on Valentines Day from now! Here’s to Valentines Day 2011 at The Chateau

Happy Valentines Day to everyone

This February, and in perparation for our anticipated honeymoon in September, Dyan had a trip to the vets. This was for him to have his Cat Flu injection, to enable him to go into a holiday home (cattery) when we go away.

Much to his disgust, this meant that he had to have two separate injections, three weeks apart. He was very brave.

As well as being imunised for a year against Cat Flu, Dyl was able to take advantage of a special offer the vets were advertising - a triple injection in one, to safeguard against leukemia and Chlamydia! (Until this trip to the vets I didn’t even know cats could get Chlamydia!!)

Dyl was very well behaved and it was me who showed him up by having to leave the room when he had the injection. Mark stayed with him and assures me that Dyl didn’t feel anything and took it quite well.

Although quiet for the rest of the day and a bit dozy, Dylan was soon back to his old self.
All over for another year Dyl!

My sister, Ann, turned 25 today. Happy Birthday!

**********
Family Meal and Birthday Celebration

As I have been down in Kent for the last few days, I have been able to spend some much needed time with my family.

We all went out for a meal on Sunday afternoon in celebration of Ann’s Birthday, and also as it was the first time we had all been together since our birthdays and Christmas. My two sisters and I, although born four years apart, are all born within about a month of each other, ranging from Dec 31st to Feb 1st, with me in January!

The beginning of the year got of to a slow start with Mark and I snowed in during the first week of January. Whilst this provided me with wonderful photographic opportunities it also created hassle as Mark and I had to have time off work. Our lane was inpassable for a number of days and then, once the lane began to clear, the grit supply issue hit us so our hill was not gritted as it wasn’t on a main road, which meant it was too dangerous, icey and hazardous for us to get out.

**********
Double Glazing Installation

In the last week of January I had double glazing installed to replace the crumbling wooden windows and secondary glazing in my house in Kent. This work had been anticipated to take place just before Christmas, but due to the severe weather conditions it was rescheduled.

I arrived at my house at 8:30am on the Wednesday morning and the glazing company were already there. Very prompt!
They set to work straight away, removing the top windows whilst awaiting the scaffolding company to erect the scaffolding. (As my property is three storeys, scaffolding was obligatory).
By the end of the first day, all the windows on the top floor had been removed and the new frames and glass fitted. By the end of the second day, Thursday, the same had been done with the middle floor.

On the third and final day, Friday, they spend the morning removing the front door and side panel and fitting the new ones.

All in all the two fitters worked solidly for two and a half days to replace all the windows at the front and back of the house and front door. They did a really good job and I was very impressed with their work.

Today is the first day of 2010. Friday, 1st January, two thousand and ten. I’m not sure what people have decided will be the short way of describing this decade we have just entered. But I’m content with ‘twenty ten’ for now.

Last night, as we bid a farewell to 2009, Mark and I celebrated with his parents, brother and grandma.

2009 - was the year Mark and I celebrated our engagement, (February). All in all, it has been a fairly hectic year! We decided on a date for our wedding, chose our venue, booked our caterers, got our wedding rings and received my dress.
2010 - is the year we get married, so I am sure that this will also be hectic, but full of love, joy, excitement and anticipation. There are still a lot of things outstanding which need to be arranged but we are looking forward to planning these things over the next few months.

We had eighteen months initially to plan our wedding, and we have just short of eight months left to go till the big day!

Surprise 30th Birthday Party for Mark

Mark turned 30th and I managed to throw him a surprise birthday party. Mark was really taken aback and appeared quite shocked to see everyone. It was very funny to see the look of confusion then realisation as the door bell kept ringing and he kept opening it to see more people! Our friends from near and far made a real effort to make the day special for him.

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it.

Conner’s 3rd Birthday and Paula turns 23!

On 27th December it was my nephew, Conner’s, third birthday and Mark and I got him a spaceship which he seemed to appreciate!

Happy Birthday also to my little sister Paula, who turns 23 today. I know she has plans to do a lot of partying tonight. Have fun!

She isn’t going to thank me for using this picture!

Double Glazing Postponed

On Monday 21st December I was due to travel down to Kent to oversee new double glazing being fitted to my house in Kent. Unfortunately this had to be cancelled. The lorry delivering the glazing couldn’t get to the warehouse due to the severe weather conditions and all the snow which has affected the whole country. Kent was hit pretty badly. I am now hoping to have this work carried out towards the end of January, in the new year.

**********
Snowy Weather

Mark and I were snowed in for a few days just before Christmas. We wrapped up warmly however, and ventured out onto the roads, as no cars could pass down our little lane, and I took my camera as always. We also took Tess out with us as even though she is a little dog, she enjoys long walks!

**********
Christmas Preparations:

This Christmas we invited our family to share Christmas Day with us. This meant that we had to step up our plan to get a dining room table, which is something we have wanted to do for a long time. We found a really nice table, which would provide enough room for the eight of us to sit comfortably around at a local furniture store in Redditch. Happily, we were able to have this delivered on Wednesday 23rd December, even though we were cutting it close as ever!

We were not sure if my parents would be able to make it due to the snow - the roads were unpassable on, Wednesday 23rd, but as the roads were abandoned there was hardly any traffic at all. Although conditions were far from perfect, my Mum and Dad successfully made the journey and arrived mid-morning on Christmas Eve.

**********
Christmas Dinner

It was the first time Mark and I had attempted anything like a Christmas meal, and we certainly took some lessons from it. For the occasion we had invested in a large turkey and two ducks, not to mention the trimmings. Mark got up at 6am to get the Turkey in the oven, of which we had to utilise both our and his Mum’s kitchen. Then after lulling ourselves into false sense of security whilst unwrapping our presents that morning, we started cooking proper by about 11am. Three hours and two messy kitchens later, there were all sorts of Christmas themed food either boiling, being basted, or coming to the end of it’s long slog in the oven. Although things were seemingly coming together (Mark was particularly proud of his Roast Potatoes), one of the main things we miscalculated was the time to carve all the meat. Even with Mark’s Dad’s battle-worn carving knife to hand, by the time we had cut enough meat for everyone everything else was starting to get cold. So, if we were to ever undertake such an ambitious project again, we should start carving almost an hour earlier. However, in the end we didn’t manage to poison anyone (that we know of), and all were very complimentary for our first attempt (that we know of). So, as for future extravagant meals…all we can say is that we can only improve!