chesneycat

I've finally got round to uploading some of my photos from my recent trip back home to England.

First, my cousin Andrew's wedding.  I know family weddings aren't all that interesting to outsiders, but I managed to get a wonderfully, embarrassingly bad picture of the bride and groom:


And here's how they're meant to be looking!


This is also the law of conservation of [my name] in action.  One of my cousins (Andrew's sister in fact) is another Kath.  She just married out of the surname last year, only to have Kate marry into it!  I suppose I shouldn't find it too surprising really - we're all more or less the same age, and Katherine was the most popular girls name the year I was born, and certainly high up for a few years either side as well.

Next post - Coughton Court Bluebells.

Where was I?  Christmas, yeah... Okay, let's start with the pictures.

Well, on Friday afternoon I left home early to pick up Jez from school.  It was the last day of term, and because the Catholic school he works in seems to believe that one's suffering in the next life can only be mitigated by more of the same in this one, the poor kids were stuck in real lessons right until the final bell rang.  Jez was quite glad to be teaching his favourite year 9 class (13/14 year olds) in the last period, and I arrived early enough to witness the end of the penguin-huddling experiment they were carrying out.


So anyway, we set off straight after school finished, as we were hoping to get to his parents in plenty of time for a meal at a Chinese restaurant later that evening.  It was booked for half eight, but figuring that the traffic would be horrendous, we left early enough that we should have got there by half five. 
I've never been to a non-church wedding before, so my sister-in-law's civil partnership was a completely new thing to me.  The language was pretty formal/legal, but a lot of it seemed pretty directly lifted from the church ceremonies I'm more familiar with.  One thing that stood out was the phrasing about them now "openly" being partners. I know how they feel they have to behave in public, and it's a sad thing that society puts them in that position, or that "openly" should get so much emphasis in the ceremony. It shouldn't be necessary.  It was a moving ceremony though, and good to see them tying the knot.  But I can't help feeling that my father-in-law was a little disappointed, even now. Oh, he's glad that she's happy, and has accepted her partner into the family very warmly, but you can tell it wouldn't have been his first choice for the way her life has worked out.  That's also pretty sad. Anyway, we all went back to the house for the reception, ignoring the disintegrating marquee in the swamp that used to be a garden in favour of the comforts of indoors, where we all gorged ourselves until we were "nicely replete" (family catchphrase; don't ask). And then the hen-party started, courtesy of the welsh relatives, who'd planned on holding it the night before.  Neither bride ever wants to see a marshmallow again...

On to Sunday... more leftovers consumed, and I bought a cheap copy of Deathly Hallows from Sainsbury's.  Much reading ensued, with a short break fixing my grandfather's computer ("try right-clicking on it") based on third-hand information (some problem with an unbearably maximised insert-symbol window). 
It was good to get home after the weekend.  The MIL was getting VERY stressed about getting her house back togther, which wound Jez up a little... so some peace and quiet was a very welcome change. But we do have far too much cheese.  Any ideas for recipes for using up a tupperware box full of Stilton chunks?

Don't think I can't feel you swelling up on me, you sneaky tonsils you!  And why does this always happen on a week where I have to talk to the public?

Anyway, the week from the sunny outskirts of hell is steadily getting a bit better than I thought it would be.  I've borrowed half a talk off a colleague, and I only need to speak for half an hour, not the full hour.  Plus, chatting to 7-10 year olds about space is always pretty good fun.  I've found out that the ride I'm helping to open at Flambards is one of three new developments, which is great news as far as I'm concerned - my z-list celebrity status will be kept further from the spotlight, which isn't a bad thing!  The poetry competetion I helped judge last week has now finalised the winners - two of my top four  with 10/10 have come first and second.  The third place poem was one I gave 8/10, so was probably easily in my top ten.  If it's the one I think it is, I only marked it down for spelling and scientific inaccuracies... so I think it's probably a good runner-up anyway - as far as poems are concerned, they needn't be perfect on the latter score!

It'll be nice going back home to Cornwall, seeing Mum & Dad and the grandparents, meeting Peugeot/Purr-Jo the new cat for the first time, and generally de-stressing from work.  And after that - it's holiday time!

One minor problem - the garage is getting my car back on Thursday, and I may be in the wrong end of the country...

Oh, and the telescope proposal I need to finish by thursday lunch, but haven't even started yet....

*yawn*

So tired.  Still, it's all in a good cause.