change again

yep, mind changed. don't want to drag it out so we're going for 4pm, and will make sure we party into the small hours!

cheers for the comments guys, and thanks for the congrats Si...

have possibly/probably come to opinion that an earlier start will be the option we go for. it;s not our ideal, but this whole compromise thing is key, and it's the location we like and we have no desire to wait another few months just for the sake of a couple of hours. It may seem drawn out but as long as we tell people in advance, and most people will be staying at the hotel anyway i guess, so they will be abel to have a break during the day. at the end of the day, it's what we want that matters and I don't want to feel short changed by it all going too quick.

but then again this could change.... who knows!!!

so... the question is...

whats better, an early start 12 noon? or late start, 4pm? answers on a postcard pls

turning into a bridezilla

i promised myself that I wouldn't turn into a bride nightmare and get stressed out. I thought I was quite a chilled out person (well people often tell me that) so I didn't really foresee too many problems..... apparently not.....

I had always imagined getting married in a church, not because of the religion thing but simply because thats "what you do"... but with paul and I this causes a bit of a problem. This issue came up on our holiday when we were having a "hypothetical" conversation and Paul confirmed that, being a catholic, he would not really feel comfortable getting married in a Church of England church. I have to admit I was a bit stunned, not having really given this much thought (stupidly), however on reflection I could understand his point. However my equal point was that I didn't really want to get married in a catholic church, mainly for the key fact that I wasn't a catholic, but also( if I am being completely frank here, and in danger of coming across seriously shallow) I believe that us C of E people nicked all the nice churches in the restoration....

so civil ceremony it is to be.... I got my head around it pretty quickly - I do think that I'm a pretty reasonable person and can amend my plans ok if necessary.
So, we get home, he asks me to marry him and we're good to go...

after a fair bit of internet searching and treking round places we seem to have found a venue - I knew it when I came out with a big grin, plus have a possible date.

then comes the problem.

I come home last night and Paul tells me that the only time a registrar can make on that day is 4pm. The only other option is another saturday about a month later at 12 noon (which we can't be 100% sure the reception venue is free until monday although it was free when we spoke to them a week ago).This is not what I have imagined.


So I cry, then a cry a bit more cos I'm mad at myself for crying about something so pathetic and I'm worried that I;m going to spend the next 6 months crying over stupid things and turn into one of those brides-to-be that cause men to be put off asking their girlfriends to marry them.

Anyway, today I think it through calmly, consider the pros and cons with my friends about weddings that start at noon (too long, loads of hanging around, but at least you get a good day for your money) vs weddings that start at 4pm (late so less time but no hanging around). I come home to tell paul I'm ok with the 4pm start, and he says he's ocme to believe that a 12 Noon start would be fine. aaaaargh. this is all too much hard work!!!!!!

at least we agree on the honeymoon............

bloomin' eck it's cold out there..... makes me just want to hide under the duvet and wait till summer.....

we're making a bit of progress on the old wedding planning front....I think....

and a wee bit of progress on the porridge front too. I had some this morning and quite liked it. I think the trick is to not have too much, and have some nice jam or berries. will report any more exciting porridge developments as they progress.....

sunday morning

It's 9am and I gave up on the fight with the cats to let me have a lie-in and got up. It's very icy out there but nice and warm inside the house, however it seems a lovely day for a walk so I may crack on with the (many) household tasks for the day and head out there this afternoon for some fresh air.

Given my increased waistline following NZ, and the required return to fatbusters this week, I tried some porridge again this morning to see if I could stomach it. I do this fairly regularly ( well usually on an annual basis at Sagga camp), in the hope that someday I will grow into a fully fledged adult and actually like it. It is, after all, a really good way to start the day as everyone always tells you. But yet again I pretty much spat the stuff out as it tasted like wallpaper paste. Clealy no a grown up yet then..... ho hum back to the crunchy nut cornflakes.

ANYWAY I blether..... what I wanted to tell you was that if you haven't seen the photos of NZ yet then they are on the side of the page on the flickr site, but the better ones are here, courtesy of Mr Ellis (the better photographer)

update

so i think without realising it I was under some kind of test to see if he could put up with me for 5 solid weeks.... seems I passed anyway as the day after we got back from our travels the lovely Mr Ellis asked me to marry him and I said yes. Woohoo!

We were having a wander round Colesbourne Park which opens for a couple of weekends in Feb to show off their snowdrops, and it was bloomin cold so I was wrapped up in all my warm coat, scarf and hat so didn't feel at my most attractive, but luckily that didn't seem to put him off.

we went up to the jewllery quarter in birmingham and bought a rather nice ring so now its all official! wedding mayhem ahoy......!

chocolate speaks louder than words...

valentines day. its all good!

i need to write some more but I have a bottle of wine and some chocolate to attend to.

But in the latest romantic news Paul and I got engaged last week and I now have a lovely sparkly diamond ring - I've decided I quite like diamonds....

will blog more soon.....

photo progress

have chucked about 80 photos on flickr without much time spent on explaining them. hopefully I may get around to that at some point but unfortunately I had to return to the real world today and earn some cash. dammit

back home

i'm back. have lots to do but also nothing to do. wierd feeling really. will try and download a few photos but it may take me a while,. trying not to be depressed, it was a great holiday and 2008 will be a good year I'm sure so I'll keep smiling and start on the washing!