Saturday, June 02nd, 2007 | Author:
Julia
We heard today that the Portsmouth based Wedding Control Centre responsible for Helen and Jason’s wedding has closed in a shock move following the end of Mr and Mrs Hughes’ wedding extravaganza. It is unclear as yet how many redundancies will be made but it appears certain that the manager of the centre will go. Over the last 5 months the centre has provided 7/24 round the clock support to the wedding project, providing both on-line and face to face query resolution combined with the production and ‘real time’ amendment of a number of lists and project plans. The call centre took their final calls around 11am on the morning of the big day but all phones have remained silent ever since.
The WCC manager has as yet to comment on the situation.
However, a spokesperson, thought to be close to the WCC manager, has released the following statement:
‘It was inevitable that the centre would close following the wedding, however, it is always a difficult time for everyone involved. The service provided over the past 5 months has been extremely intensive with an astonishing attention to detail paid to all areas of the wedding day. Nothing has been left to chance. It is disappointing that we have heard nothing from the manager on this issue despite playing 2 ABBA tracks during the disco at her request. It is thought that the manager might have fled the country as she was last seen leaving Portsmouth with a tupperware box full of large home-made meat pasties.’
Saturday, June 02nd, 2007 | Author:
Julia
What a fantastic day – one of the happiest Ive ever had.
To-day on Friday 1st June at 1.30pm Helen and Jason got married and Helen became Mrs Hughes. We are all SO thrilled!
The day was ‘luuuvvvvverrly’. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, Helen looked stunning ( if I say it myself ), Jason very regal and both sets of parents so happy. The wedding ceremony was really touching and Jason and Helen looked so contented together – they really made a perfect match.
The wedding breakfast was great – loads of really nice food:
Melon sorbet in carved melon shells ( definitely NOT your ‘melon balls’ a la Beefeater pub )
Poached chicken with a chicken mousse in a wild mushroom sauce
Meringues with fresh cream and raspberries
Then it was time for the speeches – Dad’s was brilliant and really endeared everyone to him. Then came Jason’s speech which was hilarious – he really made us laugh. Jason really is the master of timing and dramatic pauses! The Best Man’s speech was also excellent and resulted in a cash win for the winner of the sweepstake which took bets on how long he would talk for.
And finally I have to be honest and say Jason and Helen’s evening disco was better than ours – really good music and lots of people dancing.
Ian and I had a fantastic day and I know that, inspired by yesterday, Ian wants us to renew our own wedding vows in a marital extravaganza as a token of his deep and obsessive love and admiration for his lovely lady wife.
Thanks Helen and Jason for what was for me one of the happiest days of my life! And as for Ian – well he danced willingly and without protest which is a first for him. I think that says it all ( even if he does dance like a baboon with learning difficulties ).
Sunday, May 13th, 2007 | Author:
Julia
WOW. Just 18 pages long and written over 100 years ago, Who would have thought something so very short and ‘dated’ could give me the heebeejeebies! This is apparently well known in feminist circles but I had never heard of it before, having picked up reference to it on my favourite website – Persephone Books. The story is one of horror, fear and mental degeneration as a woman tells of her experiences of being confined to a room in her house, suffering from nervous strain. She is haunted by the yellow wallpaper in the room with its intricate design and as she wiles away each day with nothing to occupy her mind, the paper starts to take on a sinister role in her already be-fuddled mind. She starts to claw at the paper as it taunts her with the aim of releasing the ‘woman’ trapped within it. I’ll say no more except this is a story which I doubt i will ever forget – the ending is both startling and disturbing. Creepy stuff!
Sunday, May 13th, 2007 | Author:
Julia
Many years ago, Nanny gave me an old copy of The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier. For whatever reason I didn’t get round to reading it but decided to give it a try last week. What a lovely book ! It recounts the travels in time of a man spending his summer in an old Cornish house near to Fowey. His travels take him back to 14th century Cornwall and introduces him to the lives and loves of the original owners of the house in which he is staying and the surrounding area. He is unable to interact with anyone he meets during his travels and as soon as as he comes into contact with another human being he is immediately transported back to the present day. The book has a wonderful twist at the end in true du Maurier style. Although initially I found the text rather laboured, once a third of the way through I was hooked! The descriptions of 14th century life were historically accurate and the characters described were based on individuals who did in fact live at that time in the area. What fascinated me most was the concept of the time traveller as invisible ‘voyeur’ only, unable to make contact with others or leave any imprint on his immediate environment. Thank you Nanny for a lovely read. And I was lucky enough to be able to find an image of the edition I have, albeit in a rather dilapidated state!
Sunday, May 06th, 2007 | Author:
Julia
Purchased a packet of Marks and Spencer’s Extremely Chocolatey Milk Chocolate Rounds fully intending to share them with Ian tomorrow afternoon. However, unusual activities such as window cleaning, front of house cleaning and clearing front garden gravel took me out of my comfort zone and left me feeling confused, insecure and hungry…..you know the rest.
I did buy him a bag of Percy Pigs though…and I don’t like them so they’re safe.
Saturday, May 05th, 2007 | Author:
Julia
Have to say I’m struggling with this latest Mass Observation compilation which looks at womens’ lives at home during the Second World War. Its very disjointed in the way its put together and doesn’t follow the lives of a selection of women throughout the war – rather it dips in and out of a number of disparate diaries and in this way the reader doesn’t have an opportunity to learn about people and their lives and loves. Just over 100 pages to go and I aim to finish this tomorrow so that i can move onto something else.
Friday, May 04th, 2007 | Author:
Julia
Well would you believe it….
Ive just bought and had delivered a brand new telescope ! The Celestron PowerSeeker 76 to be precise. Don’t ask me what prompted the new purchase because it was an impulse buy but I think somewhere in my deep sub conscious I had probably been thinking about this on and off for a while. I can’t pretend to understand the significance of this but it is a ‘reflector’ type with a mirror – so at least I can make sure my hair looks ok whilst using it.
Its enormous actually with a massive tripod and it looks very difficult to put together for a helpless woman……Dad…. ? Are you reading…… ???
And here it is:
Thursday, May 03rd, 2007 | Author:
Julia
After 5 months of dedicated training and general life sacrifices, it all went horribly wrong feet from Mile 18. Exhaustion struck and I couldn’t have walked the last 8 miles let alone run it. For those that know, the whole sorry affair ended in a big orange and black coloured runner ending up in medical care – like a giant wasp strapped in and wired up in a hospital bed.
Chewbacca finished. The people dressed as trees finished. The bakewell tarts finished. Indiana Jones pulling a 300lb boulder finished. Madame Cholet finished. But the Pompey Princess crashed and burned.
Well – there’s always next year…..
Sunday, April 22nd, 2007 | Author:
Julia
Sitting in bed at 6.30am with prepared bagel with peanut butter. Have bite of bagel then put it down to write blog. Lose bagel and search for missing bagel through the immediate area. No sign. Lift laptop to find it has been put down on top of offending bagel peanut butter side up. Bagel stuck to bottom of laptop and has to be removed with tissues. Peanut butter stuck in ports etc. But, I am allowed to continue writing as it is The Big Day.
Didnt sleep very well last night but I expected that. Once breakfast has been finished I will shower and commence pre race operations in line with the timetable I wrote out last night. Its a beautiful morning here – all the buildings are golden as the sun rises higher. Am nervous but also excited. Im sure everyone feels like that. I have to finish remains of bagel now…..over and out.
Saturday, April 21st, 2007 | Author:
Julia
Am sitting with Ian in the bar over looking Canary Wharf in our hotel. We are staying in the Royal Brittania Hotel in Canary Wharf. The hotel is packed with marathon runners and race fever is ramping up! We have seen the blue lines painted on the road which mark out the exact 26.2 miles distance and see that the route passes outside our hotel! Also just outside our hotel is the 18 mile marker which stretches across the road. I cant quite describe the feeling of excitement and also nerves – everyone here seems to be running, talking about the race, examining the Final Instructions we were issued with at Excel, checking out the course and nearest tube stops and drinking huge quantities of water and orange squash! The poor bar man has probably never served so many soft drinks in one day!
This is the day everyone has been working so hard for – its this that makes up for all the soul destroying long runs, after work runs in the dark, rain, wind and cold…..now I understand.
So this is my last pre race entry – lets see how tomorrow goes…….in the words of Addidas one of the race sponsors: ‘Impossible is nothing’.
