So, weddings, death watches, UK return and sundry stuff.
Yesterday involved trips into Kona with LadyBlueJay to buy the food, the booze, the plates and cups and cutlery; to get a lot of ice and rent a huge cooler, not to mention buying table decorations.
All I have to say on the subject is that a 36-pack of bottled water weighs a lot. As does boxes of wine and beer. Especially when one is wearing heels and it's at least 30°c and 75% humidity. Blaaaah.
Tables duly set by K and I, candle decorations assembled and placed, places laid. There were some small issues due to the fact we'd been presented with some flower arrangements and not told where to put them. Similarly we'd been given a bag of gauze ribbon but not told what to do with it.
We completed our duties as best we could by 5.20 - the guests were arriving at 6. There was then a mad dash to find the shower we'd been told we could use - but naturally no one had said where it was. Finally showered and presentable; hair and attempt at make-up done in five minutes. Dress that I'd made for the occasion (but not tried on beforehand) thankfully fit and looked meekle. Crown of obsidian doom *might* have been a little over the top, but by then I didn't care. Short mad dash to wind ribbons around the staircase and balcony when we finally found out where the ceremony was going to take place and where everyone would be standing.
Grandmother Sparrow rocked up in a beautiful bias-cut kinda 1940s-Hollywood-darling dress. She hadn't known that the ceremony was going to take place nor that all the friends and family would be there. (She'd been told it was going to be a photo-op with the family.) Her look of surprise and pleasure was very meekle. The ceremony was performed by a lovely crazy American-Hawaiian priestess; she called to the elements on a conch shell and did blessings and chants in Hawai'ian, sprinkled salt water and talked about the Hawai'ian tradition of aloha and what that meant. It was very shiny and strangely similar in many ways to the ceremony I'd made up for our wedding.
Logan and the band played; Amanda made amazing cupcakes for everyone. There were speeches and champagne, and a good time was had by all. It was very meekle, but I'm so glad it's over!
But, as the saying goes there's no rest for the wicked, and I must have been one hell of a baggage in a previous life.
My father tells me that my mother is on her way out. He reckons within the next month, but of course it depends: she might have nothing left to fight with but that never stopped her before. (Yeah, didn't only inherit my bloody minded streak from my father...) So I'm being recalled to the UK a little earlier than expected. K and I are still gonna be spending at least three months there, it's just we're gonna be arriving mid-late August instead of early September.
Strange; a few weeks ago my neurons were utterly adamant that I spend money I don't have on a Lady-of-Shalot sort of dress in dark colours. And they wouldn't tell me why, they just said it was important and I'd need it. So I did. Now this. I guess neurons were right.
All I have to say on the subject is that a 36-pack of bottled water weighs a lot. As does boxes of wine and beer. Especially when one is wearing heels and it's at least 30°c and 75% humidity. Blaaaah.
Tables duly set by K and I, candle decorations assembled and placed, places laid. There were some small issues due to the fact we'd been presented with some flower arrangements and not told where to put them. Similarly we'd been given a bag of gauze ribbon but not told what to do with it.
We completed our duties as best we could by 5.20 - the guests were arriving at 6. There was then a mad dash to find the shower we'd been told we could use - but naturally no one had said where it was. Finally showered and presentable; hair and attempt at make-up done in five minutes. Dress that I'd made for the occasion (but not tried on beforehand) thankfully fit and looked meekle. Crown of obsidian doom *might* have been a little over the top, but by then I didn't care. Short mad dash to wind ribbons around the staircase and balcony when we finally found out where the ceremony was going to take place and where everyone would be standing.
Grandmother Sparrow rocked up in a beautiful bias-cut kinda 1940s-Hollywood-darling dress. She hadn't known that the ceremony was going to take place nor that all the friends and family would be there. (She'd been told it was going to be a photo-op with the family.) Her look of surprise and pleasure was very meekle. The ceremony was performed by a lovely crazy American-Hawaiian priestess; she called to the elements on a conch shell and did blessings and chants in Hawai'ian, sprinkled salt water and talked about the Hawai'ian tradition of aloha and what that meant. It was very shiny and strangely similar in many ways to the ceremony I'd made up for our wedding.
Logan and the band played; Amanda made amazing cupcakes for everyone. There were speeches and champagne, and a good time was had by all. It was very meekle, but I'm so glad it's over!
But, as the saying goes there's no rest for the wicked, and I must have been one hell of a baggage in a previous life.
My father tells me that my mother is on her way out. He reckons within the next month, but of course it depends: she might have nothing left to fight with but that never stopped her before. (Yeah, didn't only inherit my bloody minded streak from my father...) So I'm being recalled to the UK a little earlier than expected. K and I are still gonna be spending at least three months there, it's just we're gonna be arriving mid-late August instead of early September.
Strange; a few weeks ago my neurons were utterly adamant that I spend money I don't have on a Lady-of-Shalot sort of dress in dark colours. And they wouldn't tell me why, they just said it was important and I'd need it. So I did. Now this. I guess neurons were right.