Small balls, big heads and pancakes

I have just had an e-mail from my intellectual friend with a GSOH (is that possible I hear you ask) - well he has asked me to update my neglected blog - I have been very busy/lazy. So I am making a commitment to regular updates as I now have one reader to satisfy.

Any road when I have more time I will write a well-deserved piece about my good friend Hans, and he has a snazzy website and book, but enough about him and more about me.

Yesterday was pancake Day. How exciting, I wish I had copied Miss Meep and taken pictures of pancakes - they were (sounding very Welsh) 'stunning'. I had three pancakes - here goes:

Pancake 1

(organic Green and Blacks Vanilla Ice Cream)
www.greenandblacks.com
Banana (caramelised in brown sugar)
Chocolate Sauce (yum yum)

Pancake 2
Golden syrup

Pancake 3
Golden syrup
Ice cream (felt sick, had to give half to Mr T)

I even impressed myself by being able to explain, in great detail, the origin of Shrove Tuesday to my German friend Kat.

I think every Tuesday should be Pancake Day!

Next subject - tennis. I am learning and not very good. I went yesterday to Beginners' Tennis at DL and I don't know. I mean I have always advocated if you can't do something, don't try. But I have broken out in to the realm of ridiculous running around, which I can't do, after a small ball.

I have to say I quite enjoy it, apart from the hideous tennis couple that turn up each week (who aren't beginners) and the worrying (pat you on the bum) coach. I mean he hasn't done that to me, but I know he is the type - he has a 24 year old girlf - not right (sorry Hans, I know you like the younger ladies).

Back to tennis couple, he has that spikey hair and she looks (according to Kat) like a goody school teacher of little kids. I just don't like them, a pattern here. There are actually lots of people I just don't like. I get this feeling and that is it - game over. I know I should do all that self reflective stuff - but can't you just not warm to people?

The nail in the coffin, he was holding her hand after the class, I know that hand holding, he had been knocking balls around with Kat all night and she was in a grump because she was forced to play with useless old me..ha ha.. Usually I would want to get really good just to show her, but I think it is more fun being rubbish.

Next week I am going to stalk them to see 'what car' they drve - that will prove my point. I bet they have one small sporty and one 4WD. They are those money mad suburban types - I know it! - I know it!
To top it all they will live in a Barret (I bet!).
Footnote on Barret - I now know at least four people I like that live in one..will keep you informed.

Gosh - this is so exciting I now have a blog. I have stolen the idea from my good friend Miss Meep - who also uses this template. But it is by far the most feminine - all the other templates are straight lines and bold colours, and I am not sophisticated enough to design my own template - yet.

So where do I start? Well I thought I would blog as I am getting married (hurrah) to a very dashing Welsh chap, who is not too short like many of the fellas in the Principality. I want to do a bit of backdating so I have an account of all the nice things that happen to a ‘bride to be’.


The proposal

I have always been clear that I didn't want an engagement ring; in fact I have never been interested in diamonds or gems that was until I went shopping for a bit of bling. Now I know the proposal is supposed to be a surprise, but I have been with Mr T for four years, there was no proposal and I am now 33, so let’s say someone needed to take the matter in-hand and go shopping for a ring. I didn't find one in the Welsh capital, nothing with that WOW factor that Kirst (Location Location) always talks about, so I suggested a trip to the BIG SMOKE.

We packed our bags and set out to the Capital arriving at a very smart hotel (lastminute.com price) and after a ‘wash and brush up’ set off on a twilight walk along the Thames, taking in Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.

At St Martins in the Field I decided a religious awakening was just the ticket and forced T in to the Sunday 'Week at Work' service. It was very upsetting; I love this church but obviously had a spiritual moment and had to leave half way through in floods of tears. Anyway after this trauma a Wagamama (www.wagamama.co.uk) was in order to lift our spirits and we pottered hone along the same route, but this time taking in the Millennium Bridge. Let’s get this straight - I pointed out to T that it was the Millennium Bridge, so what happened next was not a planned proposal – I am fairly confident he didn't have one planned. He seized the opportunity to ask 'will you marry me?' on the bridge, but the got flustered when a Japanese tourist came in to sight and ran off. That was the proposal....

The setting was spectacular and despite the rushed question my spirits soared and I couldn't wait for Engagement Day - the day we actually got the ring - it's a bit like Dead Duck Day, but without the Dead Duck.

The next morning we had a hearty breakfast in the faux Renaissance dining room before trekking off to Bond St, via St James Park where we saw lovely squirrels.

















Tiffany was a huge disappointment - you are asked to stand at a counter and it doesn't feel very exclusive, the refurb probably didn't help. After that we set off to Hatton Garden to our noon appointment at Cool Diamonds. Now if you want Diamonds this is the place to go but I didn’t click with anything as they are mainly a diamond dealer there is smaller selection of settings.

Anyway T told me we had a 2pm surprise - what could it be? Tea at Fortnum’s or the Ritz, a spa treatment? I was so excited I practically skipped along Holborn to theatre land before I was whisked down a small side street. In front of me there were a number of windows, all frosted. I was inside a restaurant that reminded me of the Ivy (I have been once for lunch ONCE, not showing off) a fish restaurant called J Sheekey (www.caprice-holdings.co.uk) I had never heard, but it is part of the Ivy chain and fab. I had probably the best fish I have ever had and a superb rice pud; what more could a girl want? a few celebs? I went off in search of the rich and or famous and as if my prayers were answered in front of me was John Travolta (only teasing) but it was one of my fav chefs AnthonyWT (AWT) as I like to call him - what an endorsement.

Anyway to cut the longest story ever short, I skipped back to Hatton Garden and a ring caught my eye in the window of an established looking store Arlington and Co (www.arlington-co.com/) owned by two brothers-in-law, or is that brother-in-laws? who have excellent manners and were very charming. Both had got married at the Dorchester and their Dads had paid. They took T to one side lots to discuss money, I liked that.

We settled on the nicest ring I have ever seen, low flying aircraft aren’t going to spot it, but is perfect for me and I was given a certificate, velvet bag and beautiful box. I felt like a Princess for the whole day and spent the next week gazing at my finger with a fuzzy glow around me, looking in mirrors to see if my ring looked nice. Incidentally it is a platinum band with a diamond set in it. I know this post has gone on but Engagement Day was one of the happiest days in my life, in fact I think my happiest to date.

The two 'brothers in-law' with good manners