Well, we saved £24 ... sort of...

We went to Bath on Friday. In passing we looked at the Habitat closing down forever sale. Few items were left, even fewer we actually wanted however there were boxes of white crockery. 12 pieces for £12. Two sets of that would do quite nicely in my shiny new kitchen. One to use and one for spares. £24 for two table services, seemed reasonable.

We walked around the store some more, toyed with the idea of buying the 'three drawer hutch' taht was missing the top section or the bookcase with only a few scratches. By this time reality had intruded. Not only would we have to lug said boxes of crockery up and down the streets of Bath but there would soon be nowhere to store extraneous items in my house. We are just three weeks away from breaking ground. So we left the shiny white plates and bowls on the shelf.

Saturday we mooched up and down the High Street up here on The Hill. Our fancy schmancy bead shop is consolidating and ours is the shop to close. We went in so Princess C-W could choose some beads. We walked out with this.

A four foot square, gold mirror that must be the bastard lovechild of a Dr. Suess book and the Roccoco movement.

I love it!

So ...

... nine year old boy and dumbells. Not a good mix, right?

Wedding words part four.

'Then a young man said 'Speak to us of Friendship.' and He
replied 'Your friend is your needs answered. He is your field in
which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for
your peace.

When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the 'nay' in your
own mind nor do you withold the 'ay'.
And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart:
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all
expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.

Let your best be for your friend. If he must know the ebb of your
tide let him know its flood also.
For what is your friend that you shuld seek him with hours to
kill? Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter and
sharing of pleasures.

For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.'

Extracts from 'The Prophet' by Kalhil Gibran.

He really just couldn't help himself.

After a ropey start to the morning (Saturday a.m.=Sgt. Mjr. Mama, it wasn't pretty) d/Boy finally started talking to me again. Unfortunately it was to pester me into letting him teach me to play chess, all while I was trying to ensure he would be fed in short-order because the alternative was unthinkable.

Once the hunger demon had been calmed I agreed to learn. Let me set the scene.

Rain coming down from a bright sky (seriously), wood fire flickering gently, daughter sitting on the inferior couch computering away and d/Boy had set the chessboard up on the 'zebra' box and was explaining the starting moves. CK was sitting on the gold couch staring into space, a viable and constructive use of a Saturday afternoon.

I was a quick student and d/Boy a fairly handy teacher, holding onto his cool when I again asked which direction a pawn could take. CK was throwing his views in every so often as well . Things progressed apace and soon I was able to remember the moves most of the shapes made, although I was still getting into trouble for saying things like d/Boy's 'Bishop could eat my knight'. It was only once the game was well and truly under way did I notice the increased regularity of CK's contribution to the match.

His verbal contribution that was matched by his increasing proximity to the board. The input became more frequent and reached the complete depths when he actually started moving pieces and suggesting plays. For whatever reason his internal safety sensors were down and he was ignoring my 'shut up and let him do it' glares.

Even my assistant knew when it was time to take cover.

It was a tense match all the way to the end and, despite losing, I feel I must have acquited my self admirably as I was rewarded with the words 'You know, you played much better than I thought you would.'

We forgave CK his misdemeanours and enjoyed mini-yoyos handbaked Chez Trash.

Wedding words part three.

Above you are the stars

Below you are the stones.

As times does pass

Remember,

Like a star your love shouldbe constant.

Like a stone your love should be firm.
Be close, yet not too close.

Have patience each with the other

For storms will come but they will quickly go.

Be free in giving of affection and warmth.

Now and always.

F. Jay Beacon. (adapted)

Wedding words part two/Blogtober self portrait

This is the only wedding picture we have on display.

Adaption of a verse by Anatole France.

"It is not enough to love passionately, you must also love well. A passionate love is good, doubtless, but a beautiful love is better. May you have as much strength as gentleness; may it lack nothing,not even forbearance, and let even a little compassion be mingled with it... you are human, and because of this capable of much suffering. If then something of compassion does not enter into the feelings you have for one another, then these feelings will not always befit all the circumstances of your life together; they will be like festive robes that will not shield you from the wind and rain. We truly love only those that we love even in their weakness and in their poverty. To forbear, to forgive, to console, that alone is the science of love."

Despite my comment here this actually wasn't taken in Swan Hill.

This one makes me think of a McCubbin picture.

Wedding words part one.

CK pulled out all our wedding albums yesterday.

I looked at them instead of getting organised this morning.

I had forgotten how lovely a day that was.

I had forgotten the words we had read out.

I am glad I have found them again.

Without You. (an extract) By Adrian Henry.

Without you every day would be like going back to work after a holiday.
Without you I would probably feel happy and have more money and time and nothing to do with it.
Without you plastic flowers in shop windows would be just plastic flowers in shop windows.
Without you Clark Kent would forget to become Superman.
Without you there would be no colour in magic colouring books.
Without you it would be an offence punishable by a fine of up to $400 or two months imprisonment to be found in possession of curry powder.
Without you all the streets would be one-way the other way.
Without you they would forget to change the weather.
Without you blind men would sell unlucky heather.
Without you there would be
no landscapes/no stations/no houses/
no chip shops/no quiet villages/no seagulls
on beaches.no hopscoth on pavements/no
night/no day/there'd be no city no country.
Without you.