Love is a promise...

..., love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear.

John Lennon

(1940-1980)

It's been quite sad around here for the past few weeks and as far as my brother's concerned, we aren't quite through the crisis yet. He's slightly more stable now though and being well taken care of and although he's not much better, he's also no worse, so we see that as reason to be optimistic. Thank you for all the caring wishes and positive thoughts. Please know that although I haven't been around here much, I am reading and taking to heart every kind word, passing them on to my family, and am so thankful for them. For you. 

I'm struck this weekend by how even in sad times there are so many reasons to be thankful and sometimes even to celebrate. A year ago I stood beside two of my sweetest friends as they declared their love for each other and we celebrated that declaration with a beautiful, traditional wedding party. I can hardly believe a year has passed already but it has, and today I congratulate them on their first anniversary with wishes of love and a traditional gift to mark the occasion - of paper.  Well, of mostly paper. 

I've long wanted to try making one of these little tag collections and this gave me an opportunity to do so. The tags are tiny, not much more than an inch high and I'd intended to do twelve but, in the end, nine worked better. On them I compiled a small collage of things from the wedding day, including a few picture transfers, pieces of paper embellishment from the table decor, pressed flowers from the bouquets, shells from the beach, snippets of ribbon and fabric and other bits and bobs. The photograph is not the greatest (a combination of rushing and bad lighting - sorry) but this is how it turned out. 

It's been good for me to have something so positive to focus my attention on this weekend and it gave me pleasure to recall the joy of the occasion and to lose myself for a couple of hours in something creative, to escape the gnawing anxiety of the past few weeks even briefly. It's hardly an artistic masterpiece and I don't anticipate it'll become a family heirloom but I'm hoping it will serve as a reminder to them, for a little while at least, of the happiness of the day and the happiness they are wished in all the days to come...

They're away right now enjoying a romantic weekend break so I'll be giving it to them tomorrow when we meet for an after-work glass of bubbly. I do hope they like it.  I'll let you know.

And I hope that wherever you are and whatever you are up to, you are having a relaxing and love-filled weekend too.

♥ K

A little taste of Guernsey, although not a cow in sight!

How do you feel when you marry your ideal?

Ever so goosey, goosey, goosey, goosey.

English Song, 1929

(one of the quotations on the wedding tables, bride and groom are both language graduates so the whole event was peppered with literary touches and references)

{Click to embiggen if you'd like a closer look}

1. Early morning caffè latte and spiced chai latte at the airport - the bride, the groom and their happy bridesmaid... Labels by the groom: Falla - bride's maiden name, an ancient Guernsey surname - first recorded on the island in the early 15th century and hers for nearly 30 years, but not for much longer at this point; Nugget - short for the Golden Nugget, which both affectionately call me - it's a long story; and the happiest Condemned Man I've ever seen!

2. Clouds from above, plane propellers and sunshine flare - probably one of my favourite views in the world - fun and adventure beckon...

3. Approaching Jersey - a brief touchdown en route to Guernsey.

4. Almost there...

5. View from the wedding reception venue - yes, it is the British Isles, really!

6. Postboxes - just like those on the mainland, but blue.

7. Checking out the church - favourite wildflowers growing out of walls, so pretty and summery.

8. Beautiful churchyard - bride's family christenings, weddings and funerals stretch back five generations in this place. The cloth on the registry table has the embroidered signatures of four previous Falla brides (including her mothere and grandmother) right where A's hand rested to sign her own marriage certificate - very special.

9. A quiet bay for a happy day and a moment for calm contemplation of things to come.

10. Abstract beach beauty - my heart is full.

11. Dinner outdoors with friends and family, warm sea air, lovely conversation, delicious seafood = perfection!

12. The sunset view from our dinner table...

13. Heading to Herm - the bridal party and close family went over for the post rehearsal dinner.

14. St Peter's Port from the sea - so beautiful.

15. Castle Cornet - didn't manage to see inside but enjoyed the Antony Gormley figures... No pics of my own that day but please enjoy these...

16. Floral displays for the church taking shape under the guidance of A's sweet mother. How gorgeous are these delphiniums?

17. At the hairdresser - champagne and laughter to start the day - so lovely!

18. A perfect occasion for celebration - the sun shone brightly (thank you for all your happy sunshine wishes!) and the bride and groom shone even more brightly than the sun!

19. The morning after - a lingering scent of lavender and freesias...

20. A quiet wander around the harbour, Sunday brunch with the wedding party, lovely memories shared and starting to settle into the happy places of our minds. It was raining as they flew out but beautiful Sri Lanka and the Maldives call them for their honeymoon...

Picture of the bride and groom courtesy of LK, all others mine. It felt very weird not to be carrying my camera on the day of the wedding, and spending so much time in front of one was fairly uncomfortable for me, but I promise to share some of those too as they become available via other sources. I took relatively few photographs as it was a very busy few days leading up to the event but there are more, some of which will no doubt appear over the next little while as I sort through them.

But for now, I have a cup of tea in hand and am planning some catching up with all my favourite people and places in Bloglandia... I've missed you all!

Happy Monday! ♥

Brief journeys - to the Channel Islands I go...

The past few weeks have seen a flurry of activity and preparations for two of my sweetest friends, who are getting married - to each other - this coming Saturday. I'm a hopeless romantic, despite some sound evidence in my life to contradict the sense of being one. And I do so love a wedding. It's such a hopeful, joyful celebration and this one's doubly special to me because I honestly couldn't say whether I'd be more appropriately seated on the "bride's side" or the "groom's side".

I met the groom first, about four years ago, but by only a month. They were newly a couple so I grew to know and love them both, at the same time and in equal measure. And I now count them both amongst my closest friends. What a pleasure it is to be able to attend and even play a part in their nuptials. As it is, I'm honoured to be officially standing up for the bride, but my heart will be rejoicing twofold to see such lovely friends marry. I'm so excited. All wriggly in my skin I am!

I'm also very excited because the bride's originally from Guernsey, and so it's to Guernsey that we travel to celebrate. I've not been there before but I've long wanted to do so, and, although the few days leading up to the ceremony are going to be very busy so there won't be much gallivanting around as a tourist, I'm really looking forward to it. Everything I know suggests it's so beautiful, and I do have such a thing for islands...

I fly early this morning and I've no idea how or if I'll be able to post while I'm there but, either way, I'm looking forward to having plenty to share on my return.

The wedding reception's taking place in a marquee on the cliffs overlooking a bay. Perhaps one of the very bays in the beautiful picture above, which is courtesy of one of the lovely Flickr peeps. Please see here for credit. And please, if you spare us a thought on the day, keep fingers crossed that it stays dry. Or at least mostly dry. Sun would be perfect, but dry will do just fine. At least long enough for us to make it into the marquee with the bridal curls intact... Then let come what may, we'll be partying!

Au revoir mes amis!

♥

10x10=100

In celebration of her 100th post, Sandy K asked that we post a photograph that reflects the number 100 today...

There were a few contenders for me. Today I travelled 100 miles in 100 minutes (and then back) to attend a meeting of 100 ideas (although only half were interesting), and I wore a necklace of almost 100 beads (yes, I counted them in the less riveting moments of the meeting). Not the most positive of 100s. So I've decided to go with these instead... They're a work in progress still, the placecards that I'm making for my friend's wedding reception tables. The request was for something floral, fun and modern that reflects the colours being used throughout - purple, navy and pink, with a dash of silver. The bride and groom couldn't decide which of the sample designs they preferred. So, in the end, they're having them all: 10 designs for 10 tables - 100 wedding guests. I think it's an auspicious number for a wedding party, don't you?

♥

A midweek meeting...

...in the park

A

K

K and A

(bridesmaid and bride)

Only a month to go now until the wedding, so we are considering our 'to do' lists carefully. And we thought a little sunshine might add some magic. It did.

♥

P.S. yes, I do LOVE it but I'm a wimp in the sun. red hair + very fair skin = it having bitten me once too often. so I just have to deal with the umbrella teasing... it's okay, I can take it. *smile*

Birds of a Feather

A's Day

{click to embiggen if you'd like a closer look}

~ setting out ~ en route ~ a little bridal bling ~ ormer shell earrings from her island home ~

~ no-one wears them better ~ strawberry picnic boat ~ colours of the day ~ beautiful flapper ~

~ girlie glam ~ cute waiters in the background ~ balloon love ~ flavour & fragrance ~

~ hen & chick magic ~ ready to fly ~ several champagne cocktails later ~ dancing the night away ~ 

♥

Picnic perfection

Something that makes me indescribably happy is a picnic. My childhood was filled with them - simple, carefree meals in luscious gardens, riverine valleys, roadside fields, ancient forests, red sand deserts.... One of my very earliest memories is of my Nana with a tea towel spread across her knees, peeling an apple for me as we watched the sunset gathering of impala, giraffe and zebra at a watering hole. I can smell that air and taste that apple still. 

I celebrated my coming of age with a luxurious Edwardian champagne & strawberries affair alongside a mountain lake; discovered love over bread, cheese and philosophy shared on a beach; listened to symphonies soar with friends and family against a backdrop of magical mountains and the flavour of roasted bell-pepper and avocado salad; watched stars shoot through the Milky Way with the taste of toasted marshmallows on my tongue and the scent of cherry orchards in the air; snuggled in a sleeping bag under trees that smelt of resin, wearing every article of clothing I had with me against the cold, and shared a sandwich with a stranger.... 

So many lovely picnics across the landscape of my life. And I look forward to many more. There's something about the act of such casual yet intimate sharing of food and drink in the open air that makes everything delicious, conversation flow, and hearts open wide. Even when being outdoors is not an option, a carpet picnic with friends is one of my favourite ways to entertain. 

In fulfillment of my role as bridesmaid/matron-of-honour later this year I am, along with three others, planning the 'hen do', which will take place in June. There will be about 25 of us and we're going to Stratford-upon-Avon for the day. We'll spend the afternoon cruising up the river Avon, have a riverside or boat picnic (depending on the weather) before heading back into town to glam up, enjoy one of Shakespeare's finest at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and then on to a late dinner and dancing. It should be fun. We've divided the day's events up between us and I'm on picnic-planning duty. 

So this weekend I started to formulate my vision. Relaxed, romantic, fresh and fun is what I'm thinking. And for some reason, although I'm not usually a huge fan of them, polka dots and checks in red and white came to mind.

I've never organised a picnic quite like this. I'm excited and delighted. I want to make it special. I'm also nervous of getting it wrong. This is a situation that has so many traditions attached and I would hate to flout convention (which is how I would normally roll) and disappoint expectations. 

It needs to be the perfect picnic.

And so I'm open to suggestions. Wide open....

[Flickr credits]

Something Blue - the next big decision

Think we might have found a couple of bridesmaid dress contenders for the wedding next July.

  

It's beautiful floaty silk - feels absolutely gorgeous on - and I think will suit blonde, brunette and redhead, which is good 'cause that's what we're working with.

The other option being considered is this one - but with a different, brighter sash, tied to hang down the back instead of with a bow in front... The thought then being that the little girls (two of them) would then wear dresses in the brighter sash colour. 

This last one actually looks slightly darker in these pictures than in reality and might be a better style for the variety of shapes and sizes that we are. I've tried them both on and I have a leaning towards the first one but am happy to go with the majority and what the bride ultimately prefers on all of us. 

Either way, it's going to be a fun, relaxed affair and I'm always happy to wear a pretty dress.

Perhaps teamed with these...

or these...

Dresses from Monsoon

Shoes by Anne Klein

Something Blue

A very sweet and special friend is getting married in July next year and has asked me to be her bridesmaid. I'm touched, delighted and incredibly honoured to be asked to do so. I love weddings. So joyful. So hopeful.

We'd been out on a few occasions already to try on wedding dresses and last weekend she bought "the one". I almost cried to see her in it. So beautiful.

This weekend we are looking for gowns for the bridesmaids and flower girls. She would like us to wear cobalt blue. So blue.

1. Cobalt sky after the storm, 2. Swan In Vivid Blue Magic Waters, 3. Rich Cobalt Blue Abstract, 

4. Cobalt Blue Mug, 5. Blue, 6. Jazz Man . . . Take My Blues Away, 

7. Dandelion Blue, 8. Zima Blue Trees, 9. Blue(s) in the face

Apart from two pairs of denims, I have nothing blue in my wardrobe. Turquoise, yes. Teal, yes. Blue, no.  I know this is quite unusual - blue apparently polls as the favourite colour of more people than any other - and I do like it. It's just never been one of my colours for clothing.  So it's going to be fun to look for something that for me is a little different.  And, although I would wear it if she asked me to, at least it's not pink.  So relieved.