We have Internet back, I repeat we have Internet back. Oh sweet content how I have missed you..
The reason why I’ve been so quiet on the blog/Twitter front is a) married life is just so dammed wonderful and b) I have no internet at home and work has been very demanding after the hols. I’ve had to do something that sickens me to my very soul and that lady and gentlemen, is to give British Telecom some of my hard earnt money for a landline. It makes me phyically sick at the thought that I will have to pay good money for bad service just to get ADSL….only 2 miles away is the cable fibre optic network, I wonder if I could extend it a little…..should be back online within a week or so either way…
Last night after stripping the wallpaper off another pink room – sweet Jebus what was wrong with that woman and her obsession with pink – we went for a walk up and over the big lump of hilly woods that are directly opposite our new home. The dogs were loving the fact that they were out and going into new scents until we eventually got up to the top where they were as slavering and exhausted as we were. It doesn’t look like it when you drive past but man alive it is steep to get to the top. In some parts the stinging nettles and brambles were about 5 feet high – Chip was in a hoody, I was in a T-Shirt, you can guess the result. We also got up close to the mobile phone mast which you can see from the road….
A quick clamber down hill the otherside and we popped out opposite my sisters house. It’s a great evening hike and I reckon we’ll try and do it as much as possible while the weather holds.
Back at work today and feeling pretty good considering the lack of sleep and general exhaustion from travelling. The new house is amazing and the dogs are loving being out of jail (kennels) but more importantly the wife, Mrs. Clarke-Trevis is back in blighty for a few weeks as a honeymoon. How many people can say that they left sunny California and had a wonderful honeymoon in the Black Country? Well my wife is very lucky to be able to say such things…The wedding went perfectly and everyone was amazing. I didn’t do a blog about it because, well, there were more important things to do…
Well afternoon but still it is a pretty special feeling. Tonight we ate in Newport and later on stood on the beach where the waves crashed down onto the sand where in just a few hours, I will marry my perfect partner. It’s weird because I never, ever thought I would want to do this but it all feels so right and has not been without ups and downs to get to this point. Downs: Mills getting chicken pox right before we fly out, swine flu hysteria, my wedding ring being the wrong size and having lived without the sunshine in my life for 5 months… Ups: Moving into a new house that is better than I could have ever hoped for ever in my life days before flying out, staying with and being accepted as part of a truly wonderful family, friends and family travelling thousands of miles to be with me on our special day and all of the heart wrenching messages of goodwill I have received – I don’t know if I’ll be able to hold in all this emotion tomorrow. I may end up blarting half way through the service or when I see my wifey to be come bare foot down the beach smiling that perfect smile, looking radiant and ready to hold my hand forever. Man, I’m welling up…..right off to bed as it will be a busy morning finishing off the speech, getting Mills ready and generally trying to keep calm. Night all as a single man…
Yesterday we picked up Sam n Jon from LAX after their delayed flight from Philly in rain!! It was a rare event in these parts and we dazzled by some crazy fork lightning – not the kind of thing you want to see when you are landing. Luckily Mom, Paul, Shell, Charlie and Wez all made it safely later on in the afternoon. Mills is having an absolute blast with all the wonderful toys that she has been bought and is holding her own with the 7 year old twins. We are very lucky to be surrounded by such generous and wonderful people.
Apparently my ironic use of the word dang raised a few sneering eyebrows back home, have you not seen the film Napoleon Dynamite? Idiot! Anyway, all is well and we are on track for everything now that we have Mill’s dress and shoes. The Tux’s are in and ready for collection today, the ring is in my pocket, everyone is here and Chippy is wonderful. It’s gonna be (ba ba baa baaa) a lovely daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay….
That we pick up the moo from LA and we can begin phase two – the British invasion!! Had a lazy day chillin out at Jimmy’s pool playing with the kids and soaking up the rays that finally came out. SPV 50 cream all the way – it’s the first time I’ve taken my shirt off since the infamous lobster boy weekend in July 2003. I had figured that I didn’t need any cream on and got so burnt that my skin was peeling off like an orange for 2 days. I haven’t gone near the sun without a T-Shirt on more than a handful of times since! The weather here is quite chilly this morning but it burns off and warms up. The blanket thief that I am about to marry was in full effect last night and no about of cuddles and kisses this morning make up for a night spent chasing the blankets! So excited to pick up Mills, I really hope she isn’t too freaked out by all the new people and the outrageous butchery of the English language – I AM JOKING – well half joking…..
UPDATE: PHOTOS AVAILABLE HERE
Last couple of days have just been a blast. Friday was momentous as sorted out the marriage licence, found a replacement wedding ring for me (the one I found was gonna take 4 weeks to arrive) but more importantly it was Heather’s Birthday so she was able to order her first alcoholic drink in an American bar. We went out to a Mexican place called Acapulco with Ron and Pat and had the buffet of all sorts of very good food. The drink that Chip ordered was a house margarita that came in a glass that you could have plopped a fish in and it wouldn’t have looked out of place. Ron and Pat bought her the glass as a Birthday treat as well so that came in handy as the Birthday girl’s vodka holder all night. The party started and a whole lot of people arrived including Moose and Mel (Tony’s brother and wife). We drank and karaoke’d until trying to see out of one eye only was not an option. The pictures will be on Heather’s Picasa gallery in a while for you to check out. The hangover was immense and wasn’t helped by the fact that we had to be at the tux rental place at 10.30….ahhhhhgh, please stop the room spinning…..lunch at TGI’s then back home for a kip. Later we (Sarah, Chip & I) went out to a British themed bar with Jim, Terri, Call and the Con-man and had the best pint of Guinness so far and an excellent bangers and mash. Katie Wade and Maggie (the) Fury came later which was nice to see others who were also still hungover. Today is the last day before Mills gets here so we are super excited and everyone is poised and ready to spoil her rotten!
Today is Heather’s 21st and effectively now able to become my wife and partner in grime back in the UK!!!! Despite her best efforts to sleep in, I’ve managed to get her up as I am far to excited to sleep. Today is the the first of the big ones in our new life together. She has even forgiven me for the near orchestral and explosive results of PF Changs during the night, definitely love. Yesterday we had a jam packed day running around trying to get everything sorted; we visited the Mission Inn, dropped off the cake topper, met with the dude who is marrying us and tried to find a replacement ring…all cool in the end. Hopefully the ring will be here in two days and it will all work out. Last night we went to Corona to a dueling pianos bar where two guys played requests in a bar that served some excellent food. My head started to get muddy half way through due to jet lag so I apoligise if I seemed a little quiet! Today is another errand filled day until we get the party started at around 6. Oh, and did I mention that we’re getting married next week? Don’t know if you knew…..
Greeted at the airport by some excited bird with a hot body. Best and most tactile courier service ever, I’ll use that firm again….. Flight was no problems, Virgin were (as ever) the best airline I’ve ever flown with – 68 movies to watch, loads of TV including the Anvil documentary and food every couple of hours. Just a perfect flight with loads of legroom and courteous staff, couldn’t ask for more. On the way back from the airport we got stuck in the regular LA traffic but as there were 2 of us we jumped in the car pool lane and went past mile after mile of single passengers in their big trucks. I was pretty starved so we stopped off at Hooters for some chicken and a beer then went over to visit Papa Main. It felt like I’d only seen them last week, in fact this area feels very much like home now which is quite bizarre for a Black Country lad. Got back to Tams and I started to feel like it was the middle of the night (well because to my body clock it was) so we took Jack the now big and strong lab for a long walk. The weather even at 9 at night is pretty warm and it just feels amazing to be in the sunshine again. As usual I have woke up early and will suffer later today for it.
Tried on my wedding ring…doesn’t fit. Dang!!!! As it is titanium it cannot be resized so we will have to go out and buy another one today. I had my ring sized when we were in New York but it was bought over the net later. Got a lot to do today and a load of people to visit, things to pick up and then we are off to a piano bar later for some light refreshment.
Thank you so much for all the wonderful phone calls and text messages I received prior to leaving, it really meant the world to me. The sheer amount of cards we have got for the wedding is surely more people I know!! I think my Mom has written about an extra 10, lol. Thanks again to Wez who dropped me off at the airport, saved me and my glass back a 40 minute tube ride.
My phone worked fine in LA but when I got out to Riverside it reckons that my SIM wasn’t compatible with the networks – even though one of them is T-Mobile. Bizarre and something I will try and resolve next so if you sent me a txt in the last few hours, I’ll get it later. Ciao for now…
