The last month or so has been rather busy, and hence the paucity of posts.
S and I held our engagement party and around 100 of our friends came along to wish us success and happiness. We had a lovely time, and if truth be told I didn't think we knew that many people. But thinking about it further, if one invites couples it is almost 2 for the price of 1 invitation!
I have been in my new job for around 2 weeks now and am enjoying myself. The people I am working with are very nice, and although at the moment there is not much work on from the start of the new financial year things will get a lot busier. I am taking the opportunity to read, think, and go home early as within a few months I am sure that time for any of that will be a luxury. I was in Liverpool last week, and it is likely that I will be going there for a day every six weeks or so from the start of May. So from the previous job which saw me go to Belfast 5 or 6 times to one where I go to Liverpool sees me get all the best travel options! I have just agreed to have a work experience student shadow me later in the summer for a few days, so that should be fun as I get a free pair of hands and can show them what life as a new fast streamer is like.
Liverpool - or Scally town - isn't that bad, and my office is close to the three Queens - Cunard, Liver, and Port Authority Buildings. They really are stunning buildings. Picture below is of the Cunard and Port Authority buildings:
The day in Liverpool was productive, as I met some of my new colleagues who are based there, and also did quite a lot of work.
After a day back in London, S and I - along with S's former flatmate B, headed to France for a friend's Hindu wedding. I had never been to an Indian wedding, and this one was in a chateau 150km south west of Paris. We had decided to take my car, so it became a four day road trip. The wedding was a lot of fun, and below are some pictures from the weekend - cakes in Giverny, the Chateau at night, part of the wedding procession, and the cathedral in Ypres.
Cake - hmmmmmmmmmmm.........
You rang M'Lord?
Colour and fun
Ypres
On the way home we swung into Belgium to go to Ypres for lunch. Driving through the fields, and seeing the signs for the Commonwealth War Graves and some of the graveyards was humbling. On a beautiful day the killing fields of Ypres looked calm and peaceful. It made me think about my maternal great grand mother's brother Erich who was killed at the age of 19 on the Somme fighting for the Imperial German Army. Sitting in a cafe in Ypres we saw photos of the city at the end of the Great War - the only things left standing were the roads. This is a city that knows what total war means, and yet came through it, and inspite of a second world war, managed to rebuild and get on with life. Makes one slightly hopeful for the future in places like Afghanistan and Iraq.
Being away over my birthday weekend was great fun, and inspite of stopping for a moment to reflect in Ypres, I had a fabulous time. The food at the wedding was wonderful Indian food, and the food in France was as only the French can do - good and inexpensive.
