Wedding Countdown

3 weeks to go!  We're getting down to the wire now--Cookie's ready to party!

The bunting is coming along nicely.  I got most of it done during the Olympics--I only keep half an eye on the screen when it's an event that I'm not that into.  When the swimming or diving came on, I put the sewing down, though!

My international wedding magazine collection--UK, France (deux!) and Germany (L to R).  it's fascinating to see how similar they all are.  Vintage tea cups and photo booths, bicycles and birdcages, irony and irreverence--they all speak the universal language of the hipster!

The accessories for the bridesmaids--I love these filigree earrings, and the leaf detail on the hair comb matches my tiara really well :) 

Katie & Janette's shoes--they're both on the petite side, so they can get away with more dramatic shoes than I can.   It's been tricky having the bridesmaids in 2 states and the bride overseas, but I'm so impressed by how they pulled this all off--we picked them out together via e-mail, then Janette found the only two remaining pairs in the country in a store near Katie, who then went to pick them up. Success!

My shoes--They're actually just a pair of Clarks that I bought a few months ago on sale.  I didn't plan on wearing them for wedding shoes, but I really love them, and I hadn't worn them for anything else yet.  The height is perfect, too--I wanted a heel, but didn't want to be taller than Richard and these are just right.  When I struggled to find "wedding shoes" (white satin pumps) that were the same height as these, I gave up and decided to just go with what I already loved :) It's all about being comfortable & happy on the day--and besides, my dress covers them up!

I went to Starbucks yesterday to work on my journal article, and once again, the barista didn't understand me when I said my name.  I even spelled it out, and this is what he wrote.  This sort of thing happens far too often, and at a lot of different Starbucks locations, too!  The best one I ever had was "Marlowe" at Manchester Piccadilly Rail Station's Starbucks.  I've gotten "Marley" a lot, too...It's my accent--they say Mully, I say Mali.  I need to come up with a Starbucks name...

 The ring pillow--we'll see if Pudd is up to the task, but if he's not, that's ok. We won't force him to do anything he doesn't want to do--except for wear his suit.  I'm insisting that all the guests keep their clothes on.

And speaking of clothes, Richard's morning suit is pretty much like this one that Prince William is wearing (I don't have a picture from the fitting).  His tie is plum and the waistcoat is ivory, and the jacket is black and the trousers are gray striped (traditional combo).

Kitchen floor makeover

We've finally finished our last major DIY project--the kitchen flooring!

Before

After

Tropical World and London 2012 Olympics

Last weekend we went to Roundhay Park, and when it started raining, we popped into Tropical World.  I love the face on this bearded dragon!

When the rain stopped, we had an ice cream and walked around the gardens--lovely!

At home, we've been watching the Olympics pretty much every night.  I'm rooting for Team USA and Michael Phelps, but I'm afraid Cookie has joined Richard in rooting for Team GB...

She's even considering training for Rio 2016...

Golden Acre, the Chevin, and Bolton Abbey

I'd never seen a baby Canadian goose--so cute!

It really does smell just like Yardley's

Tea and cake on the terrace at Golden Acre Park on one of the few hot days we've had this summer

The view of Otley from the top of the Chevin

Bolton Abbey

They've put various Olympic-related things around the park at Bolton Abbey.  Most of them were alright--a bike, a kayak, a balance beam, etc.--but this one was just creepy!

Barden Bridge at Bolton Abbey

Oh! Swansea! What's occurrin'?

On the train from Manchester to Swansea, it was sometimes hard to tell whether we were in England or Wales.  Both sides of the border have lovely green hills and lots of sheep--but when we went past the Brains brewery, I knew I was in Wales!

My dorm room for the night--it felt like being an undergrad again!

At the end of the day, the workshop continued on to this pub--very cosy and cool, with real ale and live music & a Dylan Thomas themed room

Abbey House, where the workshop was held--and the prettiest building I saw on U of Swansea's campus

There was an open day going on, so there were groups of parents & prospective students

Really lovely campus, and it's right on the water, too

A park next to the campus--Swansea Pride was going on and it made me think of Daffyd Thomas...

The beach!

I walked to town via the beach, and I couldn't resist the chance to get my feet wet!

Swansea Bay is very foamy, with lots of little clams and mussels and oysters

The tallest building in Wales, according to the folks at the workshop--with a so-so restaurant at the top

Somebody's happy to be here!

Lots of references to native son Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas Theatre and statue

The Dylan Thomas Centre was a lovely little museum--it was great to listen to recordings of him reading his poetry, and I was amazed to learn that 1) he died at 39, and they're not sure of the cause but it was possibly undiagnosed diabetes, and 2) he's the second most quoted English-language writer (after Shakespeare, who's got to be pretty hard to beat)

I need to look into this one, but basically I just stumbled across ruins in the middle of Swansea's city centre

Some bits around the city are awfully derelict...I think after seeing this and the gorgeous beach, I can understand Dylan Thomas's description of Swansea as "an ugly lovely town" 

View from the train home