Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Let's see. Over the past month or so I've been to two weddings, driven a canal boat. worked stupid amounts of overtime at work, seen a friend move into a new house, revisited my noise boy roots and become a year older.
Weddings first!
I always enjoy weddings to an extent, the pomp, the circumstance, the frippery and ceremony of it all, but for the first time I got enveloped into the proceedings as a Groomsman! Also a first was the fact that as well as attending the stag weekend, I also attended the hen weekend, but that's probably never going to occur again.

As well as being groomsman, getting the matching suit, cravat and buttonhole, I was also asked to read a poem during the ceremony. To give you a hint of how nervous I was, I was unintentionally singing with a tremolo in my voice! The poem was "Us Two" by A. A. Milne, who wrote the Winnie the Pooh books.

Wherever I am, there's always Pooh,

There's always Pooh and Me.
Whatever I do, he wants to do,
"Where are you going today?" says Pooh:
"Well, that's very odd 'cos I was too.
Let's go together," says Pooh, says he.
"Let's go together," says Pooh.


"What's twice eleven?" I said to Pooh.
("Twice what?" said Pooh to Me.)
"I think it ought to be twenty-two."
"Just what I think myself," said Pooh.
"It wasn't an easy sum to do,
But that's what it is," said Pooh, said he.
"That's what it is," said Pooh.


"Let's look for dragons," I said to Pooh.
"Yes, let's," said Pooh to Me.
We crossed the river and found a few-
"Yes, those are dragons all right," said Pooh.
"As soon as I saw their beaks I knew.
That's what they are," said Pooh, said he.
"That's what they are," said Pooh.


"Let's frighten the dragons," I said to Pooh.
"That's right," said Pooh to Me.
"I'm not afraid," I said to Pooh,
And I held his paw and I shouted "Shoo!
Silly old dragons!"- and off they flew.


"I wasn't afraid," said Pooh, said he,
"I'm never afraid with you."


So wherever I am, there's always Pooh,
There's always Pooh and Me.
"What would I do?" I said to Pooh,
"If it wasn't for you," and Pooh said: 
"True,It isn't much fun for One, 
but Two,Can stick together, says Pooh, says he.
"That's how it is," says Pooh.

In case you didnt read it out loud the first time, revisit the first two lines and read them out loud. Imagine saying that in an anglican church!
The bride and groom hadn't until that moment heard the poem spoken, and were in fits of giggles most of the way through because of it, and apologised at the reception.

Apart from that slight lapse, I can say that the wedding was a great success, and the groom did marvellously, he was most definitely the most nervous groom in history.

Hoist the mainsail! swab the decks! Yar har har, and other piratey-navy-type things!

Just after the aforementioned wedding, myself and five other landlubbers took a few days off to explore the Avon and Kennet canal, thanks to some friends who lent us their boat

It was so nice to have a few days off; putt-putting at about 2-3mph, getting given regular cups of tea by the on-board catering team, and stopping at pubs along the way whenever it took our fancy (we stopped at every one). 

Most of us had a go at steering the boat, each for as long as their mettle could hold out, and we only had two accidental bumps (and one intentional brush with some overhanging branches for the benefit of the girls who were sunbathing).

I do miss being on the boat, and it took a few days for me to stop swaying when on dry land, much like when you get out of a lift and you feel like you're still moving. I'd be glad to go back sometime and head in the opposite direction, towards a stretch of 26 locks in 6-7 miles of canal. That would be a fun day or so!

Of course there are bits that i haven't mentioned, but they're either for another day or just to illustrate how busy august-september was.

So that was "yesterday". 

Today has been a day of complete rest, the first I've had for maybe three weeks, and I can tell you it's been great. 

And as for tomorrow? Tomorrow hasn't been written yet, I'll wait and see what happens.