So this is it then, a blog! If you knew how terrified of computers I am, and how difficult I find setting up anyhting like this you'd be mega impressed!
So what's it about? Basically I suppose to try to get more people to visit my website: www.classinacoat.co.uk and to share some of the things that hapen in my life as a Toastmaster and Master of Ceremonies, and believe me some of these things are worth sharing. They range from the jaw-droppingly "I don't believe he said that" through the excrutiatingly embarrasingly to the (most of the time) rib-ticklingly funny. Anyway, I hope you enjoy things and please feel free to add.
If anyone stands next to you and tells you this country is overcrowded, then tell them to go to Suffolk.
From there it was back for a weekend at Conisborough Castle. A fantastic structure that is one of the most brutal examples of mediaeval power I have seen,
Lots of things are unbelievable. One is the absolute battle I am having now trying to use Typepad for my blog. This one is going to get two goes. I will try to include a load of stuff that was inexplicably missed off last week's when I published! Then there is the second thing. More of that later.
Hopefully.
Busy,busy, busy with the Toastmaster world right now.
I took two new bookings last week, both for september. One of them is at Stapleford Park.
Always one of my favourite venues, and just voted into the top fifty UK wedding venues. I was pretty pleased about this as it came from a direct recommendation from Michael and Louise's wedding in May. The recommendation came from Norman, Louise's dad. You can see a few of his thoughts on the day on the "sayings" page of my website, www.classinacoat.co.uk
I can't believe I get paid for working in such fabulous places - which brings me seamlessly to the part two of my introduction.
Yesterday I was at Hagley Hall. A lovely and very well-organised venue.
It was for the wedding of Christopher and Liu Jia. Liu Jia, as well as being stunningly beautiful is Chinese and had quite a few of her relatives over from China for her big day. Her mother gave a speech translated as it went along by an......you guessed it..... interpreter! A skill I have always admired.
I worked with an absolutely top bloke photographer called Jamie, and Jamie's assistant for the day who was a bit of a card. This chap showed that he had graduated with honours from the Phil the Greek school of charm, tact and diplomacy.
The sun shone, which is never popular with photographers. However I did not think it appropriat that he kept calling out to the wedding guests, "Don't squint!"
They were Chinese.
Anyway, I will not push my luck any further and get this published.
I am having a horrid, torrid time trying to get this week's blog out, to the point I am thinking of moving away from Typepad.
I know I am pretty rubbish with computers, but this is getting beyond a joke. This is the fifth time I will have written this week's tome. I wouldn't mind quite so much if it was any good!
Well the weather at the Festival of History last weekend was grim. The rain on Saturday morning was biblical.
However, once the weather had cleared up our shws went well, The new Macbeth show in particular was popular.
I keep asking my son Jack to fetch me something from the bottom shed. He goes in, steps on the mousetrap and traps his foot.
He does it every time.
It is brilliant.
I hide behind the door and listen with bated breath for the snap, the shout and the swearing.
He's very good at it!
Well a few things to tell you this week.
I was Toastmaster at a joyous wedding last weekend for Nicola and Michael. It was in Langley Priory - beautiful and the sun shone, but what made it really special was the bride herself. Whenever you saw her she had a huge smile on her face. She was having such a good time. I also worked with a really sound DJ (pun intended). He was Lenny Sultana. And yes, that is his real name. Not just his current name. (His gag, and a mighty fine one for all of that)
Michael and Nicola's wedding was quite local, over near East Midlands Airport close to the village of Diseworth which meant I was able to get back for a good chunk of Fristock. A huge up for all the people who set it up. Swannie, Ed, Big Andy, Rachel and so on. Another fabulous night. What really made it was once again, besides the excellent bands (The Grigglefish Project in particular) was the weather.
It was superb and bucked the forecast. This once again confirms my belief that Frisby is perhaps very similar to the island, Summer Isle in that fine film, "The Wicker Man".
There is a pyre on the banks of the Wreake after each Fristock, although I don't know who went in it this year. Haven't seen Barry for a while. Are there any candidates for the Brit Eckland role? Another great night, with an event that has experienced a fundamental change.
An extremely honourable mention has to be made of the fantastic Red Barrows. We were all impressed with the mankini DB
I was Toastmaster at a joyous wedding last weekend for Nicola and Michael. It was in Langley Priory - beautiful and the sun shone, but what made it really special was the bride herself. Whenever you saw her she had a huge smile on her face. She was having such a good time. I also worked with a really sound DJ (pun intended). He was Lenny Sultana. And yes, that is his real name. Not just his current name. (His gag, and a mighty fine one for all of that)
This weekend then, off to a funeral in Fareham tomorrow for my dear old Uncle Jim. A fabulous man. No more boot sandwiches!
Saturday and Sunday is the English Heritage Festival of History Apparently there will also be a need for a bloke to start building a big boat and collecting pairs of animals. It is going to be WET!
More next week should I survive the apres moi (cryptic huh?).
We were delighted. It is a great piece of kit. It was a good price, and was made on time and the chaps at Heritage tents were lovely to deal with.
However, the first time we used the tent in the rain, at Kenilworth
the red piping ran into the white canvas. We mentioned this to Heritage Tents and it was a call to action. They took the tent back, tested all their piping materials and made us another tent without quibble with a new piping. This was a fabulous service and I cannot recommend them highly enough.
So back to other business. Last Sunday I was Toastmaster at a frantic wedding at The Hilton, Coventry for Shilpa and Sandeep. Once again it was through the Lakhani Group and was memorable for a number of things. This was the first wedding I've worked at where the bridegroom arrived on a horse...,
To say I'm looking forward to it is something of an understatement. Well that's about it for now. Much to prepare for. Not only do I have a busy weekend coming up, but it is the weekend of Fristock! The biggest, the best open air concert fielded at Frisby cricket pitch this year. Seriously though folks pray for good weather, because that is the only thing that can possibly put any kind of dampner on this brilliant event. Not only that, my mate Manfred is coming over from Potsdam for it! It is being headlined this year by The Grigglefish Project. They should have had the headline spot last year.
At this point I was going to put in a film of them, but my blog has stopped letting me put films in. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.
Anyway, I must go now. A massively busy weekend starting this afternoon with Robin Hood in Sheffield, Toastmaster at a wedding at Langley Priory for Nicola and Michael. (It has now stopped me putting in pictures, double Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr), then stilt-walking on Sunday at Newby Hall in Yorkshire.
Image via Wikipedia
Image via Wikipedia
