Class In A Coat

I Just Don't Get It

Now look, I know I am getting to a certain stage of life. It's a sad fact but there it is. Now, the thing is I am getting an incredible amount of electronic mail trying to sell me chemical sexual aids. Aids to promote my growth, my longevity and all round sexual performance.

How do they know?

Well, Christmas is over and a fine time was had by all.  On Boxing Day went to see 42nd Street at the Leicester Curve. 

It was brilliant!!!

The music was wonderful and the big set-piece dance routines were GREAT!

 

It was a terrific show that I recommend wholeheartedly.

Christmas work is almost over.  It has been really good - some lovely audiences and some cracking shows.  Just one last push now to New Year.

Toastmaster work has been coming in.  It looks as though I have a fabulous job lined up in the Barcelo in Cardiff later in the 2012.

It's a party for Louise to renew her vows and it looks as though it's going to be a great do.  Sinatra and Elvis impersonators and SHOWGIRLS!!

 

For some reason I am really looking forward to this one.

Gentle readers, I must finish now, without mention of the Great Frisby Christmas Curry, where a veritable tranche of good citizens of this fair village crossed the border to Asfordby, led by Councillor Kim IL Eddie Hutch.  Another time perhaps.

 

A Happy New Year To All

Live Looong And Be Toastmastered.

 

great do

Woohooooo.  Two days to Christmas.  Time to put the sprouts on

Last saturday was the annual Christmas bash in the Village Hall.

Absolutely brilliant!  I have long maintained that the quality of the food and the music and so on was secondary to the company and the fun.  The blokes all brush up pretty well and the women all look stunning.

However.........................

Last year this belief was pushed to the limit a bit, particularly with the food.

However........................

A huge improvement in the food this year, it was pretty good and as ever the company was brilliant. In particular there were some fantastic shapes made on the dancefloor by Ginger Bob, Murph and Gary Veasey.  There were some sore heads amongst the good burghers of the centre of the world that is Frisby-on-the-Wreake .

I've just received a bit of a shaker.  A dear friend, Hanneke, who has featured in these pages a number of times as a member of the Crazy Dutch Regulars.

 

Hanneke has discovered cancer in one of her kidneys.  It is only in the one kidney and that is being removed after Christmas.

Fingers crossed.

Toastmaster enquiries are still coming in.  An Asian wedding for Preeti in Leeds and a fabulous looking party for Louise in Cardiff in October.  This latter has got lookalikes and show girls, the lot.  It could be a hoot. 

Well gentle readers, I will finish now.  All that remains is for me to wish you all a Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas!!!

Live Long And Be Toastmastered

Sultan's really do swing.....

Monday saw the National Association of Toastmasters' Christmas lunch at the Four Seasons.  It was great fun.  Meeting up with a load of old colleagues (interpret the word "old" as freely as you like), wining and dining.  A particular delight was that one of my table brought along a couple of guests.  They were Sheena and Hannah!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Impressed huh?

I knew you would be.  Regular readers I know will instantly recognise the fact that I was Toastmaster for Sheena's wedding at the delightful Ettington Park back along in September and Hannah was one of her bridesmaids.  It was a great bash, and Sheena has promised to send through some pictures and a video.  Looking forward to them.

Anyway, almost as important as Sheena was the Sultan of Brunei.   

He was at the Four Seasons too. 

Gayna sorted out his bodyguard.  There were a lot of them, but they were blocking the corridor on the way to the ladies'.  She marched up to them and scattered them as if they were chaff in the wind. They did not stand a chance

A thought.

The Hadron Collider

The Higgs Boson Particle

 

Image via Wikipedia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If these blokes in Cern can't find the Higgs Boson particle, why don't they get a woman to look for it?  Works every time here.

Bookings are on the up.  I've taken two bookings over the past two days. One is at The Sculpture Gallery, on of my favourite venues.  It comes from the wedding of Kim and Leanne I did there at Easter a couple of years ago, and the other is at a new venue for me, The Lords of the Manor at Upper Slaughter.  It's another European/Asian wedding (I seem to be doing more and more of these) for around 150 people.  Should be good.

One of the things I have mentioned over the past few weeks is the local election.  It took place yesterday and the one and only Eddie Hutch came out the winner by 25 votes.  This is a seismic shift in local politics.  In the past a pig wearing a blue rosette would have been voted in here. It is really causing quite a stir.  I love it.

Finally a conundrum.

A very popular BBC programme at the moment is "Life's Too Short".  It really is very funny.  It's all about a dwarf called Warwick Davis.

 

There's someone on the village who is a big-size dead-ringer for Warwick.  That is this week's task should you choose to accept.

Live Long And Be Toastmastered

 

It's that time of year..........

It's gone cold................, but hey, it is December.  The good news is that it has started to snow in the Alps. This is good news as I am off to Arraba in about five week's time, and it's no good going skiing if there's no snow.  Although having said that I have been grass skiing in Somerset.

 

The above is none of those things, just something really scary.

Well the wedding at Stapleford last Saturday was GREAT!  Laura and Chris seemed to have a lovely day and why not indeed.  The venue was superb, the food looked great and the whole atmosphere was joyous.  It was one of those days when being a Toastmaster is one of the best jobs around.

Now, I promised this a couple of weeks ago and it has become something of a Class In A Coat blog , the annual "Let's see how much power we can waste on a vulgar Christmas light display" video.  This year's is something remarkable.  It lasts for over 14 minutes.  Dip in and out and have your flabber ghasted.

 

.... and every one of them a low energy bulb!

Off to London on Monday for the National Association of Toastmasters' Christmas Lunch.  It is at the Four Seasons in Park Lane.  Last year was an absolute hoot.  Hopefully this year will be the same.  On a great table with friends Richard, Shirley, Geezer Steve and MeJulie.  Baz the Pickle will be notable in his absence.  The only possible fly in the ointment is that I am supposed to be running the raffle.  Watched by my peers.  Nealry all of whom will be secretly wishing for me to fall on my derriere!

Well that's about it for now.  Another super house decoration is attached at the bottom.

Until next week......

Live Long And Be Toastmastered.

Related articles

• Paul Toole's Christmas lights (telegraph.co.uk)

Village life

One of the great things about living in a village is the support system.  A friend of ours had a bit of a problem this week and it was amazing how the village swung into gear to help out.  Brilliant!

So let's hear it for Frisby!!!!!!!!!

The caring, sharing village.  Well caring anyway.

Ludlow last weekend was fabulous for the Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fayre.  The weather was great. For the first time the weather wasn't an extreme. It was mild and sunny.  Not like last year.  Last year there were record lows.  As I worked I could see my audience icing up before my eyes.

Anyway, on the Saturday they had about 14,000 people through the gate. We had huge audiences and a good time was had by all!  It was great to meet up with some old friends on the circuit, not least the inestimable Wyndebagge and Rick and Nell from Hautbois.

So back to matters in the Toastmaster world. 

My Facebook page seems to be up and running.  So if anyone can go and have a peek and, if possible "Like", The Wedding Toastmaster that would be great.  I still don't seem to be able to post these blogs to it though. Pish-tush!

Off to Laura and Chris' wedding at Stapleford on Saturday - bits of it are being filmed for the new Stapleford publicity site.  They are having a push on weddings in the next couple of years and so it would be great to be connected with them.  Keep your eyes open for the new site links when they come available.

Yesterday was the Lighthouse Club's Christmas Lunch.  I took Les, my trainee Toastmaster along and introduced him as my YTS Toastmaster, much to everyone's amusement.  All seemed to go very well.  The comedian this year was Austin Knight.  Austin was a bit of a hoot - he was greatly amused that a Toastmaster had an assistant!  Anyway the ling on his name is to his blog where there is loads of very, very funny stuff.

More next week.

Live Long And Be Toastmastered