Skeleton Crew...

...on the blog until further notice! Sorry for the low frequency of posts, but the big day is looming and we are still busy as ever. Please cross your fingers and toes for my family and friends trying to make it over here from New Zealand. In Christchurch my family are dealing with earthquakes, aftershocks and an ash cloud from a Chilean earthquake to get here. Sounds like an action movie right?

This pic was snapped in a housing development near the Thames Barrier, I thought it looked a bit creepy but cool.

A big thank you to everyone who has been helping us out with our wedding planning. My last day at work is on Thursday, and my family should arrive in time for my birthday dinner on Friday. See you soon!

More Pubs and a (not so) Painful Experience

Here are two animal pubs from our earlier expedition to Woodstock. Today I went out to Westfield London to exchange some £s for travel money, while Dave did some more hard time out in the garden, getting it ready for the grand event getting ever closer.

I decided to be brave and got my eyebrows professionally threaded at the mall, finally being persuaded to give it a go after watching Sali Hughes. Superdrug, one of the big chains of pharmacies in Britain has started up some in-store beauty treatments at an everyday price. After watching another girl (victim?) having it done, I thought that the beautician did a great job and decided to have mine shaped myself.

And now I have.... the best shaped eyebrows I've ever had. I think that it has achieved a cleaner and neater result than plucking and definitely a more polished look than I've ever managed to DIY. Pain factor? Not painful as it was being done (though I have a fairly high pain threshold and I'm glad I didn't try an upper lip threading), however feels like a mild sunburn afterwards for a short time. I think it is a good investment of £10 as I'll be able to maintain the shape myself now with the trusty tweezers. Sorry, no 'before and after' shots as I went on a whim and I'm a bit shy!

The Hag Do

Here are all the Hag Do (joint Hen and stAG Do) survivors! Thanks to our friends for helping to organise our fun weekend. We all arrived in Brecon, Wales on Friday night for a get-together and some different activities. The Hens were pampered at Peterstone Court (my first visit to a spa) while the Stags were more adventurous and opted for paintballing followed by clay pigeon shooting.



Akansha represented the rest of the girls in our absence, keeping up with Jon with his military experience on her first go at clay pigeon shooting.



Jon introduced everyone to the delights of croquet, an underated sport that impressed people into playing rounds well into darkness.



A fantastic spread was laid out... showing Kate and Kirsty's talent at baking and the boys' barbeque skills.





We didn't get off entirely, we were tested at how well we knew each other with a game of 'Mr and Mrs'...



On Sunday most of the group went on a canoe trip down the Wye River which ended up being a bit wet and wild. I led a smaller team on to Haye-on-Wye where the Literary Festival was in full swing and we enjoyed a huge brass band playing jazz in the marketplace and some tea at the Bone China tearoom.



Right. We are off to bed for an early night to recover. See you soon, hens and stags!

The Squirrel, Booker

We're off on our 'Hag Do' (Hen and stAG do) in Wales tomorrow after work. Eeek!