Thursday, September 24, 2009


Oh yes, we got engaged.


Ha ha! After a pretty shocking week which included a burglary and the kind of all guns blazing rows that would put any Jeremy Kyle 'guest' to shame, Rob and I went out for a drink on Friday 11 September and, while distracting me with a discussion about velux windows, he pulled out the gorgeous (3 emerald cut diamonds in a platinum setting) ring and, of course, I said yes! The fact that we were sitting in the gutter drinking pints outside a slightly divey pub in Victoria only added to the romance. The picture was taken by a lovely, but random, older lawyer lady who happened to be sitting nearby. I'm about twenty minutes engaged. And a bit drunk.

Initially we thought about getting married in April, but ... well, weddings are SO political and we both have friends getting married from May to Septmeber so we've gone for October instead. Which isn't a bad thing because we've got SO much to do in the next year: move, change jobs, finish my MA, build an extension. Obviously, because I'm SUPER obsessed with organising events, the church and venue are now booked for 30 October 2010 aand my dress is already on the drawing board with my designer friend Lisa. Which means I'll basically be dressed and ready to go sometime around February - if you see a forlorn looking little shape sitting outside St Faith's Church at St Cross Hospital, Winchester around then, do pass me a blanket. And a cupasoup.


And of course we are also dieting, so hopefully I'll drift down the aisle all whispy like a ballerina rather than rumble past my guests like a contestant on Four Weddings - you know, I don't mean to be mean, but they've surely had notice that they're getting married? And that they'll be on telly? They have SEEN a tv show before?


So, in the past month I/we have:

1. Bought a house in Winchester - we should be getting the contracts this week which even our solicitor thinks is very fast. Means we could be in by end of October. WOOP WOOP.

2. Got engaged.

So now we have to:
1. Move
2. Get a new job
3. Plan a wedding
4. Try not to get pregnant
5. Or fat


I think that's enough to be getting on with for now.


XX

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Next!


So, of course, we went to see the Canon Street property on Saturday and, of course, I completely fell in love with it and, of course, I cried when we went to see the Stockbridge Road house because it was smaller and darker than I remembered and I was terrified that Robbie would make us buy it.


So, of course, I won - and our offer was accepted this morning! Not only is it a better situated house - on one of the loveliest streets in Winchester - but it has better development potential and, get this, is £65k cheaper!


I am so much more excited that I was about Stockbridge Road - the house is in just such a lovely location and is exactly where I wanted to be when I thought about moving to Winchester. And, another plus, it's wider than the other 2-beds on the road because it's newer so even though it's not a period property, it's better value.


Rob's already drawing up the plans :).


Anyway - we're over the moon and hope that things go okay. Am so pleased to de-register from Rightmove.com and to think about the most amazing change in my life to date: moving out of London (woohoo!) and into a lovely little home with my beautiful, fun and gorgeous boyfriend.


Speaking of whom - after horrific rows on Saturday and a wierd non-day on Sunday when we didn't have anything to do for the first time in months and were all discombobulated by it, we went for a picnic at Hever Castle. It was a beautiful sunny day and I had images of green lawns and relaxing lounging - Hever, however, is a haven for chav families with screaming kids and fake Bugaboos, and the spectacle of topless, tattoed men wondering around the beautiful late Victorian Italian gardens have been seared onto my retinas forever. Honestly - those flapping moobs and sad little bellies were hardly fitting for the former home of Anne Boleyn. We left, aghast, after a few hours because Rob was hot and threatening to take his t-shirt off, and stopped in at Chartwell on the way home - although we simply drove through the car-park, the densely packed cars were far more of our ilk and the tottering white-haired folk, clutching tartan rug and flask, reminded us that we are this far from getting a National Trust Season Ticket.


Would that be such a bad thing?