Archive for the ‘Miscellaneous’ Category

Our Wedding

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

How do you write a blog post about the happiest day of your life?  I’ve never been much of a wordsmith (which is part of the reason I started writing on this public forum) so I’ll struggle to find the appropriate words and metaphors to describe the events of October 18th, 2011.

I awoke in our London flat early in the morning with my family present and already buzzing about.  The day was about as perfect a day you could ask for on such a special occasion.  White, puffy clouds and sunny skies don’t come every day in the UK so we couldn’t have timed it any better.

Danni, her father and her brides maid Ping had spent the evening prior at a hotel in Thornbury near our venue, so all that remained was to load up my family and make the 2 hour journey.  The trip was uneventful, but in hindsight stopping for a coffee was probably a bad idea as the caffeine wasn’t helping my prenuptial jitters.

Our venue for the day was the amazing Thornbury Castle, which just so happened to be location of our engagement 7 months earlier.  We had actually looked at quite a few other options, but we had such a special time at Thornbury that it just felt right to go back and exchange our vows within it’s walls.  There’s also something to be said for getting married in a castle.

My brother and best friend Robert had agreed to a shared role of best man, so the three of us got ready together in a nearby hotel where most of our guests would be staying.  It wasn’t until we started to get dressed that my nerves really kicked in.  Not so much because I was worried about getting married, but because I was worried that something might go wrong with our carefully laid plans.  It seems like so much hangs on other people (most of whom you’ve never met) getting things just right, and the control freak in my was not happy about this at all.  I think this was very likely the first time I’ve ever paced in my life, it was impossible for me to sit still.

The previously mentioned coffee was certainly not enhancing my calm either.

Our brilliant photographers (the ones who’ve taken all of the images in this post) where on hand to capture the getting ready stages of the day.  I was lucky enough to have a London based wedding photographer (and my good friend) Ian Schofield with his assistant Richard Swaffield (also a good friend) covering our day.  We couldn’t have asked for more professional coverage and the images, as you can see here, were simply stunning.

We were both required by UK law to be interviewed by the registrars before the wedding, presumably to ensure that neither of us were being married under duress.  Great care was taken to prevent Danni and I from accidentally bumping into each other while our separate statements were being given, and we must have answered to their satisfaction as they allowed us to proceed.

I don’t remember much of the waiting period while I chatted with friends and family waiting for the event to begin and Danni to finally arrive.  There were a lot of nervous jokes, more pacing and an awful lot of watch checking.  It wasn’t long before Glinis, the registration officer conducting our ceremony, began to organize the wedding party and give us a run down of what was about to happen.  Before I knew it, we were all lined up, the music had started and Danni was entering the room with her father and bridesmaid.

I remember turning towards the door in time to witness her enter, and then quickly turning back and facing away.  I can’t say for certain why I looked away.  I think part of me didn’t believe I was getting married to someone so amazing, someone so stunning that I was afraid my eyes were actually playing tricks on me.  I didn’t want to look back for fear that it had all been just a wonderful illusion, that maybe none of this was actually real.

It only lasted a second or two before I couldn’t stop myself from glancing back to watch my lovely wife-to-be walk down the aisle in her breathtaking dress.

Glinis was eloquent and warm as she read through our vows and guided us through the ceremony.  She spoke with the slow, even pace and confidence of someone who’d done this a thousand times.  We were made to feel as though she was talking directly to us while still projecting for everyone else in attendance.  My mom also gave a lovely reading which she modified and personalized to more closely reflect our life in the big city of London.  It’s always nice to have that personal touch.

Repeating our customized vows whet smoothly despite our mutual nerves and with no one objecting to our union, we exchanged rings first, and then a kiss.  I even managed to remove Danni’s veil without disrupting her carefully arranged hair and makeup, something I’d been fretting about for most of the morning.  Describing the feeling of actually getting married to the person you love is difficult as for me, there doesn’t seem to be an equivalent and descriptive terms like amazing or incredible just don’t cover it. Everyone says it’s their best day ever, which is vague and accurate all at the same time.

I think the goofy grin that never left my face describes it best.

wedding

After the ceremony we chatted for a bit in the lobby, exchanging hugs and receiving congratulations from our family and friends before heading outside for the formal photos.  The October weather was chilly enough force a few people back in, but not before we’d taken several large group shots.  Immediate family and the wedding party got to stay behind for some additional photos before they were allowed back inside to the bar, but we didn’t keep them long.  Once again the photographers were great and moved things along to make sure we got all of the images we wanted.

Our afternoon tea was served at 4 during which a few speeches were given (Danni’s fathers speech being the highlight for me), thanks were offered and scones were slathered in cream and scoffed.   The intimate dining room we were provided with was perfect for the occasion, complete with a roaring, crackling fire to help set the mood.  If there is a better setting for a proper English tea, I haven’t found it yet.

In keeping with the English feel of our wedding, we then set off to a traditional local pub in the town centre for food and a few drinks.  We stayed and chatted till late in the evening before saying farewell to some of our heartier drinking relations and heading back to the castle for a night in the glorious Henry VIII room.  A perfect end to a day that couldn’t have been more ideal.

 

We want to thank all of our friends and family who made the journey (however long) to be with us on our day.  Thanks to the fine folks at Thornbury Castle for a perfect venue, amazing food and exemplary service.  We really feel that everything we asked for was taken care of to the letter.  The clerks from South Gloucestershire were helpful throughout the process and nothing short of professional on the day. Our two photographers were brilliant as you can see from the photos included, and I can’t recommend their services enough.

And finally, thanks to my lovely new wife for being everything I’ve ever wanted.

Whiney xxx

There are a load of additional photos in the gallery.

Stag Party Tankball

Monday, October 10th, 2011

Tankball you say?  Yes, tankball.  It’s like paintball, but with tanks.  Take a moment and allow the awesomeness of that thought marinate for a bit.

My best mate Robert secretly arranged for a group of my friends to meet up in St. Pancaras to board a train heading north.  The plan was to keep the events of the day secret from me until we arrived, but on of my friends let things slip while we were waiting so my anticipation was triggered early!

Rosie (our tank) and I

Upon arrival there was the usual waiver signing (you know it’ll be fun if you have to sign a waiver), briefing and dividing into teams.  Our gang was transformed into three groups of three: driver, gunner and loader/firer on each team.  We then headed out to meet our tanks.

My command & conquor profile

You have a member of staff in the already cramped tank with your team at all times.  Each team member gets a chance to drive the beast around their circular track (smiling for a photo op halfway through), then a shot at sitting in the gunners seat working out the aiming of the gun and calling out when to fire, and finally you’re in the loaders seat shoving ping-pong balls full of paint down the barrel and pressing that oh-so-satisfying FIRE button.  Once you’ve each made the rounds, it’s time for a quick spot of tea and some strategy before the tank-on-tank melee begins!

This was the view through the front of the tank.  I've actually enhanced the contrast, the visibility wasn't this good.

This was the part of the day I was most excited about, and since it was my day I got to choose the position I wanted on my team.  Driver.  I had visions in my head of barreling around the field and tactically positioning our tank for the most cover and best firing positions.  I was moderately let down here.  The battle actually takes place along two parallel tracks where the pair of tanks plod along in a straight line, stopping 4 or 5 times at marked locations to fire a couple of rounds and then move on to the next marker.

While disappointed that my tank driver fantasies were dashed, I wasn’t going to let that get me down and vowed to push our ride to it’s breaking point while still keeping within the confines of the rules laid out.

After lining up side by side with our enemy, we were given a countdown and then the green light to go.  My foot stomped metal, metal made contact with metal somewhere below and we were off!  As we approached the first marker our staff member began to urge me to slow down so we could stop in time.

I ignored him.

Only after four or five frantic requests across the mic to slow down did he finally say the magic word ‘STOP!’.   This caused my lead foot to switch from full on accelerator to full on breaking.  Somewhere behind me I could hear my team mates Rob and Neal being thrown about in their seats and this pleases me.  They somehow managed to regain their composure and fire off our requisite shots…I had no idea if they were hits or misses.  All that really mattered was getting to the next marker in record speed.

The tank crews!

In the end our team of brave, battered warriors were victorious over Robert, Alex and Tim with a score of 10 hits to 7 out of a possible 12.  While congratulations and commiserations were being given I heard the opposing teams staff member say it looked as though our hard driving had almost broken our tank a couple of times.

This also pleased me.

All in all, it was a brilliant day out.  Thanks to all my friends who came along and made it even better.  There are a couple more images in the gallery.

Robert’s Surprise party

Saturday, July 23rd, 2011

This was long overdue.

Having been the driving force behind last years Kevtoberfest, my good friend Robert deserved repayment in kind.  A Facebook group was set up in mid-May which kicked off the planning for Roberts underwater themed, 2 months premature surprise birthday party of 2011!

With the guile of a half crazed fox, I managed to lure him from the comforts of his Covent Garden flat to attend Hyper Japan with me while Elaine, Elizabeth, Victoria, Brian and Tim transformed  the flat into a living aquarium.

Not everything went smoothly on the day of distraction however.  The queue for the event seemed so impossibly long that I was quickly wracking my brain for ways to carry on my ruse for another 4 hours until it was safe to return to central London.  We killed an hour at a nearby Pizza Express by which point the line for entry seemed more manageable and we were inside after another hour.

I had already formulated a plan which would have me returning on the Tube with him to Covent Garden at the end of the day.  Danni and I were meeting some friends for dinner at one of the near by restaurants and I would just accompany him to he station at which point we’d head our separate ways.  I needed one final distraction so I could beat him back to his place which was only a few minutes walk from the station.

I’d asked Victoria to text him requesting something from the shop on his way home which would buy me the time I needed to get ahead of him.  She sent the message as we left the event and I watched him like a hawk to make sure that he’d gotten the text, but he didn’t bother to check his phone once on the 15 minute walk to Earls Court.  Sitting on the train, deep underground with no reception I had to think fast.  I began to complain about how my phone is bad at organizing apps and asked if his was any better.  Never one to pass up the opportunity to show off the powers of one of his many apple products, he demonstrated the features of his phone and I noticed as he was about to put the phone away he got the day-saving message.  As he stopped into the shop to pick up the desperately required bananas for Vic, I sprinted ahead and beat him home with plenty of time to spare.

So much effort went into planning and executing this party, so thanks everyone who helped out.  Elaine for the brilliant fish decorations and our inflatable shark friend, Alex for somehow managing to get 50 fully inflated helium balloons into a taxi and across London, Elizabeth for the hours of underwater themed music, Tim for our fishy themed snacks (who knew fish fingers were so well loved?) and of course Brian for making sure the bar was appropriately stocked.  And thanks to everyone who showed up early to help decorate, the place couldn’t have looked any better!

There are a few more images from the evening in the gallery, and here’s a link to the image I created for the shirts & magazine cover created for the night.

365 in Review, February

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

2 down, 10 more to go!  I wish I could say it’s been easy just firing off a few shots each day and then picking the best of the bunch, but I tend to spend most of my day trying to think of just what to shoot.

I haven’t missed a day yet though and I’m really hoping to keep that up throughout the year.  There have already been one or two days when I’ve realized at 11:00PM I haven’t taken my shot for the day and had to rush to meet my deadline.  Close yes, but still on track!

February was a good month for practicing my off camera flash techniques, something I’m really happy with and will continue to do going forward.  March will be a busy month for a number of reasons; I’m due to move in the next week or so which will consume a lot of my free time (and all of my patience).  There may be more snap-shot style images for that reason so don’t be surprised to see more of the Casio in the EXIF details.

You can view my most recently posted image here, or if you’d like to view the year thus far you can see the calendar here.

365 in Review, January

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

Well, it’s been a whole month since I started my Photo a day for a year project (or Projekt 365 as the cool kids are callin it).  I’ve managed the first month of this endeavor without too much trouble.  It has to be said that it’s easier to take a photo a day when you’re on holiday and for me at least, January was about 60% holiday.

The past few days I’ve actually struggled a bit for photo ideas so I’ve begun trolling other peoples projects to steal ideas for inspiration and writing down some concepts.  I’m good for the next couple of weeks at this point.

Here are just a few of my favourite images from January.  I don’t know if I’ll make a monthly post every month as it may just wind up getting annoying, we’ll see.

To see the whole month at a glance click here or to view the latest image here.  I’m also working on an RSS feed for that project which should be up shortly.

Edit: The RSS feed is now up and running here.