Ruth's wedding and things

I never mean to have opinions of other people's boyfriends and girlfriends, but as some of my good friends know, I can become troubled by my friends' choice of partner and then moan about it lots. I'm sure that never used to happen, I was much more easy-going. I'm just hopeful that being opinionated is an isolated rarity. It's a puzzling question worthy of many hours on Radio 1's "Sunday Surgery", how much can a friend have opinions before it counts as interfering? I won't answer that because... well, because they spend enough time discussing it on the Sunday Surgery.

Anyway, I have been to several weddings this year and they have all been wonderful. I have approved of all brides and grooms, which has made the day easier. But weddings are wonderful. They are really special and romantic, also a great time to catch up with old friends and make new ones. The most recent one was of Cousin Ruth, who married Mark. Mark is an excellent bloke, and Ruth is wonderful too (not sure I have mentioned her on here before so it's worth mentioning that she's cool). So there is a new person in my ever-expanding family. I'd better get married quickly because the larger the family gets, the less likely any friends will be able to fit in the wedding venue!

At Ruth's wedding there were all the usual wedding things like a church service (talking to people afterwards, everyone seemed to have had tears in their eyes at some point, whether during the choir singing, the with-gusto-sung hymns, the vows or when various people walked up and down the aisle) and a reception. Also photos cake cutting speeches ushers first dances confetti bouquets nibbles champagne dancing veil bridesmaids you get the idea. It would not be our family if it were not organised with military precision and involving having large numbers of people at our house for drinks or food. At various meals around the wedding we managed 25 people, 14 people, 12, 22 (I think) and probably some other large numbers. So we were able to celebrate the wedding for several days, including after they had gone on their honeymoon. It was awesome fun and a good substitute for being in work.

Christmas happened too? Apparently. Merry Christmas!

Question #1

This series will explore questions of all shapes and sizes. The question is a wonderful part of the English language. English is a good language for questions. In french, Es-ce que... (is it that...) is horrible and clumsy. Mandarin is no better, as far as I can tell from my limited knowledge. Ni hao means hello. Ni hao ma? has ma at the end, which means ** this is a question **, so that means how are you? It's pathetic. But English and German have it down to a tee and it is possible to phrase questions in elegant ways.

The purpose of a question is also a big part. It can be a life or death matter, it can be abstract and philosophical, it can portray any feeling or desire, it can be mundane, it can be easy or hard to answer... quite simply, they are fantastic.

My first question is this:

Have I got news for you?

PS Don't feel compelled to answer these questions unless they realy provoke a response. Sometimes they are rhetorical

Sports Personality of the Year 08

I started writing about Sports Personality of the Year, hoping to discuss it before the final votes were cast, but I have had a busy weekend and missed out. Here's what I started to write, before I tell you the result and my reaction...

This is an interesting year for sports personality of the year contest. For once, we have a number of contenders, who have proved themselves to be the best at their sport. The contenders are:

Rebecca Adlington - swimmer
Ben Ainslie - canoeist
Joe Calzaghe - boxer
Nicole Cooke - cyclist
Lewis Hamilton - racing driver
Chris Hoy - cyclist
Andy Murray - tennis player
Christine Ohuruogu - runner
Rebecca Romero - cyclist
Bradley Wiggins - cyclist

Every one of them has won either Olympic gold medals or has become World Champion, or some equivalent.

It really was a fantastic line-up. Rebecca Romero won an Olympic gold in cycling, having done it in rowing before. Christine Ohuruogo proved how good she is, and silenced those who thought she may have been a drug-taker after missing a few tests. Joe Calzaghe won another big fight to show he's the best fighter around. For personalities, Rebecca Adlington was hilarious having won two golds in the pool, but Lewis Hamilton can get a bit too competitive to the point of not being gracious

The winner was CHRIS HOY. I'm not just saying it because he has won but he was my choice. If you want to see a nice guy interviewed, watch him. He has a young family and is really down-to-earth, playing the father role in the Beijing Olympics to our other cyclists and the other althletes too. He's calm and collected, and speaks well, setting an example for footballers everywhere. He really is a gentleman. And even more than anyone else, he completely dominated his events. I have never seen such inevitable races, he was unstoppable. He could start from in front or behind, because once he got his legs going (as wide as my waist) he just went away from the opposition. He was as dominant as Phelps was in the swimming pool. A worthy winner. I hope you agree... please tell me if not

[sadly I didn't see the programme, but I was glued to Steve Davis vs Ding Jun Hui in the UK Championships. Snooker is back on, and I'm hooked already. Steve's 2-1 up, come on mate!]

Advice #30

Keep calm and carry on