John Linton ....not a cloud in the sky which itself is that gorgeous pale blue so often seen in Winter and never in Summer and we have a family wedding to go to.
Weddings in our family are few and far between as we seem to conform to the Anglo Saxon character traits of being undemonstratively private people who don't consider our personal activities of any interest to others. Having said that most of the remaining members of the older generation of our scattered family have arrived from the UK and the USA as well as Melbourne, Maitland and points North. The female members of the household have, finally, found the right dresses and shoes and other essential accessories that are apparently so important on these occasions and I managed to find time for an undue haircut and got a suit that didn't need it dry cleaned and bought a new tie - something I haven't done for as long as I can remember (that function in my life having been taken care of by Annette for over thirty years - and more recently by my youngest daughter whose taste and sense in all things sartorial is infinitely superior to mine).
The bridegroom to be returned to the house of his childhood and subsequent upbringing for reasons I am not entirely clear about overnight and will make whatever preparations he, his brother and his best man deem appropriate over the hours between now and the time he leaves for the big ceremony....with the other members of the household trailing behind. I didn't notice that he was actually there apart from his polite greeting when he arrived as he disappeared to his old room to write his speech (nothing like being well prepared for a major event) and hadn't re-surfaced before I went to bed having prepared for today's excitement by watching Geelong put in the minimal effort required to beat Carlton and then make some feeble attempts to trace the origins of our family name (I can't actually believe there were lime trees in the wilds of Scotland in the 11th century as one site suggested there would have to have been) while Annette finished off some of the endless preparations for providing afternoon tea to our overseas relatives between the wedding ceremony and the reception.
The wedding ceremony itself is to be at the Shore School chapel which I find a little odd. Both James and his younger brother went to Shore from prep school onwards I don't recall either of them, particularly James, ever regarding their time there with any great affection - more the reverse. We are not a 'Christian' family and I don't think James has ever been to church in his life. I guess it is a traditional location and, if pushed, I would have to agree that a church seems a better place to hold a marriage ceremony than anywhere else - the concept of marriage celebrants (for white wedding dress marriages) never has appealed to me much - perhaps like so much else in modern life I suppose.
So at least Annette and I are up but there is no sign of the imminent bridegroom nor his younger brother though the resident younger sister made a brief appearance to eat her morning banana a short while ago. We will go and cast our meaningless vote in a few minutes and then return to 'finalise' the preparation of the house to receive the 'clansmen and women' (Annette and Catherine) and I will busy myself with whatever assigned tasks I can't avoid. I would have written more but the constant chivvying to 'hurry up' (though it's barely past 8 am) has overwhelmed my 'creative' resolve and has therefore spared you from reading any more of this nonsense.
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