Posts from the category Life (and how to live it)

  • Or, in other words, T zero! It’s been a long and eventful journey up from Switzerland to Scotland, though we’ve had only a couple of minor hiccups and no real problems. I’ve been keeping a diary as we’ve been travelling but as you can imagine, I’ve more important things to think about today! I’ll post…

  • T minus 8

    With only just over a week to go until we get married, and less than 48 hours until we’re on our way to Scotland, I’m getting really excited. Yesterday was very emotional as I was able to finally complete the definite versions of the last pieces of stationery and I booked hotels in Oxfordshire and…

  • Late Night Laughter

    Jo at the Kornhauskeller bar in Bern, towards the end of a wonderful evening with Switzerland-based friends to celebrate our upcoming wedding.

  • Heaven is a warm, cosy home, with sparkling candles, a Christmas tree dusted with (fake) snow, and my love wrapped in a soft blanket with me, watching a good film after eating one of her delicious meals.

  • Listless list

    Jo is away in Scotland for over two weeks, and I find myself listless. There are lots of things to do, which I’d planned to fill the time while Jo’s not here: preparing photographs, tidying and cleaning, bringing some semblance of order to the piled mess which is my home office desk. Getting those endless…

  • The date is set

    We will be married in the late afternoon of Friday, 5th October 2007 at Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland.

  • I’d not planned all that much about it, though one thing was certain. Some months earlier, it had come to me in a brain-wave. I wanted to ask Jo to marry me by the light of stars and moon, on the banks of the lake in the town where we live.

  • Earmuffs

    It was a long night last night. The voices didn’t let you sleep much; they never do at the weekend, do they? It must have something to do with the excitement of the end of the week when you were a kid; when you were hustled through the darkness, packed onto a train and met…

  • The Ring

    I designed Jo’s engagement ring myself and it was made by a goldsmith associated with Rolf Dillmann in Berne. The ring contains two rubies and a diamond on a white gold band in a classic design. The band is slim where it joins the setting and increases in breadth towards the rear of the ring,…

  • Far Too Early

    It feels as though you’ve only just closed your eyes, when the alarm clock buzzes its way into your consciousness. Through the darkness, the numerals flash at you irritably as if they, too, are annoyed at being called into service so early. The rest of the room is lit dimly and intermittently with the red…

  • The Three Stages

    It was a hard start to the day, racing up the hill for the train in the dark, panting and wheezing as you crashed into your seat amongst yawning students, causing a woman opposite to enquire after your health. You assured her that you neglected to pack your health, before settling back into the seat…

  • In Four Days

    You’ve been on the road since early this morning. Starting your journey with bleary eyes and an awful coffee, you watch light arrive over the fields and distant peaks as you speed westwards. Your luggage is settled onto the rack across the gangway and a book, your place marked with an ancient visiting card, is…

  • The train speeds along the side of the Thunersee to the accompaniment of a beautiful sunset, which is throwing the hills towards Bern into a yellow misty distance.  The sun is glinting across the water, turning the mountains and lakeside into a duotone landscape: ranging from the clear sky above, through countless shades of blue and…