Congratulations James & Kelly

Following on from my last blog, we all headed over to England for the wedding of my brother James and his fiancée Kelly.


The bride and groom

 It was a fantastic day that everyone seemed to really enjoy. The ceremony at Sopwell House in St. Albans was both beautiful and humorous, and even the reading I did ("Blessing for a marriage") went off without a hitch.

The aperitif after the ceremony was great, with delicious amuse bouches and champagne (or Pimms for the more traditional English-types). It was interesting to go from the ceremony room to the conservatory and veranda where the aperitif was held as the corridor between the two is lined with signed football shirts in frames.

It turns out the Sopwell House has been used to host various international football teams over the years (including a number of England squads), with the players relaxing in the luxury rooms and making full use of the spa treatments.

Fortunately, the weather held out for the whole day, as it was cloudy with some sunny patches but absolutely no rain (amazingly for an English wedding!). It meant the happy couple were able to take the wedding photos outside in the lovely gardens of the house.

Sixty Days in Suisse - Part VIII

Waiters, Wine and Winnings



Julien from Secret Story



After the restful and stress-free previous week, my eighth Swiss week was a bit more active.

Aside from a bit more job searching, we also headed out for a meal with Chris’ friends Anne-Marie and Kelly at a Tapas restaurant called “Chez Mathilde”, that is owned and run by a guy who was in the French version of Big Brother (“Secret Story”) a couple of years ago.

I did a bit of research and it looks like this bloke, Julien Colas, made it to week 5 of the show in 2007 before he was evicted. I guess being a reality TV show failure pays well if he managed to buy his own restaurant.

Anyway, the food at the restaurant was ok – I don’t think I would go back there any time soon. I took a few tapas dishes, and considering how much I paid (33 CHF) I really didn’t think it was worth the money.

The evening itself was good though, with good company and a trip to a bar for a bit of salsa dancing afterwards. Admittedly I am a rubbish dancer – I lost count of the number of times I stood on Chris’ feet – but managed to stop myself from whipping out the Moonwalk as I didn’t want to look like a complete idiot.