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  • What is it with cats…

    … and hair balls?

    The second time in about a month she comes in and throws up over the floor. “Thank god for laminate flooring” is what I say.

    Just as we’re making tea as well.

    Bleurgh.

  • Suited and Booted

    I mentioned that I was going into Nottingham last Saturday to sort out suit hire… well the picture is the end result. What a dapper chap I look!

    Until I got the bill. Ouch.

    Never mind, it’s all worth it. And, yes, that is a cravat I’m wearing (after everything I said) – it’s one of the new styley types that can be tied like a, erm, tie.

    I was tempted to remove my head from the picture, as I was unshaven and hungover at the time, with a serious case of bed-head. Thankfully it’s not noticeable (and thanks to my best man Luis for taking the picture on his camera-phone, the resolution of which makes such nice photos possible!).

  • Wedding Invitations

    Our plans are already well under way, but the next milestone are the invitations. Gold and cream to match the general colour scheme for the wedding, they have been designed and hand made by Judy Zatonski who counts author Jilly Cooper amongst her customers.

    Most of the money that Judy makes goes towards Greyhound charities.

    The design can, exclusively, be seen here – I’ve not even put this on the website yet.

    I’ve also printed all the inserts that go inside – these differentiate the cards between being reception and evening invites. This was done on some matching cream paper, but I’ve yet to cut them out and stick them into the cards.

    The final, big hurdle is to produce some matching address labels – I’ve already brought some transparent Avery ones. I just need to get all the address together and design a suitable label.

    Fingers crossed, the cards should be out by the end of the year.

    Oh, and on Saturday I head into Nottingham with my best man to find some suits…. I hope I don’t end up with a cravat!

  • Junior Pumpkin Designer

    My daughter, living up to her wish to be an artist when she gets older (probably illustrating books, she says), has been making her own pumpkin designs. Naturally, I’m very proud.

    A few kids came round last night “Trick of Treat”ing – all of them were young, very cute, and very good about it all. And no eggs on my windows.

    Thanks to my girlfriend, they all got sweeties to take away with them (normally I just turn a hose-pipe on them. Just kidding. I normally just don’t answer the door).

    Meantime, we had to take the cat to the vets after she threw up about half a dozen times. A pointless injection later (the reason for which was never explained to us) and we were given no reason why it happened, but a hefty bill. Oh, and sachets of some food she should eat – it looked like the stuff she’d thrown up so she wasn’t keen.

    So, all in all, a fun night.

  • More Useful Grammar Checks

    Anybody who knows me will know I hate incorrect usage of grammar and punctuation. Back in September I supplied a useful check-list – here are a few more.

    1. Employ the vernacular.
    2. It behooves you to avoid archaic expressions.
    3. Avoid archaeic spellings too.
    4. Don’t repeat yourself, or say again what you have said before.
    5. Be more or less specific.
    6. Placing a comma between subject and predicate, is not correct.
    7. Use youre spell chekker to avoid mispeling and to catch typograhpical errers.
    8. Don’t repeat yourself, or say again what you have said before.
    9. Don’t be redundant.
    10. Eschew obfuscation.
    11. Don’t indulge in sesquipedalian lexicological constructions.
    12. A writer must not shift your point of view.
    13. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
    14. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
    15. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
    16. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
    17. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
    18. Always pick on the correct idiom.
    19. The adverb always follows the verb.
    20. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be by rereading and editing.
    21. Don’t use no double negatives.
    22. Don’t overuse exclamation marks!!
    23. Use the apostrophe in it’s proper place and omit it when its not needed.
    1. Ensure lists are properly numbered
    2. And always be sure to finish what