Robin visits the church I'm getting married in!

Robin and a church
Originally uploaded by athens2004blog.

Yes folks, this is the church in Athens where I'm getting married in February. It's the same church that my fiance's parents married in in 1974. The fact I've been out there is one of the reasons I haven't updated in ages (sorry). The other reason is that I've been super-busy - I've already spent 24 hours in Lyon, France since I got back to London from Athens on Wednesday. Busy busy busy. So busy I forgot to take Robin to Lyon. Sorry folks. Sorry Robin.

But the wedding stuff is coming on nicely (thanks to those that have asked). The church is booked as is the reception (after a last-minute change caused by a stunningly awful refit at the (previously classy) place we'd booked - pink fur everywhere and walls upholstered in shiny silver fabric!). And tomorrow I'm off to get measured up for my suit. Less than 3 months to go now. Exciting stuff. Nice to be back in Athens too - there wasn't too much evidence of the Olympics, just a front page in a newspaper saying how much it had cost and a few shops with reduced merchandise! Felt odd to go past the stadium complex on the metro train - would love to have stopped off for some water polo or some athletics!

Here's a funny thing for you folks that read during the Olympics. On the site - flickr.com - where I store my pictures to use on this site, it tells you how many times each picture has been clicked on to make it bigger (cos that takes you through to their site). Most pics from the Olympics have been clicked on 100-160 times, the one of me and my fiance 190 times, but the only one that's been clicked on over 200 times - in fact 1,200 times! - is the one of... can you guess?... yes! Robin and the beach volley babes!

:)

Robin enjoys Bonfire Night!

Whizz! Bang! Robin!
Originally uploaded by athens2004blog.

Hello folks.

This is Robin enjoying the fireworks at the Guy Fawkes celebration at Alexandra Palace in London.

For those readers who don't know what Guy Fawkes Night (aka Bonfire Night) is, it commemorates the day Mr Fawkes from York (where my dad lives) tried to blow up the Houses Of Parliament in 1605 by placing lots of barrels of gunpowder in the cellar (which is why it's also known as The Gundpowder Plot).

Unfortunately for Fawkes, the plot was discovered and he was caught on November 5 1605. Naturally not best pleased with his behaviour, the King decided to hang, draw and quarter him.

Every year since then, Brits have celebrated Fawkes' failure by letting off fireworks and, often, burning an effigy of Fawkes on a bonfire (hence Bonfire Night).

(This is actually quite educational for me too - had to look for a lot of it online, but obviously every schoolkid in the UK knows the story backwards!).

So, we went up to Ally Pally last night with thousands of north Londoners and had a great time - it's quite a major, organised display and the fireworks were very impressive (better than the ones that have been set off every night for the past few weeks on every street in Britain by pesky teenagers which just go 'weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.....BANG!' rather annoyingly).

Bonfire Night rocks - you can keep your Halloween which seems to be built around its tacky merchandising. One of the great things about Nov 5 is that the only things shops can sell are fireworks and perhaps some bonfire toffee. So, as a celebration, it's pretty much exactly the same as it was 20 or 30 years ago.