Stag Nights and home comforts

The long journey home and the sad feeling of knowing most of the exciting stuff is behind you really starts to kick in. Theirs a weird sensation as you cross the international date line, and start the day all over again. Flying air New Zealand is a pleasant enough experience, but i do wonder about there employment strategy, as most of the staff serving me my microwave dinner are middle age men, but i'm a big supporter of equal opportunities, and they were most helpful.

001. Just caught her sitting down!

Going through Los Angeles is interesting and frightening on many levels, and checking all your bags in and out again, getting finger printed and your photo taken, you just feel happy to get out the other side without being imprisoned.

002. Little Elle

Bedraggled (not sure if its a word, but i like it), bewildered (definitely a word), and feeling very slightly tired we arrive in Heathrow, what a wonderful place. We find ourselves very quickly swept up by Kate's mum, and find ourselves making our way back to that same place in North London that we left 10 months ago, and it all feels like a dream..... one that sadly is becoming less clear by the day. Not to worry, after we arrive, salt n' vinegar discos are devoured, twiglets are on the dinner menu, and i happily sit down and devour some English newspapers.

On the Thursday we managed to make the trip to south london and see my cousins and aunt and uncle, who managed to be put on a good spead for us, with very little notice, and not telling them that Kate was coming. Paul (previosly Smoke Dog), and his girl friend Jess got pregnant just after i left, and so we have the black haired and hungary Elle to sit with and pull stupid faces at, althogh i refered to her as it, and managed to hold her for around just 2 seconds.

003. Screems of joy

After a couple of days of being wined and dined by Kate's family, and doing the odd bit of paint and decorating (must fund the ludicrous prices in this country somehow), we head over to colin and emseys (soon to be married), pre-stag do, where we meet up with old friends and my long missed brother.

Waking early on the sat, me and my bro are first in the greasy spoon around the corner, and are pottering around and excited long before the boys start to arrive. Kate has of course legged it home the night before. Tom (best man) is organising, and the rest of us let him get on with it. We spend a few hours paintballing (my first time), and i'm certain i was the best, especially since no-one else can comment, although i took a hell of a lot of head shots, blond hair is not much use in combat. i lacked any serious injures, although simon (brother in law to be) did manage to shoot a friend at close range who was already in the dead zone.

004. Colin, Emsey and my bro.

The night consisted of home made pizza, followed by swanky bar, champagne, followed by a bit of funky house down the kings cross, where colin almost didn't even get in. nothing to serious or embarrassing for the night, plain, clean, fun, and a hell of a hangover, which wasn't helped by the flat tire that we acquired in toms car on the way home the next day.

good to see everyone ... ish. Having been rushing around, so pod's are on the back burner.

01. Future brother in-laws

02. A Toast

04. Don't trust any of them.

05. Creatures of beauty

06. 8am and alls well