The first days of spring are finally upon us. Having spent all day yesterday stuck inside building a website for our wedding, I declared today a wedding-free zone. After a long lie-in, Aude suggested we go down to St Margaret’s to have some lunch by the seaside – it would be a good chance to enjoy the good weather, take the Corvette for a spin, and generally get out of the house.

The Coast Guard – Between the bottom of the hill and the deep blue sea

Turns out it wasn’t an original idea. After waiting 20 minutes to place my order (with the typical surly English service that implies that being a customer of their establishment is some sort of great privilege) and nearly giving up the will to live, we finally had our order taken – only to be told that they had sold out of nearly everything that was on the menu. So we had two portions of mackerel, because that’s what they had left. It took bloody ages to arrive, and in the end, we were tempted to leave without paying because it was taking so long to get the bill.

Never mind, it was a beautiful day out and a good chance to stretch the Corvette’s legs. It’s been sitting for a while, but after a little TLC and coaxing, it burbled into life and ran absolutely perfectly. Fingers crossed for more warm weather next weekend – it would be great to take the car out two weekends in a row!

The cliffs at St Margaret’s

Boats at St Margaret’s

Another boat at St Margaret’s

Everyone’s a photographer these days!

Holding on to the railing to keep from being blown out to sea!

Clean, shiny, and ready for a long drive to the coast!

Another shot of the Corvette…

We woke up to a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning, so we decided to get out of Canterbury and spend the day in London. It was a chance to catch up with Aude’s brother for some lunch, hear all about his various trips around the world, and to begin doing some wedding shopping.

Sitting on the train, Aude can barely contain her excitement about travelling to the big City

Matthew, on the other hand, rides this train to work every morning and is a little more apprehensive…

Of course, this being Britain, by the time we were up and dressed it was pouring with rain – and it remained that way for most of the day. We caught the train to London Bridge and met Jerome, then caught the underground to Oxford Circus where we walked to Soho for lunch in a Korean restaurant. I was quite excited about this, because I’ve got the sort of naïve sense of excitement that is easily satisfied by having my food cooked in front of me. I’m equally impressed in Mongolian Barbeques, Japanese Steakhouses, and any French place that flambés anything. Having ordered barbequed chicken, pork, and beef, imagine my disappointment when everything was simply served on sizzling platters. It was like Coke without the bubbles – it may taste the same, but it lacks a certain pizzazz.

Jerome and Aude, not yet fully appreciating the disappointment of not having their lunch cooked at their table.

From there, we went around the corner for a quick coffee at Liberty’s, then Aude and I set off for a series of disappointing shopping experiences across London. It reminded us of two things: first, it’s harder to spend money in London than you might imagine; and second, this is still a city where the majority of stores are closed on a Sunday. Demoralised, we grabbed some shopping and caught the train home.

Jerome looking relaxed after several weeks off lounging in the sun. Still, give him two weeks at an investment bank and he’ll be his pale, tired self! 😉

Matthew and Aude have to make due with a cup of coffee in Liberty’s for their relaxation.

Aude does some window shopping

The highlight of our journey (and maybe our day?) was an onion falling out of one of our shopping bags (stored overhead) and landing in the lap of the rather surprised, but very good-natured, Scottish woman sitting opposite us. Having just re-read the last sentence, please believe me when I tell you it was funnier if you were there.

My parents are on their way home as I write this blog, having spent just over a week here in Canterbury with me. It was a full trip, with sightseeing in the UK, a short day trip to France and Belgium, and lots of time for socialising. It was also the when we broke the news to them about our engagement.

Nick has been working in London for the past few months and Dasha was able to come over to visit him for an extended weekend break. As is the normal custom at my house, we celebrated Thanksgiving on last Saturday of November (because everyone is busy working on Thursday), but this was the first time I’ve had the family around my table for the day. It was really nice, and I managed to get my camera out to snap a few photos of the evening.

Dasha & Nick at my place for Thanksgiving

My father, captivated by one of Aude’s stories. A work of fiction, I’m sure…

My mother notices something on Aude’s finger

Ten bucks says that this photo makes it into the famous “Christmas letter” this year…

I’m glad at least one of us is photogenic!

Sorry, Nick, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. You’re beautiful, too…

Thanksgiving is always a tense time. Those who know me will attest to the fact that I’m a little territorial about my kitchen. Clearly the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree!

A little bit of turkey and stuffing and she’s a docile as a baby…

…although no more accommodating of the camera than any of my other friends. Perhaps she’s related to Marjory in a former life?

My parents took lots more photos of the rest of their trip, and if they send me copies I’ll try to post them here this weekend. But at least a few are up – otherwise you’d think I’d fabricated their entire visit.

Guess who’s back in town? After missing our designated “let’s get together for drinks” slot on Friday night due to a Cuban-restaurant-service-disaster, we finally managed to catch up for a quick coffee yesterday afternoon with Marjo, who’s taking a break from her studies and came over for the weekend from Brussels.

We agreed to meet up for breakfast this morning, and armed with my camera, I snapped a few shots — firstly, because it was a beautiful autumn morning and perfect for taking pictures, secondly because I knew it was the only way to get Marjory to visit my blog!

She’s hasn’t seen the camera quite yet…

Everyone in Canterbury High Street witnesses the paparazzi and wonders who these two celebrities could be?

The gang in one of the parks in Canterbury

Marjory and Aude in the park

Poster child for the film “Never Been Kissed”?

Neil and Anne-Laure

Aude and Marjory

Always pulling a pose!