I walk into an empty room…..And suddenly my heart goes boom…….It's an orchestra of angels…….And they're playing with my heart…….

OK... OK..... it's here.... stop with the whinging about the next blog entry !! I was waiting until after the do/soiree so I had something to talk about !!

"At least the weather has held out"

..... and what a night.... we LOVED it. Had a fabulous time and enjoyed every moment. It started off with a very busy Saturday. Dirk was up early with friend Hughy to prepare the backyard and move furniture etc. Saturday for me was the start of Cycle5 (15 weeks in already) so I popped all my pills and rattled around while I got ready. I had a 10 am hair appointment (tough I know) but booked 6 weeks ago (before the engagement party was booked in) a girl can't go into the evening with scraggy looking hair !!

"Erm.. look behind you Dirk"

My hairdresser was a little concerned as my hair is getting very fragile and thin :-( so she went gentle on the bleach !! For those of you that thought I was a natural blonde.... oh shit... my secret is out !!! haha

So once that was done, I nipped to the shops for some last minute bits and bobs and to pick up the cakes..... then back home to finish the setting up. Dirk had done a great job putting all the lights around the garden and in the trees. He'd cleaned the whole area and then went to get the booze.

and then the heavens opened...

Then it was time to get ready.... put my frock on, a bit of war paint. As we were lighting the candles on the deck, Dirk commented that we'd been lucky with the weather holding out and at least it hadn't rained !!! DERRR!!! I told him to look behind him.... it was too late... jinxed. And then as people started to arrive the heavens opened !!! Fortunately it only rained for an hour. Nobody seemed to phased by it and within the hour the house was filling up and the noise levels were building. We had bar staff and catering staff working so Dirk & I didn't have to worry about a thing.
It was so good to be able to see all of our friends. Some we hadn't seen for a while. The buzz was just amazing and happy and I struggled to stay and speak to anyone for longer than a few minutes before having to move to the next group.

The food came out from 7.30pm and it was absolutely fantastic. I think everyone liked it. And I hope there was enough to go around.
 Tapas Frittata, Italian chorizo, marinated olives, garlic mushrooms, grissini

 Wild Mushroom Arancini + w sticky tomato relish
 Peking duck, mandarin pancake, cucumber, spring onion + hoi sin 
 Crisp pork belly, pomme puree, Asian caramel
 Blue swimmer crab w lemon parsley + chilli
 White-cooked chicken rice paper rolls + hoi sin sauce 
 Siamese Kedah Chicken A fragrant lemongrass & galangal curry 

The Candy Bar

The drugs had well and truly kicked in by this time. I was ignoring all feelings and taking lots of champagne to forget about it all ..... I figured I'd worry about the side effects on Sunday.

And so the night flew by.... music... laughter.... bubbles..... I can't remember a time when I wasn't talking, singing or drinking !! Dirk ended up making a quick speech - thanking everyone for coming along and letting everyone know that we were determined to get through this year so we can focus on our future (sounds like a plan to me) He is just gorgeous.
At around 10pm ish there seemed to be a slight shift in the mood for the night.... a few drinks had kicked in and I could see some glazed looks in the eyes of my girlfriends. One hint that that things were taking a turn was the news that driving home was now not an option and they were going to worry about cars tomorrow.... haha... I love this !!
The music got cranked up and the dining room got transformed into the dance floor !!
Note to self.... order more champagne next time..... we ran out at about 10:30pm. I had thought that 24 bottles would have been enough, but it was obviously the drink of choice so will have to remember that for the wedding.
All in all we had 70 of our nearest and dearest friends. Our lovely neighbours also joined us as well as some very special friends from Bunbury. Friends that have been a part of our lives from the past 20 years as well as friends that are a part of our lives right now. All of Dirk's family came and shared the celebrations too. These people are so special to us both.
I missed not having my family around (obviously) but I made sure that I had a champers on their behalf.... maybe another reason that we ran out !!!

Our local celebrity attracted photo
opportunities for our guests!

I was also overwhelmed by the presents that people bought for us. Such gorgeous gifts and not one that we wouldn't use or like. We certainly have friends with good taste.

So after a night of singing, dancing and drinking, it was 4:30am before I managed to take my night time Thalidomide and take off to bed.... Things were a little hazy by this time. I had also opened my favourite bottle of Henschke to top off the night (not sure I was really appreciating it by this time but I thought it was a good idea at the time) I made a drunken attempt to call mum in hospital in UK and my brother (out to dinner with friends) and warned my friend who was not driving home, that I had 1/2 hour before the effects of the Thalidomide would take me out of our conversation and off to bed. Bang on time I was in bed 30 minutes later... Dirk said I was snoring, but I think not !! I don't snore !!!

And so to Sunday and the clean up..... Dirk was up at 8am ( I missed that wake up call) and started to clean up the outside bottles and area. Luckily the bar staff and kitchen staff had done an amazing job so we didn't have to do too much. Just what was left over from 11pm onwards. All the glasses had been washed and the kitchen was spotless. I managed to rise and shine around 10am. First thing to do was have a coffee !! Some Vegemite on toast and more pills. (Dexamethasone) Then water, water, water. I needed to flush out my liver and re-hydrate. By midday Dirk and I had done pretty much most of the clean up and we were beginning to flag a little (Dirk especially) We dropped off a friends car to her place and returned home to relax. We spent a couple of hours opening our gifts (fantastic as I said before) and I watched some telly while Dirk went and had a sleep.

Lasagna for tea - we needed some comfort food ! and then as quickly as it started the weekend was over..... sigh......

Monday was upon us far too quickly... I struggled a little Monday morning getting up. Managed it into work full of pills again by 10am (ish) I had forgotten that my appointment this week with Dr Ben was on Tuesday so had to rush in to get my bloods done - which I should have done Friday. Managed to get through the day without a hitch and was actually the last one to leave after 6pm in the evening. When I got home, Dirk had tea started and a glass with ice ready for a vino for me. I quickly declined, but after seeing the glass waiting.... succumbed to just a little one (so weak) I know I've said it.... but he truly is amazing. Dirk was shattered and took off to bed pretty early last night. I didn't get to bed until around 1am..... another drug effect. Even though I was exhausted, I just couldn't unwind and feel sleepy. The Thalidomide usually helps, but until I actually fall asleep sometimes it's hard to actually reach that sleepy place.

We have a public holiday tomorrow. ANZAC day in honour of all the diggers and Australian & NZ veterans that have fought in wars over the years. It's a great public holiday and Aussie's get very patriotic. I like the spirit. Something that we pommy's don't quite do as well in UK.

I'm working from home today so I can rest in between working a little easier. I also get t get more work done without as many interruptions. I have a mound of work to do so hopefully will get through it without having to work tomorrow.
I'm hoping to be able to catch up with a phone call to mum later. Then it's my brother's birthday tomorrow so will try and contact him at some point too. I think he's in London working so will attempt to call throughout the day. If I'm lucky, his present will have arrived at his house for when he gets home on Thursday. Hope you like it Jim !!
Now that all the fun and games are over it's back to the daily grind. We have a getaway to look forward to. Can't wait for that.
I have some pretty big work weeks ahead, so will have to play it by ear on that one. My biggest worry is the early morning starts. They are pretty tough for me. We have a week of regional mangers coming into HQ at work. Hopefully I won't have to present too much as I'm not sure how I'll go.
I'm good at faking it for the odd day or two but a whole week could be an issue. People tell me every day how well I look. It's really nice to hear. But sometimes I just want to say "fuck off I feel like shite"  ...... but if I'm trying to fake it and convince everyone I'm ok then how would they know?.... you just can't win can you !!!