Dear Kitty,
I'm really not doing well, as far as updating you goes! So, from where I stopped last time:
I stayed at the Palace with William on Wednesday night, and Mum and Dad took us out for breakfast the next day - and then we all had to head off to the churches in Chorlton to set everything up! It took all day, from hanging up the bunting to the wedding rehearsal to sticking all the placenames on the cherry blossom tree (my job). Mum and Dad gave me a lift back to mine later, and I got changed and picked Dan up from the station at twenty to nine. We went to the Tempus Bar in the Palace straight away, to meet up with everyone. Mum didn't recognise me when I walked in! I did, admittedly, look quite grown up - stockings, heels, hair in a bun, no glasses etc. We were in the bar until around half eleven - it gave Dan a chance to meet everyone so he wouldn't feel so awkward at the wedding.
I had to get up early on Friday, so that I could go and help at Cecily's. I left Dan asleep in bed, with my keys, and got the bus to Whalley Range for the last time! When I got there, most of the bridesmaids had already arrived, and I did Georgie's hair, Jo's hair, my hair and Cecily's hair. We didn't get changed until after Mum and Dad turned up with brunch and William, and then the photographer arrived too. He was really irritating and insisted on calling me 'Angel' for the entire morning! Finally, though, we were all dressed and ready to go, the bride included! The cars turned up at about one - wonderful vintage cars! - and then it was off to the church! Jo, Melissa and I were all tearing up before we had to process in, but we managed to hold it in until we were sitting down. I was next to William, and I cried for most of the service - I think what set me off most was hearing Cecily sniffing during the opening blessing, and the fact that she sounded like she was about to cry during the vows. Mum and I were both crying until I had to go and sign the register, and then we cheered up during our (mine, Cecily and William) favourite hymn - 'Dear Lord And Father Of Mankind'. We processed out again afterwards, and then the bubbles were handed out - we had bubbles rather than confetti - for some photographs. I walked to the next church with Dan, and then we had more photographs while Dan got to know everyone over jam-jar cocktails. We had afternoon tea after that - the hall looked wonderful with all the bunting! - which was followed by the cake(s) being cut. The speeches were after that - Dad, Andrew and Darren gave them, and they were all wonderful. Finally, after the speeches, it was the ceilidh! Dan didn't know any of the dances, but I did (thanks to school reeling). We were almost entirely dead after the Dashing White Sergeant, and he sat out for one of the dances - so William danced with me before we had to swap partners. We finished with Strip The Willow, and Cecily and Andrew ran under the arches and out to the taxi afterwards. We waved them off, cheering and blowing bubbles - and then, when they were gone, I burst into tears. I don't know why, but Dan was very sweet about it, even though I got mascara all over his shirt. I cried on Dad and Mum as well, a little, and then just sort of on-and-off until we got the taxi back to my flat. We went straight to sleep as soon as we got back - we were exhausted!
The next day, we met everyone in the Palace for breakfast, and then ended up going back to sleep at mine for a few hours. We made out a little bit after that, cuddled, watched lots of Fawlty Towers, had tea, and then fell asleep fully dressed! Goodness knows why we were so tired. On Sunday, we went to the Trafford Centre - amazing! - before going to church, where we did 'Ye Choirs Of New Jerusalem' (Stanford) and Stanford in G (yay!). I had to do some recording for Simon afterwards, and Dan went off to the pub because he was in a bad mood. We recorded Bruckner's 'Christus Factus Est' and Mozart's 'Ave Verum', and then they did Purcell's 'Thou Knowest, Lord', but I went off to go and see how Dan was. Everyone else came to the pub just afterwards, and we all had a really good time together.
I went to class at nine on Monday, and the morning passed without incident. That afternoon, Dan and I went ice skating (again). I was spotted by a figure skater! She told me I definitely need to have lessons - so I'm going to! Just afterwards, however, I fell forwards hard and smashed in both my knees. Goodness knows how - I wasn't even moving! I was alright until we got off the ice, and then the pain really kicked in. Dan had to help me limp all the way back to mine, but he was very patient with me. That evening, we watched more sitcoms and played lots of Phase 10, and then just cuddled and chatted in bed. On Tuesday, I left for class early, and then came back and got back into bed with him. We went out for a wander that afternoon - the bookstall was open on Oxford Road, and we went to Starbucks. On the way back, we decided to have a look in Kyoto Lounge - a gaming bar! - and spent two hours playing Sonic All-Star Racing, which was marvellous. For two people to each have a cocktail and a controller for an hour, it's eight pounds, which is really quite good. He left afterwards, and I was a bit miserable that night.
Sunny and I skipped half of Chinese on Wednesday, and I spent the rest of the day working on translations and homework. On Thursday, I only had two hours of class (during which Michael nicknamed me Hopalong), and then I got the train to Norwich to see Dan AGAIN. Woolly was over that night, and we had a nice chat in the living room. Dan and I talked for ages that night, and I woke up when he went to work in the morning (but only very briefly). When he came back, we went back to sleep, and then spent most of the rest of the day listening to the radio (The Goon Show) and cuddling in bed - until Josh turned up at just the wrong moment (I had been deliberately teasing Dan). We had Thai red curry for tea, which I didn't eat much of (so spicy!) and then went out to The Workshop for Scrabble and drinks afterwards. Dan let me go and browse the books for a while when we first got there - they've got such a fantastic selection! There was a great copy of 'Jane Eyre', lots of German books, some vintage comic annuals, and a book of Goon Show scripts, as well as heaps of other things. I lost at Scrabble, because I had a Q left over at the end, and then we got quite drunk off red wine. Well, I did, anyway.
I had a nightmare on Friday night (again), and woke up to Dan stroking my hair and saying 'shhh, Chessie'. He left for work afterwards, and then we got up to go to my parents' when he got back. We had lunch with them, and then Dad helped Dan with stuff for his Trinity interview while I did some piano practise. We left at half three so that Dan could take me to the walk-in clinic - or, in my case, the limp-in clinic. Unfortunately (i.e yippee!) the line was really long, and I didn't want us to be late for the concert we were going to that night, so we went to Starbucks instead. When we got back to his, we got down to some gaming - him on a violent RPG shooting thing and me on Su Doku - before I curled up and started dozing. He put on 'I Trawl The Megahertz' and cuddled me, and we both went to sleep for about half an hour before his alarm went off. We went to a Sonic Arts concert at UEA that night - it was fascinating, but I think Dan and Josh enjoyed it more than I did. When we got back, the party had started, and I got quite drunk very quickly. Dan's friend Theo came - he's from Paris, so we had a lovely chat about where I lived and how crap England is. I fell asleep in the armchair at about one, and woke up at two - at which point Dan decided to put me to bed. He said 'goodnight, beautiful' before I went to sleep, but I was too tired/drunk to say 'no, I'm not'. He got into bed at about four-ish, which I only know because he was freezing cold, and I woke up shouting 'NO' when he tried to cuddle me.
We - well, I woke up at ten this morning. I got out of bed at half past and did some more Su Doku before Dan woke up. He was still slightly drunk, but he made me a cup of tea, and we had hummus on toast while we watched Doctor Who. We had a proper long cuddle afterwards, and I cried a bit on him. I mean, I've got so used to seeing him every four days over the last five weeks that the next eleven days seem like an eternity. It was also that it was the last time we'll be in Norwich together like that, because he's moving out soon (no, don't start crying again, Chessie). He cheered me up, though, and we made out before I had to leave. He's let me steal one of his hoodies, so I'm wearing it right now. It still smells like him *smile smile*.
Tomorrow, I have to go to the doctor's, because Dan's making me (grr). Satnav's in hospital right now, with a problem with his heart - I'm really worried about him, but he's insisting he'll be ok. I've told him to let me know if there's anything at all I can do. One sad piece of news to end this letter on: Trissy died last Sunday. I'm praying for his family. I ended up crying on Dan in the middle of the Trafford Centre when I found out - I suppose that at least Trissy's not suffering any more, but he's left a hole in practically everyone's lives. God bless him.
Yours,
Chessie
I'm really not doing well, as far as updating you goes! So, from where I stopped last time:
I stayed at the Palace with William on Wednesday night, and Mum and Dad took us out for breakfast the next day - and then we all had to head off to the churches in Chorlton to set everything up! It took all day, from hanging up the bunting to the wedding rehearsal to sticking all the placenames on the cherry blossom tree (my job). Mum and Dad gave me a lift back to mine later, and I got changed and picked Dan up from the station at twenty to nine. We went to the Tempus Bar in the Palace straight away, to meet up with everyone. Mum didn't recognise me when I walked in! I did, admittedly, look quite grown up - stockings, heels, hair in a bun, no glasses etc. We were in the bar until around half eleven - it gave Dan a chance to meet everyone so he wouldn't feel so awkward at the wedding.
I had to get up early on Friday, so that I could go and help at Cecily's. I left Dan asleep in bed, with my keys, and got the bus to Whalley Range for the last time! When I got there, most of the bridesmaids had already arrived, and I did Georgie's hair, Jo's hair, my hair and Cecily's hair. We didn't get changed until after Mum and Dad turned up with brunch and William, and then the photographer arrived too. He was really irritating and insisted on calling me 'Angel' for the entire morning! Finally, though, we were all dressed and ready to go, the bride included! The cars turned up at about one - wonderful vintage cars! - and then it was off to the church! Jo, Melissa and I were all tearing up before we had to process in, but we managed to hold it in until we were sitting down. I was next to William, and I cried for most of the service - I think what set me off most was hearing Cecily sniffing during the opening blessing, and the fact that she sounded like she was about to cry during the vows. Mum and I were both crying until I had to go and sign the register, and then we cheered up during our (mine, Cecily and William) favourite hymn - 'Dear Lord And Father Of Mankind'. We processed out again afterwards, and then the bubbles were handed out - we had bubbles rather than confetti - for some photographs. I walked to the next church with Dan, and then we had more photographs while Dan got to know everyone over jam-jar cocktails. We had afternoon tea after that - the hall looked wonderful with all the bunting! - which was followed by the cake(s) being cut. The speeches were after that - Dad, Andrew and Darren gave them, and they were all wonderful. Finally, after the speeches, it was the ceilidh! Dan didn't know any of the dances, but I did (thanks to school reeling). We were almost entirely dead after the Dashing White Sergeant, and he sat out for one of the dances - so William danced with me before we had to swap partners. We finished with Strip The Willow, and Cecily and Andrew ran under the arches and out to the taxi afterwards. We waved them off, cheering and blowing bubbles - and then, when they were gone, I burst into tears. I don't know why, but Dan was very sweet about it, even though I got mascara all over his shirt. I cried on Dad and Mum as well, a little, and then just sort of on-and-off until we got the taxi back to my flat. We went straight to sleep as soon as we got back - we were exhausted!
The next day, we met everyone in the Palace for breakfast, and then ended up going back to sleep at mine for a few hours. We made out a little bit after that, cuddled, watched lots of Fawlty Towers, had tea, and then fell asleep fully dressed! Goodness knows why we were so tired. On Sunday, we went to the Trafford Centre - amazing! - before going to church, where we did 'Ye Choirs Of New Jerusalem' (Stanford) and Stanford in G (yay!). I had to do some recording for Simon afterwards, and Dan went off to the pub because he was in a bad mood. We recorded Bruckner's 'Christus Factus Est' and Mozart's 'Ave Verum', and then they did Purcell's 'Thou Knowest, Lord', but I went off to go and see how Dan was. Everyone else came to the pub just afterwards, and we all had a really good time together.
I went to class at nine on Monday, and the morning passed without incident. That afternoon, Dan and I went ice skating (again). I was spotted by a figure skater! She told me I definitely need to have lessons - so I'm going to! Just afterwards, however, I fell forwards hard and smashed in both my knees. Goodness knows how - I wasn't even moving! I was alright until we got off the ice, and then the pain really kicked in. Dan had to help me limp all the way back to mine, but he was very patient with me. That evening, we watched more sitcoms and played lots of Phase 10, and then just cuddled and chatted in bed. On Tuesday, I left for class early, and then came back and got back into bed with him. We went out for a wander that afternoon - the bookstall was open on Oxford Road, and we went to Starbucks. On the way back, we decided to have a look in Kyoto Lounge - a gaming bar! - and spent two hours playing Sonic All-Star Racing, which was marvellous. For two people to each have a cocktail and a controller for an hour, it's eight pounds, which is really quite good. He left afterwards, and I was a bit miserable that night.
Sunny and I skipped half of Chinese on Wednesday, and I spent the rest of the day working on translations and homework. On Thursday, I only had two hours of class (during which Michael nicknamed me Hopalong), and then I got the train to Norwich to see Dan AGAIN. Woolly was over that night, and we had a nice chat in the living room. Dan and I talked for ages that night, and I woke up when he went to work in the morning (but only very briefly). When he came back, we went back to sleep, and then spent most of the rest of the day listening to the radio (The Goon Show) and cuddling in bed - until Josh turned up at just the wrong moment (I had been deliberately teasing Dan). We had Thai red curry for tea, which I didn't eat much of (so spicy!) and then went out to The Workshop for Scrabble and drinks afterwards. Dan let me go and browse the books for a while when we first got there - they've got such a fantastic selection! There was a great copy of 'Jane Eyre', lots of German books, some vintage comic annuals, and a book of Goon Show scripts, as well as heaps of other things. I lost at Scrabble, because I had a Q left over at the end, and then we got quite drunk off red wine. Well, I did, anyway.
I had a nightmare on Friday night (again), and woke up to Dan stroking my hair and saying 'shhh, Chessie'. He left for work afterwards, and then we got up to go to my parents' when he got back. We had lunch with them, and then Dad helped Dan with stuff for his Trinity interview while I did some piano practise. We left at half three so that Dan could take me to the walk-in clinic - or, in my case, the limp-in clinic. Unfortunately (i.e yippee!) the line was really long, and I didn't want us to be late for the concert we were going to that night, so we went to Starbucks instead. When we got back to his, we got down to some gaming - him on a violent RPG shooting thing and me on Su Doku - before I curled up and started dozing. He put on 'I Trawl The Megahertz' and cuddled me, and we both went to sleep for about half an hour before his alarm went off. We went to a Sonic Arts concert at UEA that night - it was fascinating, but I think Dan and Josh enjoyed it more than I did. When we got back, the party had started, and I got quite drunk very quickly. Dan's friend Theo came - he's from Paris, so we had a lovely chat about where I lived and how crap England is. I fell asleep in the armchair at about one, and woke up at two - at which point Dan decided to put me to bed. He said 'goodnight, beautiful' before I went to sleep, but I was too tired/drunk to say 'no, I'm not'. He got into bed at about four-ish, which I only know because he was freezing cold, and I woke up shouting 'NO' when he tried to cuddle me.
We - well, I woke up at ten this morning. I got out of bed at half past and did some more Su Doku before Dan woke up. He was still slightly drunk, but he made me a cup of tea, and we had hummus on toast while we watched Doctor Who. We had a proper long cuddle afterwards, and I cried a bit on him. I mean, I've got so used to seeing him every four days over the last five weeks that the next eleven days seem like an eternity. It was also that it was the last time we'll be in Norwich together like that, because he's moving out soon (no, don't start crying again, Chessie). He cheered me up, though, and we made out before I had to leave. He's let me steal one of his hoodies, so I'm wearing it right now. It still smells like him *smile smile*.
Tomorrow, I have to go to the doctor's, because Dan's making me (grr). Satnav's in hospital right now, with a problem with his heart - I'm really worried about him, but he's insisting he'll be ok. I've told him to let me know if there's anything at all I can do. One sad piece of news to end this letter on: Trissy died last Sunday. I'm praying for his family. I ended up crying on Dan in the middle of the Trafford Centre when I found out - I suppose that at least Trissy's not suffering any more, but he's left a hole in practically everyone's lives. God bless him.
Yours,
Chessie
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