Catherine and Garrett blessed me twice

A sprint through pouring rain, a boat across the water three times, a few drives along roads with endless bushes caressing the sides of my car, and a Siberian husky. It was an eventful weekend in Cornwall. But I was glad I went. Even if I was surprised with having to do a best man speech!

I've known Garrett for around 15 years. Those kids you see riding their bikes everywhere they're not meant to? That was us. Let me apologise now for our delinquent behaviour. I think it was only Catherine that made this focused Irish Loki become ... Well, I'd be lying if I said Loki was retired. But Loki is definitely more of a guest appearance type of character. Catherine blew into his life in a flash of running trainers and heavy breathing - they met at a running club.

"Angus, we want you to do our wedding?"

"I'm free."

"Wicked."

And so we have my first blessing. I get a buzz from doing most weddings. But to be asked to cover the wedding of a long time friend is something else. Especially when it is followed with,

"Just come and do your thing. "

Free reign. No stress. (Ish!) Oh you live for days like this. I get to flitter flutter like a free bird doing whatever I feel. I was liking the thoughts, the thoughts of the scenery, the fashion, the rural greens... Then karma hit.

I got an email.

Now, normally, I try go respond to every email and call by midnight of the following day. Normally. This email, I read, re-read, then walked away for a few days.

Hello!

I am Catherine's sister and she asked me to get in touch with a request. Garrett's cousin/ best man Jeremy is not able to make it to the wedding, so my husband has stepped up best man. He'll do a great job BUT he can't talk about Garrett as a teen/ before he met Catherine. So we were wondering if you'd make a speech at the reception, full of all the embarrassing stories/ tales of escapades from his youth.

Looking forward to meeting you at the wedding!

Testicles.

My second blessing. I guess the balance of the universe decided that I didn't have enough stress for my first blessing. Thank you very much Universe!

But it IS a blessing. To be given the honour of making the speech is a major trust. So I have been trusted, majorly, twice! Gotta love it.

The day came. After sprinting through pouring rain the previous night and almost missing the last boat back to the port where my car was, we had beautiful weather and amazing scenes.

For a couple that were very relaxed about the planning, and not too bothered about much at all, Catherine seemed secretly to have found the Perfect Style Guru (tm) and arrived in a beautiful dress.

With matching accessories.

Garrett, slick, and refined.

My friends, I wish you all the best and karma work in your favour ;-) .

Angus D Blessed

Fight the morning zombies!

It happened. I don't know when it crept up on me, but I felt it one morning last week and have been feeling it ever since. That feeling of having to get up but still being dead to the world. You get up with an undead groan, long face, slow movements. It's that time of year people. The morning zombies are back!

Even my yawn sounded like the muffled moans of the undead. Instead of an Instagram filter being applied to the sights I saw, it was a Tim Burton filter of blacks, greys and "why is it still dark?" Why? Why? Whywhywhy??? The phrase "ungodly hour" would apply if it wasn't for the fact that it was the same hour that I have been waking up at for years now.

Damn. It's that time of year again.

The time of year when waking up is a fight between nature and nurture: the nature of your bodies instincts to get up with the sun, whenever that is, and nurturing a financial income. Nature vs nurture. Nature vs modern life. Nature vs a another groggy poke of the snooze button.

We must fight back! Fight the hoards of zombies around you. I have already planned on using some of the winter to try to continue some projects I have on the back burner and just push forward my craft. There is so much inspiration out there and so many people doing great things, people who have found the secret to avoiding zombification (I don't care if that's not a word!) and making every day mean something. I remember watching Jackie Chan talk about one of his teachers. His teacher said that every injury was a perfect chance to perfect the ability on the uninjured part of his body. Because unless you are perfect, something always needs to get better.

I guess the winter is a perfect opportunity to think outside the box and improve myself. What do the arrival of the morning zombies mean for you?

Angus D