1.5 weeks to go

We've decided to have the houses valued... we have no intention of moving, but I bumped into the local mercenary estate agent recently and he had heard we were getting married. Making the rather obvious leap from 'getting married' to 'living in the same house' he offered to value the houses. I swear he had £ signs in front of his eyes... Anyway, it seemed a shame to turn him down, and it's always nice to know what your house is worth... so he's coming on Wednesday! So my first job after work on Monday is to repaint the bit of wall next to Guy's front door where Blunkett sticks her paws - it's a really grotty colour, and doesn't take long to cheer up at all.

Then it's home again to cut more of the long grass down - it's hiding the beautiful tall yellow wild flowers. It looks lovely when it's done.

It's only when I finish and stand back to admire my handiwork that it dawns on me that a marquee will be smack in front of that bit. So the flowers won't show for the wedding.  Hey ho.

I also housework, water, deadhead roses and generally tidy up - and all this on the hottest night of the year. But I do have the most glorious dunk in the pool afterwards - bliss!

On Tuesday we make the last four quiches (broccoli and stilton). That's 19 in the freezers now, and we're all quiched out. We're slightly demob happy and then I go whizzing off to see Anna to help me apply Velcro to the back of The Frock. She very kindly doesn't laugh at the scaffolding, and says The Frock looks lovely.... She works magic with pins and then feeds me as well - lovely!

The estate agent duly comes round on Wednesday. The last time he saw my house it was thoroughly overgrown, had no kitchen, was mostly painted blue and had a grey bathroom. It's now neat and tidy, the garden is under control and it has a swimming pool....  Actually the agent is HUGELY impressed by the pool – been thinking of putting one in for years etc etc. The valuation is fantastic - I have tripled my investment in 7 years!  Guy's cottage has more than doubled in value too – the agent tells us what percentage he charges and how good he is and it’s hard not to scream ‘WE’RE NOT SELLING’ but we manage…

On Thursday it’s Hair Day and I am SOOOO excited.  I have booked the afternoon off work to pamper myself, so I go to the party shop for more cutlery and paper tablecloth, the florist supplies shop for more ribbon to make bows and the cake supplies shop for marzipan, icing, boards and bits to finish the wedding cake,  I buy local red wine in town for the Friday do and I have my engagement ring polished.  And then it’s off to the hairdresser…   The cutting person says she’s going to take an inch off all over.  I say that’s too much.  She says ‘Trust me!’  The colouring person shows me the colour she will use.  I say it’s too dark.  She says ‘Trust me!’  I trust them and spend an agonising two and a half hours before discovering my hair is brown and short, just as I had feared.  I am VERY upset but say nothing as I just want to go home.  Well, you don’t, do you?  I had a nasty feeling it wasn’t going well….  So now instead of being golden and gentle on the day, my hair will be brown and spiky.  Here are the photos, bearing in mind the ‘before’ shot was taken with my horrible two tone hair and when I’d just woken up…

Before:

After:

Can you spot the difference between the two?  A hint: the ‘after’ hair is shorter, and £115 more expensive. Also note the tense set of the jaw in the ‘after’ picture…  Toni & Guy Cardiff: avoid like the plague.  I text Guy who walks down to comfort me.  He kindly says it looks thicker, but it is darker than he’s seen me with before.  We agree I’m meant to be blonde…  I take to drink.

On Friday night we make the top tier of the wedding cake – Madeira, and we also hunt through all the old photo albums to pick out photos of the two of us at comparable stages in our lives… hilarious!  Guy used to have HAIR.  He says he used to be able to tuck it under his arms.  Probably best I didn’t know him then!!

On Saturday morning we marzipan all three cakes we have so far – that’s the bottom tier fruit cake, the top tier Madeira cake and the Friday cutting cake.  We’re making the middle tier (chocolate cake) next weekend.  In the afternoon Guy’s playing at a folk festival in Chepstow so I go along with Blunkett to watch.  I meet lots of friends who, without exception, say ‘You’ve had your hair done!’  followed by ‘It’s darker!’  followed after a slight pause by ‘Oh but it’s nice really’.  I hate it more than ever.

On Sunday I buy hair colourant in Asda and get to work.  By the time I’m finished I have blonde streaks.  Better.  Still not what I wanted, and I’m still furious – I’m going to have to have it redone…  We also make cream ready to roll icing into pale green icing (4kg of it – it takes two of us together to knead it!) and we ice all three cakes.  It’s beginning to look like a wedding cake!!

We also watch the men’s tennis final on Sunday afternoon while making ribbon bows.  We hang them off beams in the kitchen… thank goodness it’s only for a week and a half!

Hair:   It’s brown and I hate it.  I’m going to have to have it recoloured by another horrible hairdresser.  I’m NOT going back to Toni & Guy as the girl there clearly doesn’t understand English – what part of ‘light brown with honey blonde highlights’ didn’t she get?  Hate it, hate it, hate it.

Nails:  I have had the smashed nail mended professionally with a fibreglass wrap.  Looks completely natural!  Done on Friday – lasts till Sunday.  Will have to get it repaired again tomorrow…

Cake:  Three cakes made, marzipanned and ICED!  Decorating them is next weekend’s job!  We’re VERY pleased with it (so far)…

Roses:  I doubt if any of them will actually be in flower a week on Friday, but it’s been fun trying!

Unbridal moment of the week:  The hair.  You know when you have a ‘bad hair day’?  Well, I’ve had 6 weeks of it being horrible, and now I’m actually wishing it was back where it was.  Yep, it’s that bad.