Sunday's twin baptism went off really well - it was wonderful to see the Old Church packed with nearly 200 people. Shame those at the back couldn't actually see or hear anything!
Neither did I, as the catering was rather a Big Deal and the three of of us were confined to the kitchen throughout, with a short reprsie to take communion. Interesting to see Petrina and Richard there. Just goes to show you can never tell by looking at people:P

We ended up serving 120 people and virtually no food was wasted. Except about 40 jacket souds, which all managed to go to good homes anyway. I did think at the time that serving rice AND pasta as well was rather over-doing it, but it was A's day and on that issue I let him have his way. people were very generous and donated lots of dishes, so we actually cooked very little. It was more a management and logistics exercise to get that many people seate din the hall, serve them effectively and clear up afterwards.
Exhausting, but very, very satisfying and everyone commented how enjoyable the day was. that's the only result that matters really, so all in all a job well done.

Saturday before this we had Biscuit for dinner to catch up with how she is settlign in and give her a decent hot meal! the catering at the Hall is really poor. It's not what she wante din the first place, but as a strict vegetarian she is really suffering. Her diet means she does not eat fish or eggs (quite clearly stated on the app form!) as well as the usual meat etc, so they knew what to expect. the menu does NOT cater for this at all and, in my opinion, is failing in its duty of care to provide a nutritionally balanced meal. now i KNOW she's a fresher and has three years of crap food ahead of her, but I have no problem wth that if she prepares it herself. But the hall has a duty of care if it chooses to take that responsibility. And of course the extra money, which is not justifiable given my experiences of the last week.
She's been a littl ebored at times to, so hopefully today's first lecture should have sorted a few things out and set her off in a better frame of mind. Glad to see she's enjoying everything else though.

Meanwhile her sister Kink (Girl 1) is looking forward to my visit on the 19th. It transpires that Baby Dee is performing in Northampton (WAAAAAAGH!!!) which as far as I am concerned is absolutely unmissable

Baby Dee was born in Cleveland Ohio. Her father was a fire chief. She loved to play the piano as a child and began her "professional career" as a bear in Central Park playing the harp. At that time she did not know how to play a harp but people tend to be less critical of bears than they are of other people so the bear made money and Baby Dee could drink beer.
The bear went to Paris because that is what a young american bear must do if she wants to become a princess and be cultured and have strange and exotic men and women lavish money and affection on her. There she met the wonderful people who called themselves "The Shanghai Bureau" and played the harp with them in very beautiful places. She came back to New York {The bear stayed in Paris -- proof positive that bears are smarter than people) and began the dark descent into the ignominious and shameful world of serious music.
Having recovered her senses some fifteen years later she became an accordion playing cat (some would say a very sexy accordion playing cat) and commissioned a very talented man named George Bliss to create for her a high rise tricycle so she could ride in style with her concert harp and rule the streets of lower Manhattan. (No humble bear ever had it so good.)
She worked at the Coney Island Sideshow and toured with the Bindlestif Circus. She met Antony of "Antony and the Johnsons" and did shows and recorded the harp parts on that wonderful first album. Then she went back to Europe and traveled to Scotland where she met John Kamikaze -- The Prince of Pain and benevolent despot of The Kamikaze Freak Show.
Then something mysterious happened and she left everything (lots of very heavy and expensive things) in Ghent and came back to Cleveland Ohio where she became a tree climber. While in Cleveland she wrote songs and recorded two albums "Little Window" and "Loves Small Song." David Tibet befriended her and released them on his Durtro label. Baby Dee is also a member of the Current 93 live band and she has ongoing collaborations with the experimental band Larsen

I'm looking forward not only to this of course, but also a much postponed and long overdue visit to my daughter's flat!

Feelings are mixed and I have some anxiety about bringing these girls inot the spotlight very soon. Yes everyone knows of their existence etc, but I have painted myself into a corner when it comes to talking about them, particulalry among 'church' friends. Up to the point I chose the Christian path I have always quite pro-actively compartmentalised my life and kept things each neatly in its own box.
I have described my discovery of faith as rather like pouring water into a glass of icecubes.
All the parts are there nd have always been there, but there was never really anything before holding it all together. So now more recently as my life comes together in just about every which way, I feel uncomfortable knowing that many of my friends don't know anything at all about this part of my life story.
Shameful perhaps, but it how I have chosen to deal with it up to this point.
But their polite questions are beginning to meet an embarrassed changing of the conversation, and to be honest they deserve more than that. I feel strongly that He is pushng me gently forward to play my cards now and it feels very awkward.

Something to discuss in the pub on Friday night, and with Mr Vicar when we get togetehr later in the month.

Tomorrow night its the Happy Mondays on the Unkle Dysfunktional tour courtesy of free tickets with compliments of the Guildhall. I'm all for anything life of course, but I have a dreadful feeling that this will be crap. I've researched a it and the Fe festival this summer was awful! All reviews are similarly bad, and I never liked them in the first place.

Tonight Foxx is at cargo on the 'last night' of the Metamatic tour, apparently previewing new material in the foyer and onc. a VJ set from Karborn.
My inbox is overflowing with mail about this event and others, including several press cuttings forarded directly to me from SM. Another interesting development.