Where did that year go? It's been over a year since I last blogged and that was to complain about religion*. Nothing new there then.

Anyway, what's happened since July 2008? Absolutely loads and nothing much at all.
Hmmm, K4 has been informally disbanded. All that remains is, in Eddy's words: 'K'. Great times while they lasted though. We survived relegation by beating the top team in the division in the last match of the season. People have come and go whilst my fists have stayed rooted. I now co-own a flat with my sister, but prefer to live at home much to the chagrin of a certain feline. Speaking of who, I've been going out with Kat since late 2008.

There's so much more, but the brain hurts when I try to think too far back. In fact, it's complaining now and I'm supposed to be going to watch a short film at the film festival at 4pm. I'm still in my underwear (sorry about that image) trying to gather my thoughts.

So this has to be quick...last weekend Kat and I went to her friends' wedding in 'Somerford Keynes' (pronounced Kay-ns in that part of the world), which is in the picturesque Cotswold area. It was a massively elaborate and extravagant wedding and in all we had a great time. The food was simply amazing (the church service was very pretty too) with a champagne and Pimms reception right next to the church in a residence called 'The Manor'. There were the most delightful canapés - quail eggs wrapped in gold and silver leaf, perfectly formed smoked salmon parcels on a small isle of toast, semi-raw beef carpaccio and more wondrous morsels that I'm too rushed to list. This was all set in a well manicured garden with the September sun in full glory. There was also a magician and a cartoonist working their trades.

Then there was a four course meal in a huge marquee by the pond/lake in the garden. This monstrosity glowed neon inside and stomached a cocktail bar, dance floor and about 150 guests. On each plate was a poem sealed with wax on a pseudo burned scroll. And on these plates came a light starter of crab meat dressed with a fanciful entourage of salad and sauce. Yum. This was followed by a chunk (and I mean this in the most flattering way) of Beef Wellington, washed down with wine of both colours. The evidence is still on my shirt to this day. A selection of desserts followed - three treats in one serving. Tea, coffee and fruit followed, but I'd been gluttonous enough for one Chinaman.
As this was actually a wedding and not a buffet, there were speeches afterwards and I must say that each was impeccably delivered in varying degrees of warmth, dry, sweet and sharp.

  
 

In fact, having just posted these photos...I've got to go watch the short film that I storyboarded for (Honour Me, by Alex Tweddle)...BRB...

Back. From the short films (Screen East) at the Picturehouse. A mixed bag of goodies, but I ran off to play football afterwards and didn't manage to catch Tweddle. Very naughty. So where was I? Oh yes, the wedding. After speeches and cake slicing, they went outside by the small lake to light lanterns and prompt them to float away, carried idly by the winds of fate. During the evening, I fed a dog two sugar cubes and some chocolates. He turned down the grapes, but did eat some chips. To cap off the night, there was the obligatory disco in the mould of all true wedding/school events - cheesy anthems of all shapes and sizes. An added touch was that chips and burgers were being circulated by the waiters and waitresses. True class :)

Amidst all the indulgence I managed to get angry. I'm greedy enough to enjoy the luxury, but I couldn't help getting a little disturbed by the significant disparity between the stinking rich and the desperately poor. This was the most lush wedding I've been to, and everybody seemed nice - so I don't begrudge them personally. However, there is far greater riches amassed by others and it just seems so unfair that there is such a stratospheric gulf between us (humans).

People should be rewarded for hard work, innovation, courage or even good will - but I do have an issue that the chasm between rich and poor is so sickeningly wide. Why should some own numerous luxury homes and private leisure ships equipped with helipads and copters when others die from a lack of the basic necessities elsewhere in the world? Surely, a fleet of posh cars is better exchanged for building a livelihood for the less fortunate (and a conscience)?
Like I said, people should be rewarded on merit, but there should be some perspective as there is a disgusting excess that exists which is inexcusable. My rage is especially reserved for those that are born into lofty perches without merit - barons, duchesses and princes as well as sheiks, moguls and Paris Hiltons. The rather significant problem is that the people in power are intent on keeping this wrong status quo. This has existed since recorded history and perhaps is a legacy of the human gene. It would take a lot of nurturing to change a trait that might make up our nature. Being selfish is (was?) necessary for survival and so to straighten out this mentality could take generations of learning, or a big great industrial sized and fist shaped moral iron. It's just tragic that people die every second directly or indirectly from poverty, while others don't know the meaning of it and really couldn't care less.
If we were to design a society and a species to live in it, I'd expect there are many things we'd change about the one we live in right now. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a total mentalist and I do appreciate the good that exists, but my blood did bubble a little and the hulk hands were clenching if only temporarily at the thought of what could be.

And so, despite veins churning on overtime for a quarter of an hour,  it was a fun and special evening that we finished off with a 3 mile bicycle ride back to our bed and breakfast. The country roads are as dark as my soul and the little bike lights did little to show the way. We did get back without any major incident and sunk clumsily into our neatly laid twin beds.

Morning greeted us with a cooked breakfast which was ravenously received and happily dismantled. Upon advice from the friendly proprietor, we drove to local Bibury to visit the trout farm, where you could catch your own fish. The trout farm was...well, a trout farm. So not particularly exciting, but at least the weather was in fine form and so we leisurely toured the area. We then settled down for some trout fillet and salad that was 'shared'. Kat calls it sharing, I see it as survival of the fittest. Have you ever seen lions eat? Anyway, after eating we got our bikes from the van and decided to go on a bike ride around the village. Now I truly know why Cambridge is considered flat. Though picturesque, the terrain is all very hilly and is challenging whilst nursing a mild hangover!

*heard a quote about religion, though not sure where from...something like: Without religion, good people will do good things and bad people will do bad things. But for good people to do bad things, well that takes religion.

Touché?