Happy New Year!

Ok, so we're a week into it, but then I've been very busy with all the parties here - getting married, er, three events for that! - Leah's birthday, Zarook's 2nd 30th - so young and handsome to boot. It's been the most amazing end to 2007 and a fantastic start to 2008. Check Sami and Mer's blog for some descriptions and photos, I'll post more of mine later...I'm on a Mac so no Picasa at the moment - please google, sort us out a Mac version!

I'm really looking forward to this year - Factory have given me an opportunity to try and really make a difference with sustainable design and I've a new path to establish with that one. Exciting and daunting too.

So for 2008 I want to:

• Surf more
• bike more
• read more
• cook more
• grow some of my own food
• shop local - farmer's markets rule!
• climb more
• play more music
• take more photos
• spend more time with my family
• blog more
  
• make more of a difference
• live the life I love

Being married has been fantastic so far, Leah and I are closer than ever, it feels natural and great! We had the most amazing wedding ever, the beach was beautiful, the sunset red and stunning, the people wonderful....everything about it was just awesome.

New year was also great - all our friends down at Hikaduwa beach, 'angin' out and causin' trouble. Some great surf to be had there too - almost felt like I was getting somewhere again. Man, it's so nice to bod up and down in the warm indian ocean with turtles popping up for air every so often.... going to be hard back in the Atlantic!

Then an awesome 'home-coming' reception, where Leah and I got to enter riding on palanquins, with a procession of traditional dancers and women throwing flowers at our feet. Oh, and an elephant!

So I've a week left to sort our selves out and enjoy this wonderful family before heading back to London. 2007 was such an amazing year - here's to topping it with 2008!

Comfort

Well, business class sure is nice! A little ostentatious maybe, but it sure is comfy. With a little creativity I'm sure we could improve the 'economy' seats to be more like that! Going to have to 'cause I'm not going to get another ride in there for a while!

So here we are back in Colombo, where Neela and Zarook have been really busy on their house, a new kitchen, Leah's bedroom's had a complete makeover and generally they're making such an effort for the place to be an amazing 'magul geththera' or wedding house! Here is where people will be coming and hanging out and buzzing with the excitement of our impending Big Day. Wooo Hooooo!!!!!

We're hoping that Sami and Mere will be over some time today, crazy to think they're somewhere in Colombo - trouble is we don't know where! Hopefully they'll call us and we can hook up....

"Going to Sri lanka and we're..."

"...gonna get maaaarrrieeed"

You know the song, now sing along. That's right; tomorrow we fly (Business Class) to Colombo for the final countdown to Mr and Mrs Bazalgette! We are getting pretty excited now, of course, even more so due to people like our good friends Sami and Mer already heading to Sri Lanka and indeed probably landing as I write this!

I've been super lame at blogging, but getting my feet back on the ground here in London coupled with getting a wedding organised in Sri Lanka has been taking up any spare minutes might have otherwise grabbed to write some words here. When I have sat down I've found myself largely wordless, maybe just down to mental melt down...who knows. Hopefully the sunshine and adventures in Sri Lanka will inspire some more interesting stories.

engaged!

Ok, I kept it from you last time as I wanted a moment to tell friends etc, but Leah and I got engaged on Los Roques! Yup, I popped the question on our first day there, after all the stress and agro of Mexicana we found ourselves alone in a beautiful place and I thought 'It's got to be here or Hackney...'!

So now Leah is away in Sri Lanka organising tons of stuff for the big day, which is scheduled to be the 29th December of this year! It's very very exciting, we're planning to try and have a beach wedding in Sri Lanka and it looks as though a good number of our friends will be able to make it along.

I'm currently down in Wales escaping the hustle of London, which I was finding way too much after the freedom of traveling. Don't have a job yet so being in London is doubly stressful, plus with Leah being away I was kinda lonesome! Here the weather has been amazing, wonderful blue skies and still warm weather - what a treat after the last week or so of miserable drizzle in the big shitty. My poor mum has broken her femur after being knocked down by an Alsatian in the park the other day whilst walking her dog. She's now laid up in hospital after having had a hip replacement operation, and I've bought little old Misty the dog down here with me. She's pretty blind and deaf so has been wandering around bumping into things the whole time, but I trimmed her fringe and that seems to have made a difference...

Today we went skinny dipping in the river! Been ages since I've done that and it's still loads of fun!