My year 2018 revolved around one date, 18 August 2018. I can't think why :)
Here are some clues:
With a beauty like that on show, it's little wonder that the paparazzi went into overdrive.
Lesser forms of life simply spent their time plotting something or other
Laughter and passion were also in fashion
Mother-in-law tried in vain to contain the racket
The more dignified just smiled
There was even time for serious business:
The wedding party
The marriage officer and his family
The in-laws
My family
The lovely bridesmaids
The intrepid groomsmen staged a bachelor party so peaceful even ladies gate-crashed it!
The groomsmen
The Master of Ceremonies
The readers
The ushers
My classmates from the University of Surrey days
The reception
Time flew, which I suppose is a good sign.
It was soon time to give a speech:
Kerwin indeed trained me to operate a sound mixing desk. He in turn was trained by Alan Mitchell who is also here tonight. So both my "father" as well as my "grandfather" of sound engineering are here tonight.
As a toddler I had two ambitions for when I grew up. One was to buy a wrist watch and the other was to find a wife. I soon figured out where watches are sold, but where wives are found remained elusive for a very long time indeed.
When I arrived at the University of Surrey my tutor the late Dr. Brian Stace told me I had come to the right place should I think of finding a wife. In his opinion the best girls were to be found at the University of Surrey. Two of them are here tonight. I was so naïve at the time that I allowed them to be so close that they became like surrogate sisters. And of course you don’t date your sisters. So I left University without a wife.
I have had adventures in my life. However the adventure beginning today looms even bigger. I’m looking forward to it though. Not least because of the company on it. Doesn’t she look wonderful?
I’m told marriage is like going to an a la carte restaurant with friends. You order what you want but when you see what the next guy has got you start wishing you had ordered that. I’m not likely to have that problem. I’m sure I’ve picked the best item on the menu.
There are many people in Zimbabwe in particular who can’t wait to meet Katharine. I can’t think why. Some had concluded that I was a confirmed bachelor.
The brave ones did ask me exactly what kind of woman I was holding out for. It should now be easy to answer that question, armed with a wonderful exhibit like that!
In reality my circumstances also played a role. I’ve been self-employed for 20 years. The business took a lot longer than I expected to return positive cash flows. In the early years I was struggling just to feed myself, sometimes literally. So the last thing I wanted was to take on some responsibility. Then just when the business was beginning to stabilize, hyperinflation struck and I lost everything. Nine years ago I had to start all over again. Fortunately I had a business model that made recovery possible. Then I decided to scour the globe looking for a wife with a proper job.
To cut a long story short we met two years ago on a package holiday to Iceland. After the holiday we continued to meet on Facebook. A year later we met again this time in Vietnam. I’d been to Vietnam before but now there was a compelling attraction to go back. My mission this time was to clarify the vague developing relationship one way or the other.
As it happened we got on really well and before long I had ticked all the boxes. I felt there was no point in waiting any longer so I popped the question and the rest is history.
I’m so glad she said yes. I can relax now.
All my life I was afraid to eat garlic for fear of ruining my chances of finding a wife. Now that I have arrived I can eat it with reckless abandon. Where is the garlic bread?!
A big thank you to my parents in law for bringing Kat up into the woman she is.
Thank you to my groomsmen. They saved me a lot of nervousness.
Last but not least thank you to the bridesmaids. Please be upstanding and drink a toast to the bridesmaids.
We were soon on honeymoon.
After the farewells
It was time to utilise the one-way ticket
We are now living happily ever after in Harare, Zimbabwe
Kat is still meeting more of my many relatives
More of our wedding photos can be viewed at:
https://darren-fleming.smugmug.com/Weddings/Katharine-and-William
The password is: Katharine
The password is: Katharine
Little else mattered in my life this year:)
Wish you all a good Christmas and New Year.
