The wedding ahas been and gone in a flash. After night after night of eating out all last week, we made it over to Cambridge on the Friday night to get ready for Saturday's wedding. Stressful it might have been, but the end result was definitely worth the angst of mother.

The wedding was in St John's college chapel, which was the most stunning setting you can imagine. Liz looked the most beautiful I have ever seen her, and everything went remarkably smoothly.

Tom Katie and I got lost on the way to the reception, but were greeted by copious amounts of Pimms which rather set the mood for the whole day. Can someone else get married so we can do it again please? Liz and Eben are now on a beach in Malaysia drinking pina coladas and eating nasi lemak.

Other than that, I expect to be sacked very very soon by Culinaria, the place where I do the washing up. I haven't been in touch, and think they are going to kick me out in either 2 or 3 days.

Not to worry.

On Sunday I went with Ben to see PJ Harvey play at the Academy in Bristol. I got to see her over the summer in Imola with Catherine Andrea and Clare, and she impressed so much that I had to go and see her again. On stage she has this massive presence that was made all the more obvious when in contrast with the support group "KnifeFork", who had a couple of average singers with dreary songs.

Anyway, it was an excellent nuts gig, but what I am planning on doing is making a belt - hang on, have I already said this before? - that she wore at the Somerset house gig. Here, hopfully is a link to it:

http://pjharvey.net/ubb/Forum1/HTML/004910.html

You need to scroll down a few pictures, but the belt it there in full glory.

I have the cars, I nearly have the belt, but I don't have the knowledge of how to fix those little things onto the belt. I've had a few ideas. One is to glue them on with ridiculously strong glue. Another is to solder them on. Another is to try and attach them by some sort of strong thin material.

The belt is for Katie, not for me.

So if anyone has any idea how to go about doing this, then they can touch the belt once it finished.

Family Ling is uniting against the forces of evil. Members of this mysterious clan have descended from all corners of the world at a time when, well, Liz and Eben are getting married. Mrs Upton she will be. What a strange thought. I will have a brother-in-law. Stranger still.

The house is getting full, and I can see the wedding will be excellent. Lots of fun seeing all these people together. Wooo!

Bristol is a pretty cool place. I've been rediscovering it with Ben, trying to remember where the funnest places are. Yes, they do mainly happen to be pubs and slightly dodgy indie nights, but the city in the sun is as good as any other.

Ben is off tomorrow, and I think I am going to try to get home tomorrow too. Let the wedding commence!

Benoit is arriving in Bristol today. I can't wait to show him about, and repay him for some of the excellent times we've had in Bordeaux together.

Catherine and Andrea have been in England for a few days now, and we've had a rocking time. Lots of sunshine, meeting up with people, a barbecue, an opera (as performed by Tom, Dan and friends), a curry, and some alcohol. Good stuff; am thinking about going back to Modena in November for a long weekend or somesuch. See everyone, eat lots, and get a bit of Italian spoken.

Patrick, Ling and Graham (uncle, aunt and cousin) arrived from the U.S.A this morning, and they seem on top form given that they've been travelling for so long. I overdid it a little last night, and am definitely paying for it right now. Intense nausea was my welcoming present to everyone. Those damn waves. Didn't disgrace myself though, so I can be proud. So so proud.

Back to Eric Bristow tomorrow, Rob has moved in, and Ben(oit) is arriving on Wednesday. He'll be over for a few days which should be full of cider and guitars. Weeeeeeee!

Last night was strange. Not just because I found myself in a badly lit Polish ex-military club where the temperature was ripe for augmenting under-arm smells. The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow were playing on their European tour. If you have heard of them (and I doubt you have, since they are plain odd), you will remember their strange setup. They are from New York, and are made up of Dad, a guy who looks like he was picked on lots at school, Mum who works the slideshow, and Rachel, the 11 year daughter who plays the drums.

Yes it was a bit sick. They go to car boot sales, buy slides from dead people, then make songs about the slides.

http://www.slideshowplayers.com/