Discussions went back and forth about the best way to get down there, who was going, whether we were staying overnight, who was going to look after Evie, etc, etc. At one point, it was turning into a mini family holiday, with my mum and dad coming with us to look after Evie while we attended the concert, us all stopping in a hotel overnight, then coming back the following day. In the end, Evie stayed at home and my folks looked after her, while Paula, Chris and I went to the concert by car, mainly because that was the easiest and (more importantly) the cheapest option. The 8+ hours of driving weren’t ideal, and we didn’t get back home until around 2:30am, but I coped better than I thought I would. The tiredness that I was expecting didn’t hit me until the following afternoon.

The concert itself was excellent. Anthony Daniels (yes, that Anthony Daniels*) was the narrator, and introduced the various musical sequences. While the orchestra was playing these, clips from the six Star Wars films were shown on a large video screen behind the orchestra. Some of the clips were silent, while others had dialogue and sound effects. Certain sequences worked better than others, but there’s nothing quite like seeing an orchestra and choir in full flow, especially when performing music that you know and love. Oh, and there were frikkin’ laser beams too!

We saw a couple of famous faces there (famous in Star Wars circles, at any rate): Warwick Davies (Wicket the Ewok) and Jeremy Bulloch (the guy in the Boba Fett costume). The only bummer from my point of view was that George Lucas apparently turned-up on the second night, hence we missed him. :O(

* Mr C-3PO, for the uninitiated.

So yeah, I’m back. Just when you thought it was safe, etc, etc. A lot’s happened since my last post in — when was it? (shuffles papers) — October. Boy have I been slacking. Anyway, here’s the juice:

Home. We did manage to move back in just before Christmas — three days before, to be precise. It was a huge effort from all involved to get enough of the kitchen and bathroom ready in time, but we made it. The place was a bit of a mess for a few weeks afterwards, but things are coming together nicely now. The kitchen and new staircase, in particular, have turned out really well. It’s finally starting to feel like a real home.

Work. Is okay. In turns engaging and frustrating. I’ve not worked for a company with this many employees since I was at Cheshire County Council back in the early ’90s, and the bureaucracy is somewhat annoying after having become used to more direct code ownership.

Expecting. The really big news: Paula is pregnant, and we’re expecting our first child in May! We’ve been trying since we got married, so although it was not entirely unexpected it’s still took a bit of getting used to. There are big changes ahead, and a few uncomfortable decisions that will need to be made, but I’m really looking forward to becoming a dad :O)

Well, consider yourselves updated. Sorry for the long delay between posts, normal service should hopefully be resumed from this point onwards.

After a pleasant 2½-hour drive through the rolling Welsh hills (we only got lost the once!), we arrived at Portmeirion, and our home for the next two days: Castell Deudraeth. Our room was on the second floor, and looked out onto the hills in the distance. A great view, and a fantastic room: reasonably spacious, with comfortable and contemporary furnishings.

We’d arrived mid-afternoon, so after unpacking we went for a brief walk around the village. The weather — which for the previous two weeks had been nothing but glorious sunshine — was starting to turn: it was still sunny, but the wind had picked-up and the clouds were gathering. I’d been to Portmeirion once before when I was a kid, so everything seemed vaguely familiar. It’s a very pretty place, and I wish we’d had more time to explore, but we had to get back for dinner. We decided to have a proper look around the following day.

Unfortunately, the weather on the Monday was awful: cold, cloudy and windy, with occasional rain. We’d only packed “sunny-weather” clothes (shorts and T-shirts), and there was no way we were going exploring in those. So instead we went for a brief trip to Pwllheli in the car, where the weather was a little better. On the way back we stopped in Criccieth (gotta love these place names!), but it was blowing a gale so we didn’t stop long. Hopefully, our last day would bring sunny skies and we’d finally be able to wander around Portmeirion.

Waking on Tuesday our hopes were soon dashed. No change in the weather, and as we had to check-out by 11am there was no point in sticking around. So although we’d had a great time at the hotel, we were never really able to make the most of the village just down the road. Still, it was nice to get away for a few days, away from work and the house and everything, just the two of us. Hopefully we’ll be able to go back one day when the weather’s a bit better!