Decent Proposal After an Exam Letdown!

Last month's exam results were not what I hoped or particularly expected.  At the time of the ACCA exams in December 2009, I was 50/50 as to whether I'd passed either of them.  So obtaining 48 in Law and 47 in Financial Management (pass mark was 50) was disappointing and very annoying!  So close, yet so far...

With the holiday to Florida, my sister's wedding and my brother's first baby's birth all being in May (well, the latter's expected date!), I don't have time to revise for both again.  Thus, I shall only be re-taking Financial Management - and am determined to pass it at the second time of asking.  Third-time-lucky for the Law will have to wait til December, or even June 2011 if I run out of days off at work!

But on to happier news...

I am engaged.  Yes, he of "I'm never gonna get married as I don't want to get divorced" fame finally bit the bullet to make and honest woman of Phee.  I won't bother you with the sloppy details, but it was on her 21st birthday, in the Winter Gardens in Bournemouth with just a few squirrels as witnesses!  And I did get on one knee, albeit it after the actual proposal.  And I did get a ring, despite having very little money!  And Phee loves it, which is what counts...

As for the what's, when's, who's, hows and whys... there is so much to work out.  The provisional date, which had been set way before we got engaged, is the 29th December 2012... the next time my Nan's birthday falls on a Saturday, and is six days after the anniversary of when we first started dating.

Family are already expecting an Engagement Party... or two!  The likelihood is that we will have a gathering in Hull and in Devon for both sides of the family.  I shall no doubt arrange the Devon shindig, with maybe a small(ish) get together at the Three Tuns in Honiton, as I'm sure my Mum can get it cheap/free!  Of course, DJ RichieB will be spinning the (digital mp3-shaped) discs!

My best man, as if was ever in any doubt, is my best mate Gofer,  Phee's maid of honour is her best mate, Hannah.  I will probably stick with tradition and have some of my brothers as ushers and I know that Phee wants her sister, Tasha, and my niece, Alice, as her bridesmaids amongst others.  And no doubt my brother's unborn baby, code name Peanut, will be pageboy/flower girl!

We will not have a religious ceremony (unless it's satanic), nor will it be in a registry office (I want more atmosphere).  Current venues (which is likely to be in Surrey/Hampshire, where we live) are a decent hotel, a small castle type place or Nuthanger Farm!  Okay, given the latter is no doubt owned by people I don't actually know, it is highly unlikely... but I'd love to get married on/near Watership Down!

They are, I think, the only details that have vaguely been decided.  Any other questions can be forwarded to our official wedding planner, Julaloo!

A Photo Tells a Thousand Stories...

Since moving to Surrey, I have been getting more and more into the world of amateur photography.  I don't have any plans to go pro, as accountancy pays way better right now, but it is something I am looking at taking more seriously.

It started back in Devon, taking pictures of Rockbeare Rangers FC with my then-new toy, a Fujifilm Finepix S7000.  Although only 6 megapixel (only 1MP better than my mobile phone) it had a pretty good lens and a nice optical zoom on it.  The auto mode for Sports Photography did a reasonable job of capturing the action at matches, and my pictures have long graced the (now defunct) Rangers website (I do have plans to go to a game and get some of my work on the new Rooks' site!).

I also took the S7000 to my brother's wedding.  They had a professional photographer, at a cost, but upon seeing the two hundred half decent shots I got, they preferred a lot of mine to the official guy's work!  Again, I was using the automatic settings... barely photography at all, just a point and a click!

When I moved to the Surrey/Hampshire border, I was provided with a wealth of new scenery.  Ever since my Valentine's Day trip to Lydford Gorge with Phee in 2007, when I captured a curious robin, I have loved taking pictures of nature and natural landscapes.  I have always loved the great outdoors, which isn't surprising given I grew up in Devon!  But being able to capture it's beauty (and use it as a computer wallpaper!) has made me appreciate my surroundings even more.

I started taking photos when I went to the Kings Pond in Alton to feed the ducks after dropping Phee at work.  What had started as a quiet way to relax, during my most anxiety ridden times, turned into many a photo opportunity!  Indeed, I have quite the catalogue of the three (originally six) cygnets' life!

To show off my work, I have started an Artbreak account (see the right hand bar) and signed up to various other websites and forums, including the Digital Photography School site and forum (for tips and hints) and NetModel (in case I want to take portraits).  I've uploaded a few of my better photos to the Artbreak site, but new photos get added infrequently; I only want the very best of my photographs added!  Adding photos the DPS and having them critiqued helps too... a fantastic way to learn (who needs a photography degree, eh?!)

So, getting into it more, I sold my S7000 to my Mum and upgraded to a Fuji S200EXR.  This still isn't a Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera, but it does take some good pictures!  It's a superzoom bridge camera with 12 megapixels, reducing the need to zoom in too much.  I've been learning about such things as aperture and noise, although it's all very difficult to get your head around when you're only a starting amateur!

I'm having a little trouble with the settings on this new piece of kit.  With no designated sports mode, I'm having to use the shutter speed setting to get the best shots, without being too dark or blurry!  My portrait pictures seem to be okay, but I've not been able to take very many so far.  Should get Phee modelling for me more!

Most of my portrait and people pictures will be the normal posed or candid shots, but I do intend to be good at the art-nude type shots made famous by Petter Hegre, husband of Luba, and friends (as seen in the free galleries at the very NSFW Coolios site).  They will only ever be of my better half, unless it's a well paid job(!), so will not make it to my Artbreak site - unlucky!  So for now, at the very least, you'll have to entertain yourselves with those I do upload there!