Ed's Wedding Venue's Take On Health & Safety

I'm delighted that Ed Milliband has decided to get married and I am sure that those cynics who see it as a  political ploy to satisfy those who have pointed out that he is the first Labour Party Leader to have been cohabiting are wrong. Marriage is a great institution and Ed and his fiancee Justine have chosen a wonderful venue for their nuptials in Langar Hall just outside Nottingham. This is how it looked in March last year when we celebrated our friends' daughter's twenty first at the hall and I blogged that it looked like a Tuscan farmhouse in the balmy early spring sunshine. Our friends' children studied at Nottingham University and they often used Langar Hall as a base for visits and family celebrations.

I noticed this sign in the grounds of the hall on our last visit and wonder if it will still be there when Ed and his party celebrate. It's a bit of a laugh but it's not exactly PC is it? No doubt a party official will ensure that before the wedding it is replaced by full instructions on how to walk in the grounds safely and provide guests with a hard copy for them to read and an acknowledgement to sign.

A few weeks ago I proclaimed on here that we were preparing for a blitz on eBay and getting together a pile of antiques to sell. After last week's unimpressive performance with the first nine pieces and my subsequent decision to abandon eBay the cupboard is bare and now looks like this

I took everything to the auctioneers in Leyland this morning and will just have to keep my fingers crossed that somebody takes a liking to some of it as there was a good £1,000 worth at cost. I will be happy if I get £500, some of the pieces have been sitting on the shelf for years and £500 would pay for some decent meals when we are next on holiday. I acted quickly after my decision to give up on eBay as it's quite addictive and I know that if I hadn't taken the stuff to the auction I might be tempted to start up again.

I didn't quite take everything. This bronze Japanese deity is so finely sculpted that it would be tragic to let him go for a song locally so I'll be sending photos to one of the major auction houses to see if they are interested.

Daughter Sarah is coming to stay with us next week. Her pregnancy is advanced now. This time next year we might be having conversations with the baby. I wonder if he or she will speak this language?