Today...

...I went for a walk in Templehofer Park. For shame I have never been there before due to last stage terminal laziness. But in my new spirit of Being a Better Me I dragged myself along (I hadn't left the house since Friday evening, disgusting). And d'you know what? It was lovely. All misty and crazy looking and really flat. Full of weird "art" and cool dogs and also some mean looking dogs, but they were in the little fenced off bit so that was okay. I should mention I'm not some weird dog-fearer, this one was just really mean.

Then I went for a potter about in the neighbourhood next to mine, that bit with the Schillerpromenade and Herrfurthplatz in it. It was nice, I love aimlessly wandering round another Kiez, particularly if it's close enough to my house to make discovering a new bar or cafe doubly exciting. I did peer into one promising looking one on Selchower strasse that I am going to properly check out when I get the chance. I love a good cafe, and I need to make the most of them before the summer comes and I spend all my free time down by the kanal drinking Augustiner and Tegenseer Hell and wondering if I'll ever really, truly, totally want to leave this city.

More Wedding Stuff

And then I will stop, I promise.

At the ceremony, which was in the lovely Armagh Registry Office/Council Chambers, Steven and I walked in (together, European style. I think. They do it in Greece, anyway) to this song, my cousin read the lyrics to this as our reading, my brothers played this one, and then we walked out to this.

I want to do it ALL OVER AGAIN.

Megan's Top Wedding Tips

Just in case you're in the market. I can honestly say it was the best day I can ever remember, so if you'd like to hear how we did it, read on....

#1 Marry someone you adore to the end of their fingertips (seriously, I love his fingertips). Sounds obvious, seems like a lot of people overlook it.

#2 Get a dress that makes you feel like a gazillion dollars, but that is not actually a gazillion dollars. Seriously, the MONEY people spend on ONE DRESS that they will wear ONCE. I adored my dress but the fact that I got it for considerably less than a gazillion dollars meant that I didn't have to freak out when it ended up a bit frayed by my bracelet, and a wee tiny bit covered in red wine and Guiness by the end of the night.

#3 If you can persuade them, get someone you love to perform at your ceremony, not some random strangers. My brothers played and sang this song and it made me cry. In a really good way.

#4 If you can, at all, have some of the day at home. We had drinks in my granny's house, then lunch in my mum's (they are next door to each other). It was lovely. You should try to do it because home is home and function rooms are not and they often have weird carpets.

#5 Have the party in your favourite local pub. Everyone will have the best time, if our party is anything to go by. Plus strangers tell you you're beautiful all night, and you'll never have to buy a drink. What's not to love?

The Missus.

Yup, that's me. A married woman. Hence why I haven't blogged in AN AGE. Too busy getting married and doing the necessary gin drinking and comedy dancing that constitute our family gatherings. But yes, I'm back in the land of reality now (as much as I ever am... Jesus, doesn't that sound lame? Like I see myself as some free-spirit hippie fairy. I don't, I'm just a bit vague, is what I'm getting at). And as my Lenten bit I am going to post something every day for the next forty days. And if not every day then at least one for every day (I have to catch up a bit already), if you get me. It was either this or joining the gym and going three times a week. This won. Needless to say.

Right, okay, interesting stuff...I've been discovering lots of new blogs lately. This is of course because of the large gap left in my blogosphere by the departure of the Wedding Blogs. We shall not speak of the WBs again, as they are truly, truly ridiculous to anyone but wimmen planning their "Big Day". Though there seem to be a huge volume of women who keep reading them even after their wedding has been and gone. Really? How can you like weddings that much? I mean, I LOVED my own but it was, you know, mine. Anyway, yes, so I've resorted to my old favourites, food and pretty pictures blogs.

Joy the Baker (I want to move into her kitchen and become her friend and have her bake me treats all day. In a non-creepy way. Maybe...)

Erin Ever After (I like the things she likes)

Have a read, Internet Folks, you like blogs, you like food (if you don't please stop reading this blog, it is NOT FOR YOUR KIND), you probably like pretty things, and so you might just like these.

How to have a cheap and delicious dinner...

...because this blog was actually supposed to be about being broke in Berlin and what to do about it, rather than my endless ramblings.

1. Take the day old baguette off the kitchen counter and run it under a little water. Stick it in the oven at about 150 degrees for 10 mins. Stale to lovely and crunchy and soft-in-the-middle in two easy steps! Fry two free-range eggs (seriously, I am not usually too fussy about food but battery eggs, really? Really?) in (quite a lot) of butter. Not oil, butter. If butter is important enough for me to have a really embarrassing strop with my fiance in Karstadt about it's good enough for you to fry your eggs in. While they are frying up salt and pepper 'em liberally. Take the bit of salad that is just about to go a bit wrong out of the bottom of the fringe, pick out the really dodgy bits and put some salt, balsamic vinegar and olive oil on it. Enjoy, I know I did!

2. Get a doener from the place just at Rathaus Neukoelln U Bahn. Can't remember the name but the sign is vaguely orange and you have to go up steps into it. Their meat is all delicious and stewed tasting. They also do a fine lentil soup.

3. Make soup. It is literally the most bestest thing to do in the winter. It is also easy peasy. 1 part onion, 1 part potato, 1 part other vegetable (or mix of vegetables), 4 parts stock, plus seasoning. The blend that shit up with one of those funky hand held thingymajiggys and eat it with bread and your lovely friends who have come to help you out with wedding invitations. Gals, I love y'all.

Things I need to stop doing...

...now that I am about to become a Proper Grown Up Married Person.

# 1. Always being hungover on Thursdays.

# 2. And Tuesdays.

# 3. Having half a bag of cheese nachos as "an hors d'oevre".

# 4. Only doing laundry when begged by the Betrothed or when the pile behind the door makes it difficult to open said door.

# 5. Relying on kebabs for my vegetable intake.

I'm sick but I'm definitely not pretty...

Dear lord, that's it. I am giving up the high life. I'm just not able for it anymore. I'm not sure I've ever been so sick in my life. And in the actual street. I should be banned, or at least more heavily regulated. This always happens when the Betrothed is away, I think I can just slip back into my former party girl ways with barely a ripple but no, no, no I cannot. It takes training and dedication to get as wasted as I used to and emerge unscathed, one can't just do it on a whim. So yes, until the time comes when I'm ready to do fully-fledged alcoholic mania, I am out.

If you'll excuse me, I have to go get ready for the pub. As Alanis probably wouldn't say, seeing as her grasp of the concept appears to be so tenuous, isn't it ironic?