Happy and sad

It's snowy - unusually for us - and rather cold. One more day of college before the holidays; rather than working, I would really prefer to be finalising the preparations for Christmas. I use the word "finalising" in its loosest sense.

We were at a wedding on Saturday, which didn't help the preparations but which was a very happy occasion - and yet in some ways a sad one.

The bride's mother died about 18 months ago and her father made a very emotional speech in which he kept breaking down.

The groom, N, is the lovely, lovely son of a friend I met at teacher training college in 1972. He's the same age as Daughter 2 and just exactly the sort of young man I'd like for a son-in-law (though I love my actual son-in-law). His father died in tragic circumstances when he and his brother were, I think, 11 and 10, and my friend, who's a wonderful, positive, inspiring person with a huge enthusiasm for life, has brought up these two fantastic boys. The younger son, D, was the best man and made the most hilarious best man's speech I've ever heard. His comic timing was superb. Yet it was touching too: he paid tribute to his father and to the fact that, as he said, his mum had "shown [him and his brother] how to be men". Then, as an example, he quoted her saying, "N - teach D to shave!"

And I had such mixed emotions - the young couple are both very clever, very good-looking, very loved and very much in love. I hope life is wonderful for them. And yet, as the groom said, you don't know what lies in store and you must seize your happiness when you have the chance.

There were lots of handsome chaps dancing in whirling kilts, Anna.

I think this is the first wedding I've attended of a young man whose nappy I've changed.