I've only been back from Spain for two weeks, and already I'm drowning in all the news that I haven't put on my blog since then! It's been a hectic couple of weeks, with two weddings and several catchings-up with people I haven't seen in ages.

In brief:

I have spent many hours finally adding to the photos section of my website. Yes, there for all to see are pictures from Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand. But that's not all folks! There are more to come, from my diving exploits in Thailand & Malaysia and from my weddings in the UK.

I was in the Forest of Dean, just on the Welsh border near Bristol, staying in a country pub and being a guest at a wedding "up at the Castle" in Clearwell. Mike & Lindsey both looked fabulous, and the party was officially great. At least, that's what my sore head the next day is telling me. And as for the pub I was staying in, well let's just say that my lunch was the largest (and tasty!) portion of tasty chicken & leek pie I've ever known.

I was at a wedding in Lapworth, near Birmingham. Rob & Nonie are two friends of mine from my working days, and it was lovely to catch up not only with them but also with a host of people from Powergen (or should I say E.ON? Ah, the joys of rebranding!) who I haven't seen for some time. There was free booze, free cheese and groovy live music. All in all, a great wedding!

I was in Cheltenham, and had an outing to Malvern, with my old uni friend Rachel & her partner Aaron. The weather did its best to dampen our spirits, but thankfully Rachel had some home-brewed parsnip wine to counteract the wind & rain. And their local pub provided some very unexpected entertainment! I was warned that it was "usually a bit quiet on a Friday night" but in fact the sex, drugs & violence we witnessed were what I would call "definitely not quiet"; I might even go so far as to say it was "bloody loud" in there! Ah, madcap pubs.

I have been visiting various friends in the West Midlands and the South (including Gareth, Selena, Carolyn, Mike, and Iris), and will continue to do so over the next few days, before heading back to my brother's in Guildford and handing back the hire car. Many thanks go to Ruth & Andy, for putting me up and for giving me unrestricted access to some high-speed internet. Slowly but surely I am pulling my travel plans for the next few months together. Cheers, guys!

The least fun part of the last few weeks has been the ongoing stress with my letting agents in Leam. My flat is currently standing empty, and there has been a catalogue of errors which have tried my patience. Added to which, I have had to spend two whole days getting the garden into a habitable state. But at least I got a bit of sunshine on my back as, teetering on the top rung of the stepladder, I swung the chainsaw overhead and slowly brought my long hedge back down to an almost human scale.

But the happiest news I have is that two friends of mine have recently given birth: Dawn has brought home Ethan, and Sam has had Grace. Hooray! May they live long and prosper.