Oh, by the way....

Today had a grand surprise in it.

I was at work, tooling away doing my thing.  Indeed I was working away at the computer when one of the women I work with mentioned that she was getting married today.

'Yeah yeah yeah' I said.

'No, really!  I'm getting married today!'  She's in her early 50's divorced with two adult kids and a long time partner.

I turn around, 'your kidding me!'

'No!  I'm getting married today!'

NO WAY!!!!!!!!

Yes way.  It was very cool.  She wasn't infact getting married, the Catalans have an intermediate stage which I suppose is like a formalised common-law status, but you do have to go down to the town hall and sign a paper and register.  She's trying to be all cool about this, but they did decide to wait till her husband's birthday, and she did mention it to me.  And looked kind of pleased.

So I mention it to another woman and word spreads.  Later, about half an hour before we go for lunch, I hear great shrieking and laughing.  This happens often enough that it is not worth going to investigate, sort of a normal state of the place.  My bud comes back and mentions that one of the women wanted to go to the town hall and throw rice at them as the come out.  Sadly we were banned.

She wouldn't even let us go to the hall, even if we promised not to bring rice.

Fine, fine, fine.

She packed up and left a few minutes early, we all wished her well from where we were working and off she went.  I gave her long enough to get around the corner - maybe 45 seconds - and tore down to the other office where everyone else was working.  Said we had to go and at least shake their hands as they came out.  Delighted hope on all faces.  I said we had too.  We stormed out of there so fast the papers were spinning off the tables in the turbulence.  One woman, in three inch heels took off running through town in search of flowers, and got some!  Another woman and I went off towards the town hall, walking slowly so that they would be inside when we got there.  As we crested the hill we saw her sitting on the church steps in the sun waiting.  We tried to run for it, but she'd spotted us.  When we got there she was still talking to her partner on the cell phone and made some funny derogatory comments about us, called us 'bledes' which are chards.  Used for silly women.

He showed up a bit later, as did the woman with the flowers, and youngest who happened to be going by.

We were banned from going in to the town hall by the happy couple.  We asked if we could stand outside the glass doors while they signed.  OK.

I kept sticking my mobile in through the doors to take photos and it makes a REALLY loud clicking noise, so they kept turning around and catching me.  Finally the people who work there waved us in.  (Small town, I know half of them anyway) and invited me around to take their picture from the front.  Then urged me to go further in.  Finally one of the guys there got out a camera and took all of our pictures.

Then we went to lunch.

It was delightful and hilarious and good fun.

The fellow at the town hall had already sent the photos by the time we got back from lunch.  When I got to work the 'bride' saw me coming and ran down the hall laughing to drag me in and see them.  Then another person spent part of the evening photoshopping them a bit.

What a delight.

Lovely.

So glad they don't hate us for it too.