NOT the rehearsal dinner

3 sons, on the balcony, waiting for the BBQ. #1 son looking nonchalant and uninvolved (he hates having his photos taken, Saturday will be such a tria)l, #2 son looking into space and apologies to #3 son who must have blinked as I snapped. He doesn't normally look so glaikit, but at least HE'S smiling.

Tonight we invited the Foos to a BBQ. The original plan had been to go out to a nice restaurant in town but somehow that got changed. So off to Utama 1 first thing with the bride (still sniffling) and the groom to buy BBQ food. They'd been up till 2 finalising the order of service design, #2 son had been up early recceing the blackening site so after we came back I was the only one left standing.

I made some salady stuff, the bride got up to go off for her facial and then once the other 2 surfaced we tidied and cleaned the apartment, mopping floors with a cleaner that made them smell like marzipan.

The bride came back with the beers (KL seems to be out a of Tiger, astonishing!). #1 son put the BBQ on and #3 son and gf arrived back from their excursion to the Batu Caves, and we waited.

The Foos had been invited for 6, so were expected by 6.30 but arrived at 20 to 8 by which time we were eating and the coals were cooling. They live in the next block but the bridesmaids had been shopping. So there was no opportunity to share the fizz which was cooling in the fridge and mark the next stage in the joining together of two families.

It's difficult, the language barrier. Although the Foos all speak English, and the girls all spik it perfectly being at tertiary education in either Australia or the UK, they speak Mandarin to each other, as we speak English. Inevitably there are two groups, the 5 of us speaking English and the 6 speaking Mandarin. And who am I to complain, I have no Mandarin, but it is difficult to find much in common with her parents who are clearly more comfortable speaking their own language.

And they are not great fans of BBQ food. After just over an hour her father left to go home and the bride her mother and the bridesmaids poured over the seating plan, which is all her side apart from the 4 of us and 2 of us are at the top table. #3 son and girlfriend sat and chatted together and #2 son continued to arrange tomorrow night and talk about his speech. he now has a deadline.

After they left G heard that the caller - had called off. I gave him some motherly advice about his future tonight. I wonder if he'll take it.

M and S went back to the hotel, the bride went to bed to nurse her cold, G and A went off to the pub and I watched Rhod Gilbert on BBC Knowledge.

So not really a 'Rehearsal Dinner'. Just proves Plan A is usually better. Let's hope a bad rehearsal means a good performance.