This is it, no going back. Wedding booked, reception booked, plans made.

La la la.

I’m going to become Linda Mingay, which is interesting because there was a Linda Mingay until a few years ago when she became a Linda Hern. Yep, I am marrying a man whose sister was called Linda Mingay before she got married.

DM said “are you going to change your name?” To which I replied “of course”. His sister then told me that she’d been custodian of the name for twenty odd years. She was always very happy with it and she hopes that I’ll be equally happy with it.

Then DM said “if you want to, I’ll become David Alstead”! To which I replied “well, there is already one of them (my Dad) and he’s still using the name”. See what complicated lives we lead?

OK then, it’s settled – I’ll become Linda Mingay and he’ll continue to answer to David Alstead when he’s being addressed by people who think we’ve been married for years and I’m already using his name.

I’m feeling “quite special” if a little fragile because I keep seeing films/programmes about men who don’t really want to get married but feel pushed into it. I saw two in a row yesterday. DM has noticed me shrinking each time one comes on and he’s being really chivalrous by asking me again and again. I guess he means it then.

Does any of that make sense to anyone except us? Probably not.