And the rest of the weekend - the wedding........

I can't believe I am saying this, but it is too hot and humid to be outside today. Glynis and I went to aquazumba at the crack of dawn, and I thought I would get on rearranging the garden but I am dripping already in a highly undesirable fashion. Heat I can take. Humidity? No. 

So where was I?

The wedding. Right. So I rushed indoors and up the stairs to get changed. Thank heavens I had followed suggestions and had everything, down to the earrings ready to leap into. I sent a text to Ros to ask her to keep me a seat, and took off for the church. I had to park at Glynis's house, because this was a large wedding, and there were no parking spaces anywhere near. 

It was a lovely wedding. 

As I belted through the church door, I did see the bunting over the entrance, and it looked lovely. In fact, I gather it only came down yesterday. It was still up on Sunday and, as there was another wedding after Kat and Will's, they will have had it up too. It is nice it got a good airing!

Confetti time (rose petals) at the entrance. Under the bunting. See? It looked great. Such a relief.

But nothing compared to the relief I felt when I got to the reception and asked to go and see the marquee (and the bunting) before the guests went in there after aperitifs. It looked beautiful. The marquee looked stunning, and the tables were just lovely.

After the delicious wedding breakfast , everyone moved to the lounge/bar while the marquee was set up for the evening session, and more guests arrived, and there was a great deal of chatter and laughter there too - and a lot of recapping of the concert the night before, and then everyone moved back into the marquee for the dancing and the BBQ buffet. I tell you, the organisation was excellent, and the bride was so beautiful and so happy - as was the groom.

Half the tables were taken away, so the dance floor could be expanded, and just the simplest of decorations remained. See? The groom's Mum did the flowers with the help of her friends, and the table arrangements in the jugs were a triumph. I need to get some cream enamel jugs. Beautiful. And the bunting in the background looked lovely.

I can't tell you how happy I was to see it work well. It didn't matter how many people (who put it up) said it was good, I needed to see myself. Perfectionist. I know. It is a trial being me at times.

I didn't get to stay for the dancing. The first dance of the bride and groom was to a recording and I was lulled into a false sense of security. I completely forgot what loud music would do, so there I sat at a table with 10 of my friends, happily enjoying myself, and the band leader announced that the party was about to start. One drum roll and I levitated and shot out of there so fast doing my roadrunner impression with the stick. Wooden floor. Vibrations. Sound.  I tried the lounges, but the old stone walls of this Hall (stunning place - a little stately home) and high ceilings meant that the music followed me everywhere, so I ended up in the middle of the courtyard on the pebbles in the freezing cold. I thought I would get near the BBQ to warm up, but the caterers were all very busy there, and the music was still loud enough to be uncomfortable. Nicky came to find me and said they would all take turns coming out to be with me, risking hypothermia, but in the end, I sent them a message and left to come home.

I was very tired anyway, and I had been at the best part of the wedding celebration, and to be frank, I was asleep on the couch 15mins after crawling through the door. At 9pm. The staying power has left the premises.

It was a lovely,lovely wedding, and the bride's Mum was there, minus the leg brace at last, looking beautiful in her dove grey/blue outfit. I am so glad she (Sue) was well enough to be with her daughter, and really, she looked amazing, given that she had been so ill so recently. She showed incredible strength and determination, and was very sensible about resting too. Unlike other people who shall remain nameless.

So the weekend was just one celebration after another. On Sunday, I didn't surface until near noon, and Ros and Martyn dropped their son, Tom, here in the late afternoon, before heading for their flight back to Scotland. Tom spent the night before catching the train to Glasgow on Monday morning. Jean and I dropped him at the station, and then headed into town to get another bathing costume as mine was showing signs of imminent disintegration, which would not have been in the least bit amusing. And after that, we popped into a garden centre for coffee before coming home. Via a few other shops for essentials like chocolate at Lidl. Their dark chocolate is superb.

And since then, apart from going to aqua, I have been relaxing. Yes. Me. Linds. Relaxing. I have been sitting out in the garden till after 8 at night, just visualising what it will look like in a month's time, and thinking. This week has been declared a rest week. Ye Olde Leg has gone on strike. But, the patriotic ripple is finished at last - it is far too hot to crochet blankets in this weather, so I started on some little flowers for the summer decorations on the all year/4 season tree in my kitchen. Bright little flowers. Quick. Simple. Fun. And they keep me sitting down on the couch.

The relaxing time spent in the garden has led to my thoughts veering off in increasingly interesting directions, and I always forget to take pen and paper out with me to jot them down. Memo to Linds: Remember pen and paper. I keep thinking that I should write about this that or the next thing, and then I sit here and have forgotten the lot.

The temps seem set to stay in the mid 20s for the next 5 days, which is great. Hopefully the weather will be good for NEXT weekend, because that is Jubilee Weekend and Monday and Tuesday are holidays. The nation will be out having fun!

I am now off to inspect the water butts. And to find a bucket. We still have water restrictions here, but I am exempt. Irtonic really, because I neevr use the hosepipe anyway!