hellison | (no subject)

In case you can't be bothered reading it, here are the photos - http://eatin.fotopic.net/c619980.html

So, the weekend in full!

Friday started well, last minute tidying and packed then just made it to the airport in time (phew). Flight was actually on time, but getting the bags at the other end took forever. However eventually they appeared and I got out to find

littlebluefish and

kyrptykfysh waiting and off we set.

Getting out of Bristol took a while (as always) but once that was done we were off on our merry way, happily trundling down motorways, with occasional updates from

mivvvv who was about an hour ahead of us. All was going well and we were making good time until the HORROR of the closed M20. A whole section of it was shut due to a crashed cement lorry, just after the junction we needed to get off at.
We had intended to leave at the previous junction but someone (HI MIV) told us to go on, it was better ahead. What we didn't realise was that by this time we had passed him and it was very much NOT better ahead. In fact it was a huge and very hot carpark for the next few miles. So we sat. And sat. And sat, occasionally phoning Miv to blame him for it all, until we discovered he was actually just behind us in the outside lane. So we made faces at him instead.
Eventually traffic started moving and we crawled our way along, with much starting and stopping towards J8 and FREEDOM. Finally made it to the hotel at about 9, luckily just in time for dinner, hurrah!
The others -

taffyd,

mollow,

anavrinny and

heliotic - were already there and had very thoughtfully ordered starters which we promptly stole because we were STARVING (having been in the car for at least 6 hours by this point). Dinner was followed by pints out in the courtyard of the pub, until they asked us to move in because we were keeping everyone else awake (imagine that!).

Eventually we all headed off to our various rooms where we discovered, to much rejoicing, that they had provided FREE JAFFA CAKES.
Best. Hotel. Ever.
After some fun with hats, windows and golf playing lizards, we eventually went to bed and I fell asleep to the dulcet tones of Miv muttering 'Fucking ants!' in the next bed.

Saturday dawned another beautifully hot day, tho I'm not sure that was appreciated by the zombies who staggered down for breakfast muttering 'toast tooooast'. Gradually we all assembled and fed the hangovers. After breakfast we sat outside for a bit and visited the bakery across the road and sampled many of its various wares, most of which turned out to be not nearly as tasty as they looked alas. Then, since we had many hours before the wedding, everyone very sensibly went back to bed. Or at least I did, I'm assuming the others did too ;p
Hours passed lazily til it was time to get ready and go. The wedding venue, Chilton Park (?) was a beautiful spot, a really lovely setting, particularly in the sunshine. We met Greg, who was being Very Nervous then went to find some shade til it all began.
The ceremony itself was brief, Bryony looked amazingly lovely (v. impressive corsetry too m'dear!) and they both looked incredibly happy (and somewhat dazed ;p).
Then followed the usual photo sessions, accompanied by champagne to keep the rabble happy (which it did!) until it was time for dinner. Lots of v. tasty food, and more wine to help things along. Dessert also provided entertainment in the form of mollow eating a peach whole. We were worried at one point he wasn't going to make it, but he did it!
Speeches were all v. touching, especially Greg who made all the girls cry!

Formalities over we headed off to the disco to make eejits of ourselves, which is of course the true highlight of any wedding ;p The many odd aches and pains I am still discovering would seem to suggest that we were very sucessful at that part. Things get a little hazy after that but I do recall wandering off to go find the stream thing and not realising I walked over it on a bridge, also mistaking Greg's brother for Greg about 5 mins after he'd told me B & G had just left in taxis. In my defense it was dark and they were wearing the same clothes...

Eventually the night had to end, which is when we discovered to our HORROR (well my horror anyway) that there were no taxis to be had and we'd have to walk back to our hotel. Most of the party had already forged ahead, so by the time Sally convinced me we really would have to walk they were well ahead. So off our little band of 3 set, stumbling along in the darkness, the silence of the night broken only by me muttering 'don't WANNA walk' once or twice...

After some time we were joined by another of the guests who suddenly loomed out of the darkness behind us (give me quite a shock ;p) and seemed to think he could stay on someone's floor. Alas this was not so, but he walked with us anyway. The walk most mostly uneventful otherwise, except for when I was Unexpectedly ATTACKED by a PUMA while leaping out of the way of a car (it was a very narrow road). Others may try to say it was a bramble bush, but they are FOOLS. It was a vicious PUMA and it nearly had my leg off. Honest. I have SCARS to prove it too (see photos).
After that, in order to keep up spirits and scare off any other lurking wildlife, Brian and I entertained the others in fine Irish tradition with stirring renditions of various songs we couldn't remember the words of. I think we may have entertained most of the village too, several lights came on as we passed.

Finally the hotel was reached, we bid goodnight to our fellow travellor and went off to bed. Tho first Miv helpfully recreated the Puma Incident with a pillow, bed cover, shoes and of course the hat. Rather UNHELPFULLY he tested the accuracy of my description of how painful it was by whacking me on the leg to see if it really was sore.
It was.

Unfortunately my dignified stomp off to bed was ruined by entangling myself in a plastic bag on the floor and pitching onto the bed in a less than dignified heap at which point I decided to stay put, since being on my feet was obviously not working out. And so the day ended!

Sunday dawned also hot and sunny and was a much less eventful day. Had breakfast, got packed up and showered and reassembled to say Farewells and head off in our various directions. Luckily the traffic was much much better and we reached Sally's house in about 2.5 hours (not 6). In fact we made such good time we got there long before Sally, but thankfully Ally was there to let us in. Miv headed off back to wales and the pub, while Ally took myself and Summer for ice cream, yay!
The afternoon was spent lazing about in Stroud with much drinking water and quiet reading til it was time to head back to the airport. Flight was delayed so we killed time with eating, wandering aimlessly and purchasing the new harry potter book, which Julie immediately took possession of. Finally got back home about 11ish, collapsed on sofa and all was good.

A wonderful weekend ;) The wedding was beautiful and other than the M20, everything went very smoothly. Huge thanks to Sally for all the Supar Organising, finding us a great hotel (FREE jaffa cakes), then getting us extra discounted discount, for all the driving and putting up with us being hungover around her house on sunday.

Today, Lazing. Rest of the week - sightseeing and Stuff with John and Julie, yay ;)