Is and I have shifted over to London! Its a great city. Such a buzz and so many differrent cultures and people squeezed into this big city. They even have self service checkouts in the supermarkets! How bizarre.
We landed up in Scotland first. Tilda was getting married and we were both invited to the hens night in Edinburgh. We ended up at a show called DrvSketchies. A burlesque show where you were gven charcol and paper and got to sketch the performers. We got there quite late unfortunately so we didn't get to see much. We did however get to see the lovely Till on all fours, but elegantly nursing a glass of champagne, between the spread legs and rather shapely bottom of a scantily clad man.
We were lucky enough to be living with the bride and groom up in Invernesse for the week leading up to the wedding. It was really lovely! It meant Is got to keep her sane and it meant we got to know Steve - her hubby to be a little bit before the big day. What a lovely man! We'd only really seen him before at our own wedding the year before and weddings being weddings Neither of us had really had much of a chance to speak to him then. We had had a camp dance off at one point though where my wife claims we snogged. I insist that it was only a very manly peck on the lips. We knew of him though and knew how wonderful he made Till feel so really he had us at hello! Their house is gorgeous. Lots of bits and pieces he'd brought back from his time in Indonesia and a cinema! Literally a cinema! One of their rooms was empty except for a giant screen and a projector. We got to see the new tartan as it arrved, get drunk with the pair of them a few nights and help them get the final things ready. There really wasn't much to do though. Such organised kids! I did get to go to Till's kickboxing session though which was a lot of fun. Her instructor teaches in a room of his flat. We were greted at the door by an enormous and incredibly friendly german shepherd. Who after saying hello to every one went and sat in the next room. The instructor took a little time sussing me out, but seemed to warm to me after that and we got on with the workout. I must admit I was pretty out of shape, but it was a joy just to be training again. Anyway enough of that.
The whole wedding was a bit of a magical mystery tour. We were driven to a hotel in the middle of Scotland the day before called "The Boat of Garten" which could only be reached by road or a steam train. I was reacquainted with Guiness in the bar and gradually all the rellies from each side arrived. We had a lovely dinner and got nicely drunk togeher. By the way, haggis is delicious! Its like mince but with a slightly different texture and with really nice spices mixed in. Apparently a scottish poet wrote a massive poem called ode to the haggis and they have a national day in its honour.
Anyway, the next day we all got up and frantically tried to iron shirts and skirts. The girls all went and fussd over Till, the men all pottered around and asked if anyone had brought shoe polish.
Finally all was ready and we piled into a few busses and were driven through some of the most beautiful countryside I've ever seen.
(Go Itunes - the coolest Indian bollywood/trance song has just come on - which reminds me Till, I've got one of your cd's in my computer still)
We arrived at the shore of this incredible loch. Beauiful green mountains rising in the distance and the shore surrounded by woods and heather. We milled around for a while as Steve appeared from behind an island in a canoe paddled by his bst man and came ashore to direct us to the right place. He looked amazing! dressed in a crimson jacket with the mostly blue with hints of red tarten that he and Till had created and named "Frogalletto" (long story).
So while we stood by the shore with the groom and all his family resplendent in tartan up pulled a combi van decorated in pink bows and out stepped the faerie queen and her attendants. Till looked gorgeous in a white translucent dress that seemed to glow and het bridesmaids were equally as beautiful. She was led down by children clad in pastels wands and fairy wings and when the bride saw her groom resplendent in all his Scottish finery she blurted out "Its beautiful! Just like a shortbread tin!"
The service was one of thelovliest ever. Their personalities came through in every aspect of it. The words were their own and the feeling in everything was so strong! The did a handfastenng ceremony and lit candles together and made their vows to each other and faced their families the whole time. There wasnt a dry eye in the place.
At the end the children jumped in the canoe and the bride and groom climbed into their combi and drove away. The rest of us made our way back to the busses and were driven to a train station. We waited here for a while drinking cocktails watching the bikes from the local biker rally that happened to be on and dancing to the bands playing in the parking lot of the pub across the road until a staem train arrived!
We were ushered on to this gorgeous train by the beautiful couple - who had rejoined us by now - and fed champagne as we chugged along through the bautiful Scottish countryside to end up at our hotel!
After that we all headed in for more cocktails some really moving speeches and dinner where we feasted on lamb and sweet potatoe gnocchi before a band started up and we were invited to dance a kaylee. I'd nver seen this before but it was loads of fun, though dangerous on a full belly. All the dancers had different names and pattererns but mainly seemed to involve twirling your partner around as fast as you hould and bouncing up and down the room. It was a wonderful way to finish such a beautiful day. Is and I had such beautiful rooms we couldnt bear to leave them and stayed an extra day.
Well the trip down after that wasnt so interesting. Two words bank-holiday.
The stay at Is's parents house in Marlowe was nice though. We rested and I got to drive a tracor. But now we are back at her folks house in London and nice as they are, we are dead keen to get some work so we can move out to a nice little share house somewhere. So the job hunting is on! I am looking forward to late September though when David Peterson - my old kung fu instructor is coming out to Southhampton to host a seminar. It will be great to see him again and I'm looking forward to meeting some local kung fu folks!
Anyway enough rambling for now. I'm off to eat food and job hunt. Love to everyone up North and back home!
X O X
We landed up in Scotland first. Tilda was getting married and we were both invited to the hens night in Edinburgh. We ended up at a show called DrvSketchies. A burlesque show where you were gven charcol and paper and got to sketch the performers. We got there quite late unfortunately so we didn't get to see much. We did however get to see the lovely Till on all fours, but elegantly nursing a glass of champagne, between the spread legs and rather shapely bottom of a scantily clad man.
We were lucky enough to be living with the bride and groom up in Invernesse for the week leading up to the wedding. It was really lovely! It meant Is got to keep her sane and it meant we got to know Steve - her hubby to be a little bit before the big day. What a lovely man! We'd only really seen him before at our own wedding the year before and weddings being weddings Neither of us had really had much of a chance to speak to him then. We had had a camp dance off at one point though where my wife claims we snogged. I insist that it was only a very manly peck on the lips. We knew of him though and knew how wonderful he made Till feel so really he had us at hello! Their house is gorgeous. Lots of bits and pieces he'd brought back from his time in Indonesia and a cinema! Literally a cinema! One of their rooms was empty except for a giant screen and a projector. We got to see the new tartan as it arrved, get drunk with the pair of them a few nights and help them get the final things ready. There really wasn't much to do though. Such organised kids! I did get to go to Till's kickboxing session though which was a lot of fun. Her instructor teaches in a room of his flat. We were greted at the door by an enormous and incredibly friendly german shepherd. Who after saying hello to every one went and sat in the next room. The instructor took a little time sussing me out, but seemed to warm to me after that and we got on with the workout. I must admit I was pretty out of shape, but it was a joy just to be training again. Anyway enough of that.
The whole wedding was a bit of a magical mystery tour. We were driven to a hotel in the middle of Scotland the day before called "The Boat of Garten" which could only be reached by road or a steam train. I was reacquainted with Guiness in the bar and gradually all the rellies from each side arrived. We had a lovely dinner and got nicely drunk togeher. By the way, haggis is delicious! Its like mince but with a slightly different texture and with really nice spices mixed in. Apparently a scottish poet wrote a massive poem called ode to the haggis and they have a national day in its honour.
Anyway, the next day we all got up and frantically tried to iron shirts and skirts. The girls all went and fussd over Till, the men all pottered around and asked if anyone had brought shoe polish.
Finally all was ready and we piled into a few busses and were driven through some of the most beautiful countryside I've ever seen.
(Go Itunes - the coolest Indian bollywood/trance song has just come on - which reminds me Till, I've got one of your cd's in my computer still)
We arrived at the shore of this incredible loch. Beauiful green mountains rising in the distance and the shore surrounded by woods and heather. We milled around for a while as Steve appeared from behind an island in a canoe paddled by his bst man and came ashore to direct us to the right place. He looked amazing! dressed in a crimson jacket with the mostly blue with hints of red tarten that he and Till had created and named "Frogalletto" (long story).
So while we stood by the shore with the groom and all his family resplendent in tartan up pulled a combi van decorated in pink bows and out stepped the faerie queen and her attendants. Till looked gorgeous in a white translucent dress that seemed to glow and het bridesmaids were equally as beautiful. She was led down by children clad in pastels wands and fairy wings and when the bride saw her groom resplendent in all his Scottish finery she blurted out "Its beautiful! Just like a shortbread tin!"
The service was one of thelovliest ever. Their personalities came through in every aspect of it. The words were their own and the feeling in everything was so strong! The did a handfastenng ceremony and lit candles together and made their vows to each other and faced their families the whole time. There wasnt a dry eye in the place.
At the end the children jumped in the canoe and the bride and groom climbed into their combi and drove away. The rest of us made our way back to the busses and were driven to a train station. We waited here for a while drinking cocktails watching the bikes from the local biker rally that happened to be on and dancing to the bands playing in the parking lot of the pub across the road until a staem train arrived!
We were ushered on to this gorgeous train by the beautiful couple - who had rejoined us by now - and fed champagne as we chugged along through the bautiful Scottish countryside to end up at our hotel!
After that we all headed in for more cocktails some really moving speeches and dinner where we feasted on lamb and sweet potatoe gnocchi before a band started up and we were invited to dance a kaylee. I'd nver seen this before but it was loads of fun, though dangerous on a full belly. All the dancers had different names and pattererns but mainly seemed to involve twirling your partner around as fast as you hould and bouncing up and down the room. It was a wonderful way to finish such a beautiful day. Is and I had such beautiful rooms we couldnt bear to leave them and stayed an extra day.
Well the trip down after that wasnt so interesting. Two words bank-holiday.
The stay at Is's parents house in Marlowe was nice though. We rested and I got to drive a tracor. But now we are back at her folks house in London and nice as they are, we are dead keen to get some work so we can move out to a nice little share house somewhere. So the job hunting is on! I am looking forward to late September though when David Peterson - my old kung fu instructor is coming out to Southhampton to host a seminar. It will be great to see him again and I'm looking forward to meeting some local kung fu folks!
Anyway enough rambling for now. I'm off to eat food and job hunt. Love to everyone up North and back home!
X O X