Kids awake just after 6.00, so plenty of time for breakfast and packing and all that stuff.
Left the house around 9.00.
Light traffic and light snow (!!!) arriving at the farm in good time just before 11.00.
What were we going to find?
Certainly not what we were expecting.
The bag packed and by the door in the sun lounge was the most welcome sign, and a beaming M had the kettle on all ready, shaved and wearing clean shoes!!
Hugs and smiles all round and a great couple of hours playing hide and seek around the barns and football in the meadow while Trx and her dad had a long catch up.
Left the farm after lunch 12.45.
He even remembered the route across country to pick up the A1 at Sandy, which was a revelation. I think we have all rather underestimated his mental recovery from last year's stroke.
Sent D a text to say dad was with us, which of course made his day too. Even last night he was preparing himself for the worst, and so not surprising that he too has happy and excited when we arrived in Stamford just after 2.00. Early, and we didn't get lost.
Hurray for me - proudly saying that if I've been somewhere once I can always find it again.
What a beautiful town - birthplace of our very own vicar, no less. Co-inkydink number one…
Except for the park That's shit.
They have chavs in Stamford too it seems. There's a Lidl and everything ;-)
The wedding was absolutely incredible. I haven't been to many, but this was in a different league, well beyond my experience. Great relationships between all the Reds and the whole camaraderie of the military boys is a revelation. Everyone was SO nice and the amount of compliment we got about the kids was an abundance of embarrassment.
True, they did behave well in the church and cope with the i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-y long reception, but we wouldn't have expected anything different. SO many people came up to us and made the kindest comments - and a lot had heard "all about our wonderful family" from Dave.
We must be doing something right.
Someone said "I've left my two boys with their grandma. They'd have trashed this place by now..."
What a position ot be in, and to say that about your own kids???
Hey ho.
Highlight for me personally was being asked to say grace before the meal - which I was only given about half an hour's notice to do.
God presenting me with a challenge, knowing that I was up to it and would benefit from the experience. i did enormously - it's an honour I won't forget in a hurry.
Co-inky dink number two:
We're driving from Stamford to Oakham for the reception, past Rutland Water. Everything looked familiar,a s these places often do from my twitching days, until I began to feel oddly ill-at-ease driving down the lane to the hotel.
It's only in the village where Katie used to live (War Games With Katherine, and all that!!
Twenty one years passed in the blink of an eye.
She was there
Reflected in the windows
In the flames
Dancing in that dress and
Laughing with that voice
Ashes in the grate
And dust on my sleeve
I felt agin her hand on my hand
Across the table
Long streams of silence
Connecting memories again
Just a glance
And the glancer's gone...

And M insisted he stayed through the speeches and everything, so we didn't return to Stamford until well after nine.
Three kids all slept in one bed with no fuss. Knackered.
Until 6.00
So we had four hours sleep.
I knew the wine when we got back to the house was a mistake, but hey, when the lady wants to play,
Who am I to say?