I offered the packet to Robin, while sitting with my feet up, watching the Great British Bake Off.....aah.... then, I remembered that Robin wasn't there and I would just have to eat the whole packet myself....what a shame!
He had decided earlier in the year to go away with a group from the local Catholic Church to a small Island called Lindisfarne, off the North Coast of England, which is home to Lindisfarne castle. Having a population of around 200 and a rich history of monastacism, it is seen as an ideal place to go for some peace and contemplation. So on Monday morning we waved him off and started life without Robin for 5 days.
I know this all sounds a bit pathetic for you folks that have lived with family separation as a way of life, through work on the Oil rigs or other careers but Robin and I have rarely been apart since we met, only taking an occasional break from each other over the years. I remember feeling real pain with us being apart on those first times that I would go over to Ireland to visit family on my own or when he went to India as James had just turned 3 weeks old. Now we've mellowed and the joy of having the car and the TV remote to myself, the pleasure of starfishing when I go to bed and being able to to turn the heating off through the day without getting it switched back on again is definitely compensation for not having my best friend around for a few days.
I still had to take calls for him over the week and managed through minimal texting to keep things on an even keel with funeral directors and potential wedding couples, I'm sure he's not going to have this problem when I go away in October for 17 days!
Friday came and the texts got more frequent as he travelled up the road and I was looking forward to seeing him, hearing all about his week and filling him in on everything that had happened while he was away.
I've learnt over the years not to throw huge amounts of information at Robin as soon as he walks through the door, so I held back and we sat with a glass of wine watching some of his Sky-planner rubbish knowing that we had the whole of the next day at Paul and Donna's wedding to talk, reconnect and catch up.
Saturday arrived and I had discovered a 'not worn this year' dress in the wardrobe, being cleverly hidden by a winter coat, an M&Co sales find from 2 years ago. I gave it an iron and went out to the car to find my red shoes that had been under the back of the driver's seat since I changed to drive home from Stacey and John's wedding 3 weeks before. I told you my filing system is practically perfect....
I sat at the back of the 124 seats and waited to see who would be brave enough to come and sit beside me. Soon all the Huntly folks came in and I was joined by what looked like the Huntly rugby team, obviously a bit frustrated to be asked to come to a wedding on the first day of the world cup! My towering neighbour turned out to be a very pleasant chap called Hamish who had been abandoned by his wife and their two kids. She had to go to a family birthday party and he had decided to represent them at the wedding. We had the usual, 'Oh, your husband is the humanist' ,conversation which went really well until one of his towering companions declared that Robin had to be a humanist as there weren't any hymn sheets. Apparently they like a good hymn down in Huntly!
We decided to stick to a different topic all agreeing that Stevie Wonder is amazing and that Paul and Donna's choice of music to listen to while we waited for the bride to arrive was spot on.
After the photographer agreed to give Donna back so the wedding could commence we watched as her two sisters and two of her best friends came in wearing beautiful cappuccino chiffon dresses with a wrap over bust and deep cream lace at the shoulder and waist.
Donna followed with her Dad, Alan, and my perfectly tuned wedding crasher eye spotted that her dress was an 'Ian Stuart'. She looked so beautiful in a matching ruched cappuccino raw silk top with a chiffon gathered skirt scattered with roses. Her veil hung in layers cascading down to the floor and she smiled as she walked down the carpeted aisle to Paul.
After saying their vows, Robin declared them "Man and wife...in the presence of God" and all that without a hymn, who'd've thought it? They walked down the aisle to 'Signed, sealed, delivered' by Stevie Wonder and we all clapped, sung and danced along, I couldn't think of a more perfect song.
We had a lovely afternoon, knowing that Paul and Donna were getting a fantastic day to get their photos taken down at Duff House. The new Mrs Barclay was behind the reception desk again and told me that she and Jason were expecting.....their new puppy would be with them the next day! I hope that Cooper brings them much joy and not too many messes to clean up!
Paul and Donna welcomed us as we went in for the meal and I had a chance to see her beautiful dress close up and congratulate them. We were promptly sent back out to the foyer again as the top table guests were being piped in to their seats and we had to lead the way.
The top table was 'Hampden' and all the tables named after Scottish football players from throughout time. Robin had mentioned how the first time he had met Paul he was wearing a Scotland supporter's top and that had cemented it in Robin's mind...this was a really sound couple. Both Donna and Paul are football fans and their cake had a mini Paul in his Tottenham strip and Donna in her Manchester Utd.
As the quaiche had been passed around at the ceremony we had a chance to taste a lovely 17 year old double wood, Balvennie. The favours were, a miniature 15year old Glenfiddich for the gents and a Yankee candle in a glass holder for us ladies and Robin had been given a really unusual gift of a bottle of Glenlivet Alpha. Alan was telling us later that a limited number of this mystery whiskey was released a while back and he had managed to get a hold of a few bottles. There is next to no information on the bottle, just in matte black with a simple label. But it is now a collector's item, so that might be one we will just have to keep for our retirement fund!
Alan spoke first telling how when Donna was born, the midwife had told him that she was just like him but then she turned her the right way round! They had taken to Paul from the very start and were very happy to see him as their son-in-law. Paul gave flowers to his Mum and Donna's, giving a special thanks to his folks for putting up with him during his 'difficult years'.
Best man, Alan, told us all of Paul's habit of falling asleep on a night out and how they hadn't sussed his relationship with Donna for a while until someone had spotted him coming out of the wrong flat door one morning, he and Donna having lived next door to each other.
There were five courses in the meal, so I paced myself, choosing the lighter option of carrot and corainder soup, instead of broth and salmon instead of chicken and was quite proud to say that by the time pudding came, despite a delicious mango sorbet between courses, I managed to eat a small bit before admitting defeat. It was all beautifully cooked, served piping hot with lovely crisp steamed veg. I really feel that over this year that the Springs have improved their food, having a finesse that it didn't have a while ago and all this served by the very efficient and attentive staff, even going to get me tartare sauce when I asked. thank you guys.
We managed to roll ourselves out of our seats and in to a seat outside in the foyer while the staff turned the room around for the evening and Wonderland set up for our entertainment. Guests were flowing in to the hotel from all directions and we were soon being told by Robert that he had sorted the function suite single handedly ( just joking Jillian and Sarah!) and would we like to go back in and see how it looked?
It looked great, all the tables had very modern uplit perspex candalabras on them and the photobooth man was waiting in the corner with all his array of hats, feather boas and Elton John style glasses to give guests a fun reminder of their evening.
Cake cutting had been delayed so the evening guests could enjoy seeing the new Mr and Mrs Alexander performing one of their frist official duties as man and wife.
The cake was professionally whisked away to be sliced up and we all gathered round to watch a very happy Paula and Donna dance to Feel so close by Nellie Furtado, soon joined by their family and friends.
Well, we'd used our day well. Not a subject had been left unspoken about. I learned all about Robin's time away and it sounded like it had done him the world of good. He had to listen as I filled him in on all the excitement of what he had missed in Macduff and we were back together again and ready for our next chapter.
Jan was waiting for us outside and Donna and Paul came away from their guests to see us out and thank Robin for his wee bit in making their day special. We watched as they headed back inside obviously very much in love and ready for all that life is going to throw at them.
What the next chapter holds for Paul and Donna I don't know, but I can only hope that their times together and their times apart will help them grow and draw them closer just as it has done for us.x
No comments:
Post a Comment