No.36

"I think you've had pneumonia," were not the words I was expecting to hear from my doctor as I sat waiting for the next installment of 'Lynda and the chest infection', an ongoing saga that started back at the beginning of August.
           I got a special commendation from Ballymagroarty Primary school for finishing without having had a day off sick during my seven years with them. Somehow I didn't manage to get chicken pox, mumps or measles and any colds were too mild to credit an absence. I never broke anything when I fell out of trees ( a regular occurance) and I have no memories of vomiting and diarrhoea bugs.
    Having been brought up on a farm, I was made of sturdy stuff and even during my years at secondary there were no days at home recovering from illness. When I started nursing I thought they wouldn't take me as I might catch everything going, but I was assured that if I hadn't caught it by the ripe old age of eighteen I was unlikely to get it now!
       They were right and now at 49 I can honestly say that my worst sickness has been when pregnant, all four times, though the twin's one was particularly gruesome to the point where Jake's first word was synonymous with the sound of me being sick...something like 'Byeuk'.
     So even though it made complete sense and was a huge relief as I thought I was going a bit mad, I sat staring at the Doctor as he phoned the Xray dept and made an appointment for me to go and get zapped straight away. He said that it's very unusual for someone like me who has the health of an ox normally to get something that is generally reserved for the frail and elderly, so the only explanation was to put it down as an occupational hazard in my role as a Wedding Crasher. In other words stop hugging and kissing so many people!
        Thankfully the next day after getting the Xray result I was downgraded from pneumonia to a 'very nasty chest infection' and despite having to take a third, extra strong course of antibiotics and a week off sick, much to the disgust of my children, I managed to be fit enough to set off on our long awaited holiday to Cypus,
    So now I'm back, after a bit of a break, having enjoyed the feeling of sun on my skin for a few weeks and most of all the best of company....ready for the final few weddings of 2015 and the completion of my year of blogging.
      After nine years of being together, having had two beautiful little boys, Danny and Sam had decided to get married and had asked Robin to do the needful. I had known Danny's Mum and Dad, Angela and Michael for quite a while and knew that this was going to be a special family occasion as family is the number one priority in all their lives and it shows in everything they do.
         Robin had told me that they were using an out building on the property for the service and not being sure of the weather, I decided to forego displaying my fast fading tan to the world and go for a series of layers. My black dress with my plum wrapover mohair cardigan ( worn to the first wedding that Robin ever did!), my black boots and then my tartan wrap, so I could layer on or layer off as the temperature flucuated.

When we arrived at the house the sun was shining and everyone was looking very relaxed. Danny took us up to the shed where the ceremony was to take place and allowed us a sneak peek at the amazing transformation. 

It looked fantastic such a huge amount of work to get the whole room looking so beautiful and all done by family and friends. 

   We took our seats, as Sam was due to arrive any minute and waited. 

In she came on Michael's arm looking quite beautiful in a pure white satin sleeveless gown with a lace bodice and a wide pleated satin cummerbund. Her skirt flared out with a layer of tulle and she carried a bouquet of white and royal blue roses to match in with her bridesmaids who followed behind.

     Sam has been part of the family for such a long time that it seemed only right that Michael should be the one to give her away and as he sat down with Angela to look after their grandchildren we watched and listened as Sam and Danny took their vows.

When Lee, Danny's brother and bestman was called on to produce the rings, he brought out a couple of sweetie ones declaring that Danny was 'too tight' to buy the real things. Enough of the joking, the genuine objects appeared and were finally slipped on the right fingers as Robin declared Danny and Sam husband and wife. 

        Not to be forgotten, Robert and Michael, their sons took part in a handfasting with Mum and Dad as all their hands were bound together and a blessing said over the new Sorby family.

    Soon the quaiches were passed around and the new Mr and Mrs Sorby walked up the aisle to 'How long will I love you' by Ellie Goulding as tears were shed and hands clapped.

             

 Outside in the Autumn sun there wasn't a cloud in the sky and there was plenty of time for photos to be taken as the kids ran about.

Next door to the 'function suite' was another building that had been purpose built as a party room with pool table, bar, darts board and for today's wedding, specially decorated for Halloween! The pool table had been covered over and was totally covered in food while the ceilings and walls were adorned with Halloween decorations just an amazing amount of work!

We gathered round and listened as Danny, Michael and  Lee all spoke and said their thankyou's to everyone for all their hard work that had made this day so special.

        I had a chance to take a photo of the cake with it's beautiful tractor cake topper before Sam and Danny chopped it up.

We sat with Margaret and Davie and Joe and Tasha who Robin married last year and enjoyed hearing all their stories as we went back and forth for refills at the buffet table. 

   Angela is never happier than when she has a baby in her arms and she let me take a photo of her with Abby, the newest addition to the Sorby clan, born only three weeks ago to Lee and Gemma. I was even allowed a shottie.....bliss..

Sam decided to slice the cake up and offer everyone a piece, so we enjoyed a slice and then decided it was time to head for home. We chatted with Sam and Danny thanking them for a wonderful day and as we promised to pop the wedding schedule through the door of the registrars, Danny caught Sams hand and pulled her to him calling her 'Mrs Sorby' and giving her a gentle kiss as both their eyes welled up. Such a perfect match.

       Well, I still have a little way to go before I'm back to full fitness, but as Robin said to Danny and Sam in their ceremony it's the hard times that make you stronger. Danny told us that they had been through some hard times and have  had some really good times and I could see by looking at then together that there is a strength in their relationship that is bouyed up by the love of  wonderful family and fantastic friends, something they have in abundance.

         

         

No 35

"The internet is so slow", are words heard regularly in the Wiseman house and up until the last few days, my chosen response has been to raise my eyes in derision and shake my head, recounting the first time that I sent an e-mail, back in 1998.
      We had lived in Texas for 6 months when Ellie was 4 years old and James was just coming up for his 2nd birthday. Robin had a place in Bible college and I decided to tag along with the kids so we could see what life was like in USofA! One of our dear friends, Dawn, had given us a laptop to use and for the first time in our lives we had internet. I remember sending an e-mail and watching the bar travel over the screen till it had gone into cyber space and then the excitement of seeing that we had got one back! It was just amazing!
       The call that made my sympathies soften to the kids came on Tuesday, when a very pleasant young man , going by the name of Ryan, called from BT and informed me that because I hadn't changed my call plan for the last 5 years we were probably entitled to a faster service at a lower price. It turned out that instead of upgrading our home hub last year, Robin had opted for a free year of BT Sport and obviously (Not!) as ecstatic as we all were to have that particular channel in the house, I have a feeling that if a family conference had been called at the time, the new home hub would've won hands down!
        Ryan ( who has now been added to my ever increasing fictional Christmas card list) also told me that we had been paying almost £5 a month for the last 5 years for an internet phone service that I don't ever remember requesting and by the end of the call had given us Fibre optic broadband and reduced our bill by £20 a month...I think I might adopt him!
    So we will soon be up with the Joneses when it comes to our download speed and Jake can hold his head high when he tells his friends about our new service that arrives at the beginning of October. I actually lied to him for 2 days and told him that I had bought the fibre optic broadband for his 16th birthday, as he's been begging us for it for so long. It was working really well, till I decided to confess, after a few days, as the guilt was starting to get to me. I reckoned one of his friends would've dobbed on me eventually, so  now we'll have to fork out for something real when November comes....dash it!
           Speed is something James and Lainee have no shortage of in their lives as they are Stock car lovers and taking pride of place as we walked up to the Springs yesterday was one of James' gloriously decorated vehicles, gleaming in the sunshine, testimony of his love for Lainee and his little daughter, Tiffany.

         I had first met James when he was just a few weeks old, his Mum, Yvonne, had kindly invited me round to visit as I was just a new comer to Macduff, having arrived just a few months before Ellie was due. Yvonne was already an experienced Mum, having had Alexander a few years before and it was great to have a bit of support and friendship as I was starting out on the whole 'New Mum' road in a new place.

           James was looking very smart as he came up to say hello. I have to let you know that as normally he is an inch deep in engine oil and the last time I saw him, a few weeks before, he had sustained a nasty burn up his arm while sorting one of his cars. He assured me that the burn had healed and he was more than ready for the day ahead.

           There were already a lot of familiar faces floating around as we went in to the function suite, all admiring how beautifully it was set up with deep silver bows on the covered chairs and floral arrangements of yellow and grey. 

I had decided to wear my 'Lillian' dress again ( before she comes to ask for it back) and got Robin to interrupt his preparations and take a picture of me with twinkling lights in the background for a change.

         I sat at the back and watched as the guests came in to take their seats and Yvonne came over with Tiffany, who had stayed the night before with Grandma and Granda. Both were looking gorgeous and it was so lovely to see Yvonne as a Grandma, looking, really not much different to how she looked 21years ago when we first met!

         Soon it was time for James and his two best men, Alexander, his brother and best friend Scott (Flatty to all), to take their place at the front. Tiffany came in with one of Lainee's neices ahead of the bridesmaids who looked stunning in strapless silver taffeta gowns. Poor Tiffany decided that she wanted a bit more moral support for her walk down the aisle, so Yvonne came to her rescue as Lainee walked in, looking quite perfect, on her brother Ewen's arm.

    She wore a beautiful ruched strapless cream silk dress, delicately encrusted with diamonte on the torso and at the side.

       Robin welcomed everyone.I had known from a while back that a quarter of the guests were going to be sixteen and under, so was expecting it to all be a bit chaotic but there was such a lovely family feel to the ceremony and all of the kids behaved fantastically, everyone enjoying seeing James and Lainee  look each other straight in the eyes as they said their vows to each other, with such genuine love.

   After the vows they had a hand fasting, using a tie that belonged to Stevie, Lainee's Dad, who died 10 years ago, though I'm sure was looking down with real pride on their day.

 The schedule signed, the new Mr and Mrs Geddes led their guests out to 'Scotland the Brave' played by Hayley, the piper.

      At the beginning of the service Robin had sidled up to me and whispered in my ear, "There's another guest with a dress in the same fabric as yours, just a different style."

  I was waiting, watching for the poor lady to come in as I knew from past experience that it wouldn't bother me at all, but for someone who had been looking forward to a big wedding, to have a double of your dress at it can be a real dampener.

   So as we left the hall, I still hadn't spotted my twin and asked Robin where she was. He informed me that he had got it slightly wrong and Louise, who I've known for years, appeared beside me in the 'same' dress....here's the picture folks.....

Practically identical eh??

   The sad thing is that I showed this to Phoebe when I got home and she said, "Oh, look, she's wearing the same dress!". Really, I'm surrounded by a house of colour blind crazy people!! Thankfully Louise was in total agreement that our dresses were in no way similar.

     Lainee and I had only met on Facebook before yesterday, so it was lovely to give her a hug and see her surrounded by all her adoring little flower girls as she posed for photos, for family, before heading off to Duff House, with James, for their official pics.

         We had a drink and enjoyed meeting some of James' family, including some who had come up from the day from Torphin's. Andrea who was from Bangor had moved over here after marrying her Mr Geddes but had managed to keep her N.Irish accent beautifully, compared to my mishmash of Scottish/Doric/Irish.

    We decided to pop home and check on the dog, dropping the marriage schedule off to the registrars on the way and arrived back in time, for our chance to congratulate James and Lainee, as they welcomed their guests in their lineup. Tiffany and Lainee's nephew gave out favours of whiskey miniatures and glitter shot glasses with sweets inside, what a lovely job they did.

       We were top tableing again and this time Robin had an extra friend! Jillian is always a bit superstitious and hates to have 13 at the top table, so 'teddy' came and sat at the end as guest no.14.

He and Robin got on like a house on fire...

Lainee's Uncle, Abby gave a very moving speech welcoming James into the family and telling us all about Stevie who was such a character and made his mark on all their lives, very much missed as part of the day, but never forgotten.

      James told us of his first date with Lainee, where he whisked her off to McDonalds for a classy meal and then went to her family's caravan where he got the third degree and a stamp of approval from all the ladies in Lainee's life! 

    Alexander's turn was next and he pretty much left no stone unturned in telling us about James growing up, especially of his tantrums and colourful language when he proved a bad loser at board games ( at the age of 6!). Yvonne assured me later that there was no exaggeration in the stories. I always thought he was such a quiet lad!

      Scott took to the floor informing us that Alexander had only really got to be best man by a technicality, 'Family connection', while he had been 'chosen', so we all waited to hear what the 'chosen one' had to say. Needless to say, I can't really write it down here but when James came over for a chat after he did use the term 'best friend' in the past tense!

         We were incredibly popular with the kids, big and small, coming over to see us on a regular basis through out the meal. Nothing to do with our friend Teddy of course or the fact that we had the lolly pop tree at our section of the table??

We had a lovely meal, as always and I even persuaded Robert to give me a mug rather than a cup for my tea at the end, something he's promised on a regular basis from now on.

   The cake was a half white, half dark chocolate spectacle with chocolate strawberries around and two little knitted teddies on top and finally James and Lainee did the first cut under Tiffany's professional instruction..

I managed to grab Yvonne and Peter for a quick snap just to show you how gorgeous she looked in her bluebell outfit, they scrub up well for a Grandma and Granda, unfortunately they were photobombed by another wedding crasher but I just decided to to leave that in...

      Stuffed to the gunnels, everyone headed out to stretch their legs and meet with folks coming in for the evening and we were really pleased to see Dave and Lyndsay, Robin's 36th wedding couple who now have the adorable Charlie as their sidekick at almost 3 years old, how time flies!

        The kids had decided that a bit of fun was to be had now that the hall had loads of room for running about and it was lovely to see them all chasing each other and enjoying playing as Cover to Cover set up for the dance. 

     We all gathered round to watch the first dance,' I won't give up' by Jason Mraz and it was such a joy to see how happy James and Lainee looked as they hugged each other obviously having the best day ever.

Soon everyone was up and the dance floor was full of family and friends singing and swaying along.

       We caught up with Dave and Colleen, lovely to see them after their wedding earlier this year and looking like it was all suiting them really well and then decided to head back home as Robin has two services to do today and needed to rest his brain!

         We found James and Lainee, thanking them for a lovely day, so relaxed and great fun for everyone, seeing how happy they all were together and looking forward to reading about the adventures of Mr and Mrs Geddes as we stay in touch by Facebook. 

    Well, the day definitely went by at great speed and I can imagine that they would've liked for once to have it slow down a bit and linger in those wonderful moments a bit longer but that's what the photos, the videos and the memories are for and those will last a lifetime.x

            

     

      

   

        

       

   
     

No.34

     "Another Walker's Sensation dear?"
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....

       It had been four weeks since I had been in the Springs, so it was lovely to be walking up those steps and in the door to see all the familiar faces. I loved how the function suite had been set up with alternating cappuccino and thistle blue bows on the chairs complemented beautifully by the flower arrangements of dusky pink roses with thistles and gypsophila .

       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.33

   I was sitting in tears in the living room, surrounded by piles of papers and open drawers, staring aimlessly around me, trying to imagine where on earth my passport could be...
      Last year, a Facebook friend was going on holiday with her family and her husband had lost his passport. I followed her posts with great sympathy as they searched in every corner of their house and beyond, coming to a point where they had looked into him going to get a new one from the passport office, it was a few weeks of total stress. Eventually, a few days before their departure, they found it in the handbag of their three year old daughter...I was so happy for them!
      I am taking Jake, Caleb and Phoebe to Cyprus in October to see my Mum and her husband, Denis. It's been 9 years since we last went, so Jake felt, as it was coming up to his 16th birthday in November, that this should be the year to go. At the beginning of this year I found really good Easyjet  flights from Liverpool to Larnaca and decided that we could combine our Cyprus trip with a call in to see the Woods family on either side, getting a bit of Grandma time in with my gorgeous grandson Rowan and his equally appealing parents, Ellie and Conor.
   All good so far, I hear you say...
  My Mum had been really generous and super organised, offering to pay for the kids passports that were needing renewed, as well as hiring a villa for us to stay in, down the road from their home for our 11 day stay, so I got the forms and sent the paperwork off.
    When the passports arrived I placed them all on the mantelpiece in the living room, as is my style of organisation. I like to see where things are, so I know I can access them if needs be. And there they stayed, with mine beside them..... until Thursday morning.
     Phoebe picked them up first and decide to have a laugh at the photos, going through them all methodically, finally stating that Robin's was the last in the pile. I disputed this as I knew that Robin's was well past it's date and was in the filing cabinet in the 'passports and bank book' section while mine was sitting with the kids' ones.
   "No, definitely Dad's", she said.
I was getting annoyed as she obviously couldn't read properly and I took it from her , only to realise that she was indeed correct and my passport was not where my brain had told me it would be.
     That familiar feeling of nausea and panic started to settle in as I made my way round the house sorting through piles of papers, knowing deep down that the precious little book wasn't there but not having a clue where else to look.
     I always tell the kids that God knows exactly where everything in the world is, so if they've lost anything, ask Him. Apart from the time where I managed to lose a wall art poster for James' Christmas by hiding it too well and to this day, despite repeated prayer on the run up to Christmas 2009, has never been found!
       In 1998 we moved to Texas for a year and gave up our council house in the move. We knew the couple who were moving in, so had left all our furnishings and some furniture for them.
    I managed to lose my engagement ring during the last few weeks, something that usually wouldn't worry me too much but on this occasion as we packed the final boxes and locked the door for the last time, it still hadn't turned up and I could only hope that it was inside a box somewhere and would turn up as we unpacked in our next home.
         I went to Church the following Sunday and had told a few folks about my dilemma asking if they could pray and a friend came up after the service and said..
" I know this sounds mad but I believe that God told me your ring is sitting on a unit in your kitchen."
   I thanked him, but knowing that I had scoured the whole house before we left, was pretty sure he had heard wrong.
     The next day I got a call from the new occupants to say that they had walked in to the house and there was my ring sitting right in the middle of the kitchen unit, next to the sink and did I want it back?....I was speechless!
   So leaning on past experience I sat in the middle of all the paperwork and prayed and I got an answer. I realised that I had used my passport for ID when I flew down to see Ellie, Conor and Rowan in February. I went back over what I had worn and what bags I had travelled with and remembered my handbag that I had used. I walked over to the kitchen door, found the bag where I had hung it, after coming back from the airport, reached inside and there was my passport with my boarding card and travel documents, totally untouched for the last 6 months!!
     I was so relieved I could've cried.....
  My number 33 couple, Stacey and John, are well travelled  and decided to bring their last holiday in Australia in as the theme for their special day at Meldrum House. I was particularly looking forward to their wedding as I knew from Robin that Stacey, her sister Carly and brother Joe are all hearing impaired and after my experience of teaching Caleb to speak using Makaton ( a type of sign language), I knew that this would be a very special day indeed.
   

I decided to wear my Lindybop dress again, this time teaming it up with a wide leather belt and my new poppy pashmina for a bit of flare. I was driving ( again!), but actually didn't mind at all as we had spent a wonderful day on the Friday at David and Terry's wedding, as guests. It had been a brilliant day with great company and we had dragged ourselves away from the party after 11pm ( late for Robin and I!) while everyone else was still having a ball.

            

We could see when we arrived that building work had started on the new phase of the hotel, planning to replace the existing marquee that has been a feature for many years, with a new function suite and apparently more accommodation.

     The ceremony was being held in the stables and as I stopped to take a photo I glanced down at the base of the fountain that sits in the centre of the car park and spotted a little naked swimmer! I've stood by the water feature on many occasions but never noticed this before, maybe he scoops up at the coins people throw in!

      The room was full to capacity, each chair covered in grey with cream chiffon fastened at the back with  a pearl brooch.The flowers were pink hydrangeas arranged with palm leaves and huge pristine gladioli.

      I managed to squeeze myself into the last chair at the back, under the stair case, only realising that if I stood up I would bang my head off the ceiling. Thankfully I was sitting next to a lovely friend of Stacey's who saw my dilemma and moved over to let me stand upright as the bridal party came in.

       Stacey's brother Joe gave her away, as they had lost their Dad, also Joe, ten years ago. He did a wonderful job and the service reflected their love for their Dad and how much he was still a part of all their lives, living on in their hearts and minds.

I was amazed at how well Stacey could lip read, seamlessly following Robin's lead throughout the whole ceremony, despite his Doric accent and his jibes at John for being a bad loser at the board games they played together.

       He told us how they had met at the Wizard festival five years before, John being hooked on Stacey's fantastically bubbly personality straight away, he persisted in texting till she agreed to meet up and here they stood ready to commit to being together for the rest of their lives.

     As their vows were read Stacey shed a tear, a bit overwhelmed with the emotion of the whole occasion and managed to say her I do with perfect timing.

      Soon the new Mr and Mrs Rennie signed the schedule to Ed Sheeran's, Thinking out loud, and we followed them out into the courtyard to have a group photo.

   We hadn't seen Jamie, the photographer, for about a year, so it was lovely to see him and meet his wife for the first time, having a rare day away without their kids! 

     We had a lovely relaxing afternoon, drinking tea and watching the world go by from the comfort of the huge leather chairs in the reception area. The weather held off as the photographs were taken and I got a chance to meet Stacey and John in the flesh for the first time,

Her oyster satin dress was sleeveless with delicate lace straps. The same antique lace ran all the way down to her train. The most beautiful ornate hairpiece sat at an angle on her hair with a full length veil that sparkled all the way to the floor and beyond. What a stunning couple!

      As Robin introduced us, Stacey gave me a huge hug and I watched as she and John worked so well together, him filling in words that our unaccustomed ears didn't quite get and Stacey beautifully animated as she spoke. You don't realise till you see someone who is hearing impaired speaking, how much you must miss in normal conversation.There is so much more expression and touch involved. 

   Caleb had said to me the other day how he regretted not keeping up with his Makaton, now that his speech is so good and after spending the day with Stacey and John I think I might look into learning sign language together..it's not just a language, it's a real gift.

         There was no lineup, so we headed down to the marquee and found that we were at the 'Gold Coast' table next to John's Grandma and Granda and other family.

    Brenda, Stacey's Mum, stood first to speak and after she had got Stacey's undivided attention, told her how proud she was of her, knowing her Dad would've been too. Now a fully trained, successful hairdresser, we heard how in her younger years there had been a few disastrous hair cuts for her dolls and even one for her Dad.

           John spoke from his heart saying thank you to their families and all who had supported them in making the day happen. He told us how happy he was to be able to call Stacey his wife and how much he loved her, something we could all see quite clearly.

   Barry, John's best man did a great speech telling us of John's escapades when they were younger, apologizing for not believing John  when he had tripped on a step at school as they were going to queue for dinner, only to find out later that he had broken his ankle! Apology accepted, we all toasted the happy couple and sat down to enjoy our meal.

               

Our name cards were clipped to corks that Stacey and John had been collecting for the last few years, even having enough left over to make a beautiful 'Love' sculpture that sat above the amazing 'Travel' themed cake, made by John's Aunt. I especially loved the little kangaroo.

               The meal was served by the very efficient staff and we all enjoyed our choices, Robin ad I having slow roasted pork belly in a red wine jus as a main,' jus' delicious....get it? We had a lovely bunch of folks at our table and I enjoyed chatting to Grandma and Granda who have been married 54 years, having grown up in neighbouring farms when they were small. Robin sat beside Billy, John's uncle, who told him he did a mean ' Sex is on fire' on karaoke and would take over from the band given half a chance! We were very tempted to hang about an see if he really would!

              I watched the top table as all the beautiful bridesmaids, in dusky pink and lilac, and groomsmen chatted. All so used to speaking with no volume, because, who needs to, right? I was  aware that a lot of people in the room were amazing lip readers and had no need to hear what I was saying to understand. Stacey caught my eye during the meal, asking if I was drinking, when I said I was driving she caught it perfectly and told me that she and John always take turns and Robin should take note. All that without leaving the table...brilliant!

          The cake was cut and we all had a laugh when John decided not to just stick the knife in but to slice the whole cake up..

    The tables were moved to the sides as the evening guests poured in and we watched as Banff band, Wonderland, set up for the evening's entertainment. Robin went over to ask them for 'Sex is on fire' as a special request for Billy!

       

       

            John and Stacey were soon leading everyone in a grand march which was directed by Sarah the wedding coordinator, with finesse and soon they were swaying to 'Amazed' by Lonestar, gazing intently at each other like it didn't matter who else was there.

     Brenda had asked for a special request to be played next and we listened as 'I loved her first' by Heartland started to play.

 It was only then that I realised that Brenda was signing the song to Stacey and John as they danced, locked in each other's arms. The whole way through the song she stood and signed the words and I can feel the tears welling up know even as I write about it, so you can imagine whet a mess my makeup was in after she had finished.

        Stacey and John were totally unprepared and the tears were flowing for everyone as we applauded...what a fantastic thing to be able to do.

        We had a little dance, but when Brown eyed girl came on I knew that was our cue to leave! We managed to tear John and Stacey away from their guests to say our goodbyes and she told me to drive safely and to keep an eye on Robin, she knows him so well!

            I've got my passport in a very safe place now and my engagement ring is somewhere hanging about...it'll turn up. As for the new Mr and Mrs Rennie, I know they've found something very special that won't ever be lost, kept safe and secure in their hearts from this day on... x

                                    Look at the two of you dancing that way

Lost in the moment and each others face

So much in love your alone in this place

Like there's nobody else in the world

I was enough for her not long ago

I was her number one

She told me so

And she still means the world to me

Just so you know

So be careful when you hold my girl

Time changes everything

Life must go on

And I'm not gonna stand in your way

But I loved her first and I held her first

And a place in my heart will always be hers

From the first breath she breathed

When she first smiled at me

I knew the love of a father runs deep

And I prayed that she'd find you someday

But it still hard to give her away

I loved her first

How could that beautiful women with you

Be the same freckle face kid that I knew

The one that I read all those fairy tales to

And tucked into bed all those nights

And I knew the first time I saw you with her

It was only a matter of time

But I loved her first and I held her first

And a place in my heart will always be hers

From the first breath she breathed

When she first smiled at me

I knew the love of a father runs deep

And I prayed that she'd find you someday

But its still hard to give her away

I loved her first

From the first breath she breathed

When she first smiled at me

I knew the love of a father runs deep

Someday you might know what I'm going through

When a miracle smiles up at you

I loved her first