Punting on the River

I know, I haven't blogged in awhile. Work has been mental and I haven't been traveling lately. My passport is still held hostage by the UK Border Agency so no fleeing the country just yet.

In the mean time, Tucker and I went up to Cambridge to visit Lysandra (you have seen her before in Italy and cycling posts) and we did a lovely tour of the city and university buildings.

One of the most popular past times when in Cambridge is to punt down the river. Meaning: push yourselves down the river with a long pole. Just don't let the pole get stuck in the mud.



I didn't try it. We did cycle around the lovely countryside and I was content to watch the punters below. :o)  also, I found some good (lost!) pictures on my camera so will be posting more soon. Hurrah!

Sarah Gets Married

This is a bit of a long post but I got some pretty good pics so needed to share all in on go.

 

 

Another weekend, and another triathlon wedding. :o)  Sarah and Julian got married in her hometown with a gorgeous ceremony and the reception held at her family's farm. Blue skies outside the church.

 



Just married!

Prepping the getaway mobile...

If I had better use of my camera (which I probably do, I'm just being lazy), I'd have zoomed in on this picture and removed all the random people to focus on the bride and groom. I'll need to work on that.

Walking up to the reception, you know that you are in the country.

The view from the entrance. The marquee is to the right.

All set up for dinner and dancing later.

But first, the small marquee was ready for the guests to arrive.

Sarah woke up on the morning of her wedding to make everyone homemade scones. Wow!!!

Sarah's siblings created a croquet box for the happy couple. It says ' On Your Wedding Day' and unfortunately, my camera does not do the size of the box justice!!

Just in case you were confused. The Sea, The Farm, Dancing, Games, Bubbles and Dinner were all signposted for the guests.

One of the games - giant Jenga! Needless to say, it was good we tried this out before we had to many glasses of bubbles.

The bride in search of her dad. Unfortunately, it was a bit windy but still a magnificient view.

As Julian spent several years in Switzerland, friends gifted a personalized 'Julian and Sarah' cow bell. Just what every new couple needs.

My dates again! Phillipa and Gemma keep me company before the dancing starts.

And yes, the dancing did start. Sarah and Julian through a fantastic party with both a DJ and a live band. The triathletes enjoy themselves.

 

Smiles all around. A great ending to a great day. 

Branding by Country

Apparently just calling them 'Chocolate Covered Raisins' is just not exotic enough.

Michael Gets Married

Good friend Michael (from the triathlon club and many earlier posts) got married. He married a wonderful girl from California (aren't they all?) and the wedding was held in his village. It was a lovely weekend and the photos really don't do it justice .. not to mention the fact that I really didn't take enough pics! 

To start, some of my more adventurous friends decided we should cycle down to the wedding. I said, 'sure, why not? It's only 110 miles.' Some how the route took us to one of the highest points in the area. Now that, I did not agree too!

We also had 7 punctures. Needless to say, it took a lot longer to get there then we thought.

The finish! And the site of the wedding reception. The lovely Talbot Free House and Hotel in Somerset/Froome.

Just to prove we made it.

My room after 110 miles. I think I deserve it.

At the wedding, I FINALLY get into the British tradition and end up wearing something on my head. Phillipa, Wayne, Gemma, Baby Austin (in Gemma's belly) and Tom were my dates.

My cycling buddies all dressed up. Hard to recognize them when they are not in lycra.

The bride and groom. Michael and Ariana enjoy a rare bit of sun before the rain kicks in.

A lovely cake.....

The bride and groom.....

And the groom's hair dryer! If you know Michael, you know he can't live without his hair dryer (yes, he is a bit metrosexual). A lovely event and a great start for the happy couple!

Edinburgh - Part 2

Back in downtown Edinburgh, we continued our walk down the Royal Mile.

I liked this statue (of course, I've forgotten who it is) in front of the cathedral.

It had some amazing detail and very fine work. Amazing what artists will do with concrete....

We are just part of the many crowds heading down to the palace or up to the castle.

Just in case you didn't think that Scottish attire was for everyone, even your pet lion would be decked out!

The palace.

A view from the palace of Arthur's Seat - the crags/cliffs overlooking Edinburgh.

Unfortunately, due to my running the marathon the next day, I couldn't hike up it for the view. It was a lovely day so a bit disappointing that I was 'resting'.

Instead, we hung out on the lawn and enjoyed the sun (and it was a bit windy, which is why Louise's hair is poofy)

Lastly, I ended my Edinburgh weekend with a whisky tasting. I think whisky is an aquired taste.... one that I have yet to acquire. All in all, I highly recommend Edinburgh for a visit.

Fancy Fish and Chips

Scottish people will yell at me for this, but the perception in the United States of Scotland doesn't exactly portray it as very posh.

I, of course, find the one with the most posh fish and chips. I normally pair fish & chips with a beer, so was quite surprised at this Scottish pub. Perception changed?!?!?!

Edinburgh - Part 1

I've got some good pics so I'm going to split Scotland into two posts.

 You may recall that I went to Edinburgh to run the marathon. The run was rubbish but the weekend in the city was lovely. I went by train from London and it was a lovely trip.

I stayed in an area called Leithe which had some good restaurants and shops on the water.

It's not every day you've got one of these in your downtown....

Where do you build a castle? On a hill/cliff/defendable position.

Indulging my love for statues, Edinburgh has statues of historical figures everywhere.

There are also a few of these. I had to keep reminding myself that I really was in Scotland (notice how it is sunny - very strange!)

The Royal mile leads from the castle at the top, down to the palace at the bottom of the hill. In the middle is the cathedral so it was equi-distant walking for everyone to worship.

I forgot to mention that Louise was my tour guide (I probably shouldn't be walking all over the city the day before a marathon but how often am I in Scotland?), she took me to this lovely little tea room for lunch. It is famous for being the place that JK Rowling went to write Harry Potter.....

Across the exposed entrance to the castle. No place to hide on this walk to the gates. Unfortunately, it was filled with lots of tourists (I can say that, because I am one)

I'm should try and convince my family to make this the lampost at the end of the driveway.

Trying to get a sense of scale, look at where the people's heads are compared to the statue.

The view from the castle, looking down on the town.

Through yet another portcullis. I was seriously waiting for Braveheart people to come storming through.

Rock walls, narrow alleyways, all a bit medevial if you ask me.... :p