It was just after 2pm when we set off from Lancaster on the road North.......the sun was shining brightly....and to say that we were a bit 'warm' was an understatement.....the coffee that I had enjoyed made me glow in places I didn't know I had.....I was dressed in very light clothes, but Ma had a tartan Jacket on.........I asked if she wasn't too hot.......she denied feeling warm, but somehow I didn't buy it.....there were little shiny pearls of perspiration on her top lip
.
As we drove through the stunning Cumbrian countryside, it looked decidedly dark on the horizon........clouds gathered and before long we had run into some soft rain.......the misty type that wets you through.
Not that we were bothered as were were protected from it..............as we got nearer to the borders, the soft rain became more insistent, the drops were bigger and the views were obscured.......Ma was viewing the scenery on the back of her eyelids anyway......though she vehemently denied that she had nodded off at any point.
We were soon seeing the signs that pointed to Gretna Green.......this made Debbie a bit nervous.
It has been something like 18 months since the venue was booked...it seemed such a long time away.......and now the wedding was upon us.......all the preparations were coming to fruition. And to Debbie, it was scary!
By now, the rain had stopped, but it was still very grey and overcast....but warm too.
The Mill, where the wedding was to be solemnized, is on the edge of the village of Gretna.
It is geared up to make sure that weddings go off smoothly, and it provides everything that makes for a very memorable day.
We drew into the car park....reception was right ahead of us.
As we got out of the car we heard the skirl of the pipes and turned to see a bride and her new husband coming out of the little church.......there were only four guests.......I suppose you would call that an 'intimate' little ceremony.
The whole convoy were there, checking in........it took us a little while to get through these formalities, and there was much good natured banter between the guests and the reception staff......all very pleasant.
We were given room 24......a room specially adapted for the needs of a wheelchair user.
It was a lovely room and we were soon making ourselves at home......I unpacked for both of us.....hanging our wedding outfits up carefully.......there was an iron and ironing board if you needed it....and the bathroom was big enough to have a dance in.
I left Ma for a short while. I needed to go and get my bearings......and to find out what kind of grub we could get for our evening meal.
I went to the Bar and restaurant......the evening meal service started at 6pm......that was good.
I headed off back to the room and found ma engrossed in a TV program.
I told her about the food situation.....we would go down to the bar for our evening meal......then came the fight over who was paying for dinner.......Ma asked me to put her purse in my bag.....which I pretended to do, but left it hidden in the room......that sorted the 'who was paying for dinner' problem.
I showered (lovely) and changed.....Ma had a lick and a promise.......and we set off to dinner.
When we got to the bar it was full of the other guests, not just for our wedding, but also for the one that had taken place earlier, and some others that were planned for the following day.
Ma wanted a shandy........heavy on the lemonade please......and I had a glass of white wine.
We looked at the menu.......and it was very comprehensive.
We were spoilt for choice.
Ma said that she didn't want too much to eat....and was just going to have soup and a roll.
I had chosen Galloway Pork Loin.......a loin of pork done in white wine and mustard sauce....eventually Ma chose a childs portion of Steak pie.
We were ushered through into the restaurant, and before very long were being presented with our chosen dishes.
Ma couldn't believe the size of the steak pie.......and said it would be a good child who could polish that lot off.......with out main course came a selection of fresh veggies.....broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, baton carrots and a dish of golden crisp chips.
The food was absolutely delicious...especailly the chips(don't eat chips at home)....and Ma polished off every scorrick of her pie....the one she deemed too big to eat.
We went back into the bar after we had eaten......Ma suggested that I have a dessert, but to be honest I could not have managed to eat one.
Ma had another glass of lemonade and while she was sipping that I went to the 'toilet', but really I was paying the bill.
The it was time to head off back to our room.....we didn't really want to stay down in the bar......we left that to all the younger guests.
Ma got into her nightwear and was asleep in no time.......I read for a while and then put the light out and went to sleep.......there was no noise, and no light to disturb us.
to be continued.
Pictures:-
1) The Arch in the courtyard(near our Bungalow)
2) The Aussie guests..pretending to be natives.
3) The gazebo in the gardens.
4) The fountain in the grounds of the church.
5) Reception building.
6) The little Church
7) view thorugh the french windows in the Bridal Suite.
.As we drove through the stunning Cumbrian countryside, it looked decidedly dark on the horizon........clouds gathered and before long we had run into some soft rain.......the misty type that wets you through.
Not that we were bothered as were were protected from it..............as we got nearer to the borders, the soft rain became more insistent, the drops were bigger and the views were obscured.......Ma was viewing the scenery on the back of her eyelids anyway......though she vehemently denied that she had nodded off at any point.
We were soon seeing the signs that pointed to Gretna Green.......this made Debbie a bit nervous.
It has been something like 18 months since the venue was booked...it seemed such a long time away.......and now the wedding was upon us.......all the preparations were coming to fruition. And to Debbie, it was scary!
By now, the rain had stopped, but it was still very grey and overcast....but warm too.
The Mill, where the wedding was to be solemnized, is on the edge of the village of Gretna.
It is geared up to make sure that weddings go off smoothly, and it provides everything that makes for a very memorable day.
We drew into the car park....reception was right ahead of us.
As we got out of the car we heard the skirl of the pipes and turned to see a bride and her new husband coming out of the little church.......there were only four guests.......I suppose you would call that an 'intimate' little ceremony.
The whole convoy were there, checking in........it took us a little while to get through these formalities, and there was much good natured banter between the guests and the reception staff......all very pleasant.
We were given room 24......a room specially adapted for the needs of a wheelchair user.
It was a lovely room and we were soon making ourselves at home......I unpacked for both of us.....hanging our wedding outfits up carefully.......there was an iron and ironing board if you needed it....and the bathroom was big enough to have a dance in.
I left Ma for a short while. I needed to go and get my bearings......and to find out what kind of grub we could get for our evening meal.
I went to the Bar and restaurant......the evening meal service started at 6pm......that was good.
I headed off back to the room and found ma engrossed in a TV program.
I told her about the food situation.....we would go down to the bar for our evening meal......then came the fight over who was paying for dinner.......Ma asked me to put her purse in my bag.....which I pretended to do, but left it hidden in the room......that sorted the 'who was paying for dinner' problem.
I showered (lovely) and changed.....Ma had a lick and a promise.......and we set off to dinner.
When we got to the bar it was full of the other guests, not just for our wedding, but also for the one that had taken place earlier, and some others that were planned for the following day.
Ma wanted a shandy........heavy on the lemonade please......and I had a glass of white wine.
We looked at the menu.......and it was very comprehensive.
We were spoilt for choice.
Ma said that she didn't want too much to eat....and was just going to have soup and a roll.
I had chosen Galloway Pork Loin.......a loin of pork done in white wine and mustard sauce....eventually Ma chose a childs portion of Steak pie.
We were ushered through into the restaurant, and before very long were being presented with our chosen dishes.
Ma couldn't believe the size of the steak pie.......and said it would be a good child who could polish that lot off.......with out main course came a selection of fresh veggies.....broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, baton carrots and a dish of golden crisp chips.
The food was absolutely delicious...especailly the chips(don't eat chips at home)....and Ma polished off every scorrick of her pie....the one she deemed too big to eat.
We went back into the bar after we had eaten......Ma suggested that I have a dessert, but to be honest I could not have managed to eat one.
Ma had another glass of lemonade and while she was sipping that I went to the 'toilet', but really I was paying the bill.
The it was time to head off back to our room.....we didn't really want to stay down in the bar......we left that to all the younger guests.
Ma got into her nightwear and was asleep in no time.......I read for a while and then put the light out and went to sleep.......there was no noise, and no light to disturb us.
to be continued.
Pictures:-
1) The Arch in the courtyard(near our Bungalow)
2) The Aussie guests..pretending to be natives.
3) The gazebo in the gardens.
4) The fountain in the grounds of the church.
5) Reception building.
6) The little Church
7) view thorugh the french windows in the Bridal Suite.
