Lichfield Angel

Having dropped off Paul’s suit with his Mom, to return it to the hire shop, we headed back to the caravan site to pick up Sally-Ann and Mike, and begin our sight-seeing day out.

Mike had asked if we could pop to a caravan shop so that he could buy a TV signal finder after he saw Paul’s in action, but the place was on the opposite carriageway to the one we would approach from.

I had a cunning plan!…….

Lichfield is only a hop skip and jump up the road, so we could go there first and have a wander around the shops and cathedral, and on the way back we would be on the correct side of the road for Canwell Caravans and the parts shop that Mike needed.

We parked up and headed towards Lichfield’s famous 3 spires….

In the 39 years I lived in the area, I had never, to my recollection been inside the cathedral, so this was a first for all of us.

Sally-Ann and I went in first, leaving the dogs with the men outside.

We were greeted on entry, and advised that no photographs could be taken without buying a £2 permit from the shop.

We decided against it, immediately regretted it once we saw how beautiful the inside was, and went back and bought a permit between us.

I was the official photographer for the occasion, and was desperate to try and get some shots that would be good enough for both of us.

There were about  4 schools there learning about the cathedral, and they had tables set out for their art work.

Sally-Ann got very excited at the sight of her first ‘dead body’ as she called him LOL

As it happens, today was the first day that the newly found Lichfield Angel was exhibited, and therefore there were reporters and camera crews everywhere.

This piece of stonework is estimated to be 1000 years old, and was found underneath the floor of the cathedral 2 years ago.  It has taken until now to clean it up and have it ready for show.  We were so lucky to be there on the right day!

Once we had completed our visit of this amazing Cathedral. we headed on around the grounds and followed the road towards the town.

Spotting a little cafe that was nestled in the shade of the sun, we grabbed a table and ordered lunch, whilst the owner bought out some fresh water for the boys to have a drink.

Our trip to Lichfield was finally over, and off we went to get Mikes new gadget – boys and their toys eh? LOL

Supper was left overs from Sunday’s lunch, and really rather yummy!

What a great day!

Jo Anne

The Big Day Arrives

At last! the excitement has been rising, but finally, Karen and Dave’s Wedding Day has arrived.

We awoke early to ensure we could get a space in the shower block on site.  Who knew that women showered at 6.30 on a Saturday morning when they are on holiday! I had to wait!!

Eventually showered, we started to get ready, using the awning as our dressing room, as there just isn’t the space in the caravan.

Having handed Fred over to Sally-Ann and Mike’s care for the day, we headed off to Paul’s Mom’s, where Dave had stayed the night before.

Paul, being the best man, had to arrive early in order to keep things on track.
This was totally unnecessary, as everything was chilled when we arrived.

Keith was already partially dressed, both Paul and I were completely ready and Dave said he would wait until a little nearer the time to change.  He’d even walked to the paper shop for the latest newspaper.  It was only 10.00am.  The wedding was at 2.00pm.

12.30pm soon came round and it was time to leave.  The reason being that Karen had asked if I could lay out the orders of service on the seats and tie the bows and ribbons to the end of each row of seating.

I completed this with Paul’s help, and then we went back outside the castle to meet the other guests as they arrived.

Most were catching their breath after the steep climb up the the entrance!

At the appointed time everyone headed into the Great Hall to take their seats ready for the ceremony.

Karen made her entrance on her Dad’s arm, and I instantly broke into tears! She looked incredible…. A real princess, and if possible, even more beautiful than I expected she would look!

The ceremony began, and all too soon, it was time for me to do my reading.  A piece Karen had chosen from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin:

Love is a temporary madness
It erupts like volcanoes and then subsides
And when it subsides you have a decision to make
You have to work out whether your roots have entwined so together
That it is inconceivable that you should ever part
Because this is what love is
Love is not breathlessness
It is not excitement
It is not promulgation of eternal passion
That is just being in love which any fool can do
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away
And this is both an art and a fortunate accident
Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground
And when all the pretty blossom have fallen from their branches
They find that they are one tree and not two

Needless to say, I was somewhat nervous about this reading, and despite the look of sheer panic on my face, it did actually go OK I think!

The service went smoothly, and despite a little rain that meant some of the pictures had to be taken inside, the whole event went very well indeed.

Soon everyone was piling back into cars to head over to Drayton Manor for the Wedding Breakfast.

Once everyone was seated, and before the meal was bought out, the speeches were completed, allowing everyone to relax and enjoy the food. Paul did a fantastic job with his Best Man’s speech, and even got a few laughs, which he did not expect!

An incredible meal came out for us all, and before long it was 7.15pm, and the evening guests were due to arrive for 7.30pm.

Music, dancing and more catching up with friends and family, including swapping emails in some cases, and then it was 10.45pm and time for a quick dash back to the caravan site before we were locked out of the site for the night at 11.00pm.

A wonderful day filled with love and happiness.

We love you Mr & Mrs P!

Jo Anne

Family Gathering

Having settled in last night, today we are meeting everyone for lunch in the local pub

It was great to catch up with everyone before the big day on Saturday.
I had a lovely curry along with Karen, but there were also nachos, meatballs and steakwich’s in the mix.

On our return to the campsite, we were able to catch up with Sally-Ann and Mike, who had arrived as we were leaving for the meal.

We took a wander around Gibson's Pool with the dogs to get acquainted with the area and got some lovely shots of some families of Geese taking their babies for a first swim.

Happy Days!

Jo Anne

Up Country Travels

The day had finally arrived for us to travel back up country to the West Midlands for Paul’s sisters Wedding.

Work was finally out for us both, and we climbed into a very full car, hooked up the caravan, and began the 279 mile trip up to Kingsbury Water Park, and the camp site that we had booked.

Apart from getting stuck behind many many lorries we had a pretty uneventful journey, and actually caught up with Sally-Ann and Mike who had left a short while before us.

We all met up on the services and grabbed some lunch and a cuppa before heading on once more for our final destinations.

Fred was good as gold as just curled up and slept on the back seat, restricted by his seat-belt, much to his distaste!

Then all there was left to do was to watch the exit markers as we passed them, bringing us nearer to our destination.

All in all a pretty uneventful journey, and we were soon set up on our pitch and relaxing with a cuppa.

Suddenly it was 7pm, and we had only just finished sorting ourselves out, but a quick drive to Paul’s mom soon sorted out our belly's with a lovely supper followed by cake, and the chance for Paul to try on his Best Man’s outfit for Saturdays big event.

Very Handsome I reckon!

Jo Anne

Healeys Cyder Farm

Whilst Jordiegirl and her family are in Cornwall, we have been suggesting some places for them to visit, and Healeys was one of the places we came up with.

I received a text from her whilst I was at work telling me that they were at the Cyder Farm and having a great time eating cream teas and testing the different cyders on offer.

The weather outside of the office window was glorious, and I decided that, if Paul managed to get home at a reasonable hour we would pop over for a look around ourselves.

Having showered the day off, we climbed into Betty Blue and headed up the A30 and onto the Old Road towards Newquay/Penhallow and the Cyder farm.

There are a few areas you can look around and actually watch the cyder being made and there are also various things on sale there including jams and chutneys with cyder in the ingredients.

We had a look at the peacocks, pygmie goats and pigs, and then made friends with the shire horse before heading in for a cream tea!

Obligatory of course!

Jo Anne