It Begins

William and I realized the other day that with my family descending on London en masse tomorrow and then all of us caravaning down from Heathrow to Etchingham, we *might* want to make a pre-clan arrival trip down to the Lodge, as we wouldn't have enough room in the rental cars for us, them, and the luggage. And word on the street is that they are bringing massive amounts of luggage with them. Plus, we remember what we brought with us.

So, a quick day trip to Etchingham was planned.

Andrew not only let us take the car down, but he then took us to Costco (and yes it is exactly like a Costco in the US) on the way there, and then he graciously took a bus and train back home.

So, before we even left for Costco, Will and I had filled the entire back of Andrew's BMW station wagon, or estate car as they are known here. We had two suitcases, loads of bags with wedding favors and presents to hand out, flower girl dresses, civil ceremony dress & suit, Will's wedding suit, and The Dress. Then we were off to Costco.

Now, Will stayed in the car (we gave him the keys and had a window down for him) whilst Andrew and I shopped (and admittedly, snacked as it was lunch time and Costco had samples out).We got the stuff for Pimms cups (lemonade, cucumber, lemons, and oranges) and non-alcoholic drinks (Coke, Diet Coke, Water, Sparkling Water, Beer... oh wait, I said non-alcoholic). Andrew added his own list: toilet paper and paper towels, which were coming along for the ride.

About an hour and half later, we emerged with two huge trolleys full of stuff. We managed to squeeze it all in, just.


Andrew had to walk to the bus stop instead of us dropping him at the train station, which, as you can see from the photos, was also absolutely necessary, as there was not a single extra bit of space for him. But at least you know we have the important stuff: Pimms cup and beer and loo paper!