Monday, July 13, 2009

Sharing the Fruits of Their Labor


Upon return of the gorging that took place at the fruit farm, Will, Caroline, Fiona, Jen, and Diane came back and shared their fruits of their labor with the rest of us. We did hold back some strawberries, as they were a necessary ingredient for the wedding refreshments (Pimms cups for everyone!), but for the most part, we all indulged in the deliciousness that is English Strawberries.

Not grown to sit around and ripen in the grocery store, you really have to pick and eat these as soon as they are ripe. Otherwise, you are making lots of strawberry jam...

So, that is precisely what Annabelle and Juliette and Grandmother did: eat the best tasting strawberries ever.

Weigh In


Very near to where we were staying in Etchingham, there was a farm. This farm is no doubt Fiona's favorite kind of farm, as it is a pick-your-own strawberries, cherries, and gooseberries. Will accompanied Diane, Jen, Caroline, and Fiona to the self-filling adventure. As Will says (quoting his mother), "They don't weigh *you* on the way in or out..."

And as Fiona and Caroline and Jen pointed out: the farm owners *really* needed them to be there to pick the abundance of fruit, mainly strawberries and raspberries, as the cherries were not quite ready yet.


Fiona, with her basket (which she won't admit she ate half of so she could refill).


Will, deciding on which to eat next: strawberry or raspberry (the answer: both, at the same time)
Jen, hiding behind the raspberries, eating her way into bliss
Caroline, gathering fruit for her kids (she claimed, but her mouth and fingers were stained...)
Diane, showing us how you do it: pick 'em, and eat 'em, and smile!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

The Great Steam Ride

The Sunday after our wedding, the Cunninghams went on a steam engine train ride on the Kent & East Sussex Railway. The train runs between the village of Tenterden to Bodiam and back. It used to be connected to the main rail lines (and there is an attempt to get them hooked back up because then even the small villages have public transport), but now isn't. It is run by train enthusiasts, who offer tea and sandwiches on the weekends to folks riding the rails as they did in the 19th and 20th centuries.

One watches the small villages of Tenterden, Rolvenden, Wittersham Road, Northiam, and Bodiam roll by: beautiful farms, cows, hops, and of course Bodiam Castle. We had a lovely lunch and tea. And of course, lollies. It was a fun way to spend the end of a wonderful wedding weekend.



The first class car on one of the other trains.


Will and Andrew
Apparently these train loos are not like my wedding loos

the wooden paneling of the cars


the steam puffing out


The engine was unhooked and moved to the front of the train to takes us back


St. Nicholas Church (our church) from the train!


My husband.... I like writing that.


Andrew and Lori laughing at how we are hung over

Lucas eating a lolly

Oscar and Jack, waiting for the train to pull away again from the train station The hot fire of the coal and the steam in the engine--the heat was instense
Cousin James, also suffering from too much wedding fun from the night before

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Bodiam Castle


It wasn't all wedding all the time when we were in England. We did manage some sight seeing. My parents, Aunt Matie, Chloe, and Brando went to Bodiam Castle. It is a romantic ruin of a medieval castle near the Lodge, complete with moat, portcullis, and towers.

Bodiam Castle is near the River Rother in East Sussex and was built in the late 14th century by a veteran of King Edward III's wars with France, originally as a coastal defense. In 1385, Sir Edward Dalyngrygge was given permission to fortify his house against invasion from France, but then decided to build a new stone castle a short distance away from the house. Dalyngrygge was also elected Mayor of London in 1392.

Built with all the latest defense mechanisms, including murder holes, the castle was also built with the latest modern comforts. It was first all a home for the Dalyngrygge family and second a fortress, as the moat is really shallow and easily drained; there are too many windows in the towers; and the walls are not that thick.

Through the years, the castle was raided and fell into disrepair, only to be purchased and saved by Lord George Curzon in the 1920s. However, because it was on a main train line (which doesn't really run anymore except as a tourist attraction itself, more on that later), it has been a tourist attraction in the 1800s.










Friday, July 3, 2009

Rehearsal Dinner/Wedding Feast

Edward & Sylvia hosted an nontraditional rehearsal dinner. Nontraditional in the sense that it was mainly the bride's family... and that the bride and groom were already married, since the civil ceremony was that afternoon. However, it was a very fun evening, highlighted by Edward's toast about William the Conquerer and his love, Mathilda, who had a cat who only loved her. Edward can give an excellent toast and this was no exception.


Thursday, July 2, 2009

Churchly Blessed

On Saturday, Will and I then walked down the aisle together for a church blessing at St. Nicholas Church in Sandhurst, Kent. This was the day that we wore our fancy clothes, had our flower girls & ring bearers, our bridesmaids and bell ringers. It was another gloriously sunny day and the climax of a fairy tale wedding. The lady vicar was lovely, the readings by our brothers lovely, and the music... sorta lovely. The "choir" of two ladies and one man really didn't help with the congregation's voices. But the organist was outstanding. We walked into Handel's Water Music Suite and out to the Prince of Denmark's Trumpet Voluntary, both of which sounded amazing on the organ. The flower girls carried sweet peas; the bridesmaids carried peonies from Sylvia's garden, Will's buttonhole was a rose from King John's Lodge; I carried sweet peas, peonies, sweet williams, and an iris.

After the ceremony, we went back to the Lodge for drinks, dinner, and lots of dancing. It was a spectacular day and very relaxed. Everyone got to talk to everyone else. The kids got to play in the pool, or fall into the ha-ha. And all were amazed at the fabulous porter-a-loos, complete with burled wood panelling, sinks, James Bond and Steve McQueen photos. They were quite fancy.

These are only some of the photos of the day that I have managed to collect. I am sure that there will be more...

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Civilly Wedded



Will and I were first married in the Tunbridge Wells' registrar office at the Mansion House. We had to since we were not members of St. Nicholas in Sandhurst (where the blessing took place).

This was the day that Will did not see me beforehand, so he was surprised when I walked into the room. He had seen this dress though, and not the other, but Saturday, we were old married people so he saw me getting ready for blessing.

But the morning start was not so hot.

I slept in the barn with the single ladies, getting to bed late because of the minor vehicle crisis my brother and dad realized we would have on Sunday too much luggage, too many people, not enough spaces in cars to get folks to the airport. Crisis adverted, I went to bed closer to midnight than planned. I tiptoed into my room, to crawl up a steep ladder to a very high bunk bed in a very dark and very hot room. I brought a flashlight with me.

Then, I felt the roof was going to fall in on me and so after an hour of me turning on and off the flashlight, hoping not to disturb anyone in the room, and finding that the roof was still just an elbow length above, I got down. This time, even more slowly than I crawled up. I was going to sleep on the couch.

I was laid on the couch for about 5 minutes-- in my clothes, as I had forgotten to bring my pjs from the house--and then thought that there were beds for more guests joining us on Friday. I will go sleep in there, as they will never know. So I felt my way over to the where the beds are, only to think that there was a light switch along the wall. Yup, found it. Flipped it. The light bulb popped and then there was the power down sound.

I blew the enture barn's electricity and water supply (electric water pump, so one flush and you are done). It was 1:15 am at this point.

Rebecca was awake upstairs and she realized that something was wrong when she couldn't flush the loo. So we met up, flipped fuses in three different closets on two different floors, only to be joined by Mom and Dad. We four than flipped the same fuses before. We went outside-- them in barefeet, me in my shoes-- and found another fuse box and flipped those switches. Nothing.

At this point it is 2:00 am and it will be light at 4:00 am (yes, England is that far north). We say sod it and go to bed, thinking we can deal when it isn't dark and we don't have to be walking in sheep dung in the dark looking for more fuses.

At 6, I wake up (yes, in the bed meant for other guests) and start trying to figure out how to get water and power back to the barn. I wander around the grounds trying to find someone to help, only to wander over to find the gardner (who is supposedly the only who can help) leaving in his car at 6:30 am. This is not good.

I wander back to the barn and meet Darren, who saved the day: he found the unfound fuse box (on the back of the house, in the sheep pen that I did not find at 2 am because I am was not willing to go back in that dark corner in the middle of the night), and flipped the fuse. Water and lights were back.

Now, at 7 am, all is well and now my alarm went off to get up to get ready for the day.

But the rest of the day went really well. I walked down the aisle with my Dad. Mom and Dad presented me for marriage. Will and I exchanged giggles and vows and rings. We signed the marriage certificate, our witnesses signed the certificate, and the little kids signed the commemorative certificate. We were photographed and walked back down the aisle, as Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham.

It was very exciting and lovely and everyone was pleased, me especially as the day didn't start off well. But it certainly ended in a fairy tale.