Lots of Grandma and Grandad Duty - And a Very Grand Wedding

Lots of Grandma and Grandad Duty - And a Very Grand Wedding

Saturday 5th - Sunday 13th August 2017

Well that's over another week that has passed by of our 38 night stay at 'home', and although it's been very hectic it's also been extremely enjoyable and precious time with our family.

On Saturday (5th) we trotted off to meet our son Ben's in-laws to be - Mike and Jane.  Ben and Louise have been together for 6 or 7 years now but this was the first time we'd managed to get around to saying 'hello' properly - and we did it in grand style with afternoon tea at Horsley Lodge Golf Club. Our feast consisted of dainty sandwiches, scones with jam and cream and a huge selection of cakes all presented on vintage china and washed down with a large selection of teas from around the world - it was lovely and relaxing and it provided a very convivial spot to make friends with our new relations.

Then on Sunday we spent the day preparing ourselves for the next few busy days to come - we put our feet up and worked hard at relaxing all day - I'm sure that's what the Sabbath is for!

Monday saw us spending time with our Grandson Thomas and  little Granddaughter Evelyn - we spent several hours making play-dough models and chasing them around the campsite before nipping down to see Great-ma (John's Mum).


However, once we were there the main attraction for the kids was the park which is just across the road - the water play area was a great draw and Thomas ended up soaked through to the skin, but Grandma, Grandad and Evelyn managed to get away with only a few splashes 😂😂😂.

After that we had two weary children but that was soon sorted out by a quick 😴💤😴 for one of them as we drove  back to Sheffield when we took Evelyn home!

On Tuesday just Thomas was entrusted into our care but unfortunately on that day rain stopped outdoor play and we had to make do with telly, ipad and indoor games- but mousetrap and Lego seemed to ensure  that nobody got really bored!



On Wednesday it was Jack's turn to visit us, but as the day started wet and drizzly we  once again had to rely on play-dough and indoor games to provide entertainment - but as the weather improved in the early afternoon we packed a picnic and set off for The National Trust's Ilam Park where there was a play trail, forests and trees to climb to keep Jack entertained.

And then came 💒Thursday 10th August 💒- the big day that we'd all been waiting for for the last 20 months -💒 Ben and Louise's Wedding Day💒 !  Our morning started early with a short trip down to Sarah and Paul's house to get ready - Sarah and I went and relaxed at Serene Retreat to have our hair and makeup done while the boys took their time getting ready at home!

John and I with the Bride and Groom

Then at mid-day we were all scrubbed up and ready for the big 'off' to the venue which was the lovely Whirlowbrook Hall on the outskirts of Sheffield. The Hall is set in huge elegant gardens and stands elevated above extensive lawns which provided a magnificent back drop for the many hundreds of photos that were taken - a 'few' of which I'm sharing below!  The day was absolutely perfect, and was made even better by almost unbroken sunshine, wonderful company, and of course, seeing our 'baby boy' saying 'I do'.  We also had the opportunity to meet up with friends and relatives that we don't see very often, and of course, we were all thoroughly entertained, not only by the gorgeous wedding itself, but also  by the antics of the young children who rushed about playing, hiding and dancing throughout the day.

The Happily Married Couple, and off course Evelyn

The Page Boys - Jack and Thomas
standing to Attention - that was the stillest
they were all day!

Evelyn enjoying ice-cream!

The Bride and Groom with Louise's Mum and Dad

Sister Val, Mum, John, Sister Ange and Sister Cath

Sarah, Paul and Thomas

Vicky Adam and Jack

Jack, John, John (Val's husband) and Thomas

Me being a bit silly!

Most of the family boys - Kev (Ange's husband), John, George (Cath's husband) Adam
Ben Paul and Thomas

And of course The First Dance
But a little someone had to steel the limelight!

The little ones all behaved impeccably, but as the evening wore on some of the 'big boys and girls' became a little inebriated with all the free flowing 🍷🍷🍻🍺 so as with all good weddings, a little light heart naughtiness crept in!

We finally left the 'do' at about 11.30 and then sped back to Swanwick to wearily climb into our comfy beds in T4rdis2.

And after all that excitement we came back down to earth with a bit of a bump on  Friday!  We had to do mundane tasks like shopping and visiting the dentist before returning our hire car on Saturday morning.
However, Saturday was another lovely family day where we ended up inviting lots of them to the campsite for a barbecue style tea.  In total there were 18 guests - and cooking for 20 people in T4rdis2's confined quarters was a bit of a challenge - but in the end everyone got fed and watered and we all had a lovely afternoon in the sunshine where we reenacted the cutting of the cake!

And that brings us around to today (Sunday) where we've awarded ourselves another day off!  We've just got a week left now before our departure to France for our Grand tour over the Alps so I think we might spend some of our time doing a bit of planning and booking ferries etc, but we're quite determined we'll also be spending some of the day with our feet up relaxing in the sunshine, and also tucking into a steak dinner with a bottle of red to accompany it this evening!

So for now it's cheerio from us, and by the next time I put my fingers on the keyboard we'll probably be off on our travels again 😙

Click here to see our UK camping spots