On bank holiday Sunday I attended attended a family wedding, this led to us staying in Cheltenham for a couple of nights due to this being the area where the wedding took place.

During my stay I was able to do some urban walking around Cheltenham.

In addition to the urban walking the hotel corridors from the bedroom to the hotel reception and breakfast room (and back) also racked up some miles.

On our journey home we stopped off at Westonbury Mill Water Gardens where we enjoyed a pleasant lunch followed by a walk around the gardens.

On the day of the wedding the weather was so perfect that some uninvited guests emerged from the pool area. The tiny intruders invaded layers of the brides dress and had to be removed for the photographs. Later in the day when the wedding guests had gathered on the terrace before the evening reception the tiny intruders enjoyed a pre evening meal feast…

I noticed one when I felt a felt a tickling sensation on my leg, then I had a stinging sensation on my other leg and noticed a bit of blood… I thought nothing more of it until 24 hours later when my leg was itching and I gave it a casual scratch. I experienced excruciating pain causing me to look to see what the problem was. I was quite shocked at what I saw on my leg. There were a few other lesser bites adorning my lower body too.

This led me to do a Google search to find out what the insects actually are. I found that they are Black Fly and in the UK they have been named the Blandford Fly. Check the link for a photo on the damage they can do.

Black Fly

My leg didn’t swell up, but it had a vicious red rash which was hot to the touch and as I walked I had searing pain if I wasn’t careful. Thankfully the pain, heat and extended rash have calmed down.

This weekend my brother got married to his lovely lady. Their wedding day was perfect and beautiful. The sun came out to bless them and there was much love, laughter and happy tears along the way…  The happy couple surprised everyone with a choreographed dance story about the two of them. A part of the wedding they had kept secret from everyone. I had no idea my brother could dance like that

The celebrations carried on the next day at breakfast where we all lingered to enjoy each other’s company before it was time to leave and go on our separate journeys.

Later this year, in August my brother is getting married and my mum has been struggling to get just the right outfit. Mr C had offered a trip to Birmingham several times but she had resisted taking him up on the offer.  After struggling in the local towns and with internet shopping mum eventually accepted his offer. So today we headed off to Birmingham, timed to arrive for lunch before an afternoon of shopping.

When we arrived at our usual car park we made our way to the top level, which leads straight to the shopping area. We could see a couple of young men returning to their car, so we waited and drove into their space after they left. As Mr C got out of the car he noticed a wallet on the floor which contained a credit card and a recently purchased car park exit ticket. We waited a little while, and as expected the two young men eventually drove back to where they had parked their car and the driver was very much relieved to be reunited with his wallet.

We then headed into town for lunch, it was then that Mr C informed us that the Gay Pride March was taking place. As we walked into High Street we passed the Muslim stall, situated in its usual place, with the Gay Pride Parade lined up behind the stall and along High Street ready to process through the streets. Some of the antics that were going on made my 83 year old mother’s eyes roll…

Due to the crowds and a momentary doubt that the sandwich shop that Mr C had in mind might be closed, he suggested we eat in the Pavilions food court instead. I was not keen on the idea and reminded him of the alternative options that were near to the sandwich shop of choice. We made our way past the crowds (including a Christian Evangelist shouting at passers by) into a quiet area of Birmingham where we enjoyed a sandwich made to order in Tuckers, which despite Mr C’s momentary doubt, was very much open.

This set us up for an afternoon of shopping. After some deliberation… mum got a wedding outfit then found a hat and a bag to accompany it. Now all she needs is a jacket.

A couple of months ago without even looking I came across the perfect (for me) dress for a wedding. I ordered it off the internet to be delivered to my local store to try on for size and I liked. Then whilst out shopping with Mr C for clothes for him, the perfect handbag (for me) was just there on display as I walked past. I searched on the internet and found the perfect hat to match the dress and bag. I was able to try it on today and found it met my expectations After so many gifts without trying, the shoes were a bit more difficult to locate. I found a suitable pair eventually!

By this time we were all shopped out so we returned home. Mr C chose the scenic route to avoid the congested (holiday) motorway traffic.

We concluded our day by dining on the patio in the warm evening air as the sun went down

My recent run of special celebrations is now complete.

On Saturday night I attended a small wedding reception next to the banks of the river Severn.  The seating plan was rather unique.  Photos of all the guests were pegged up around the outside courtyard where everyone was gathered for pre dinner champagne.  On the reverse of the photo was the number of the table that the guest was sitting at.  On arrival at the table the name cards were little gingerbread men and women with individually piped names.

The evening was a lot of fun with an excellent live band rather than the usual disco.  As you can see from the photo, the wedding cake was rather unique too.  The doughnut on the top of the left plate had my name on it

PS: The photos for all the guests were found on the internet…

Last weekend I went to a wedding, it was a very informal affair and the wedding breakfast was in a Greek restaurant where we were served with a Meze.  Here are the wedding cakes, the bottom picture shows how popular they were

For more of this weeks PhotoHunt pictures check out tnchick.

Carl Jung