When we got to the train station in Kemble, we called a cab, but had a while to wait (this wasn't London, after all), so Evie burned some of her never ending energy while running around a pub garden.
It was very rural...almost as rural as Tallulah!
We're not sure if we've ever been to the Cotswolds before on one of our walks, but it was, typically, beautiful English countryside sprinkled with little villages, old pubs, occasional B&Bs and proud, friendly residents. The area that we were in is known for its lakes and water parks. Unfortunately, as usual, we always seem to end up in places that are known for summery things at the wrong times of the year or when a cold front is coming through, but it's nice to know that it is there in case we want to go back sometime.
The wedding was held at a beautiful abbey not far from where we were staying. It occurred to me that if we were going to take Evie to a wedding and stay out late, she definitely needed a nap, so she and I stayed home during the ceremony to catch up on our beauty sleep and Jim went to the wedding with our friends Victoria and Eddie.
En route to the wedding, the bride's antique car broke down, so they had to relocated to another antique car...which also broke down. In desperation, she and her bridesmaids hopped into a taxi...and got pulled over by a cop for speeding. During all of this, the groom was looking more and more nervous, but eventually they did get married.
After the wedding, as promised, the torrential rain began. Just in time for Evie and me to make our way to the reception!
We got there and danced a little to the steel drum band before taking Evie up to the creche and sitting down for dinner:
The reception was in an old rectory that had been turned into a hotel and was very elegant and beautifully decorated. Jim and I sat at a table of the bride's friends from Oxford and enjoyed a delicious dinner and some funny conversations. We've met so many interesting people at weddings over the past few weeks!
After dinner and the toasts, Evie and the other children were invited back down to party on the dance floor. Despite being very tired, Evie found her second wind (via over tiredness) and entertained everyone with her dance moves...and her balloon.
I could hardly keep up with her!
The next morning it was not only rainy, but also cold. Desperate to stretch our legs, we decided to bundle up and take a little walk around one of the hotel lakes.
There were a few birds chirping in the bushes, but even the ducks were hiding out from the unappealing weather. Evie, as usual, was thoroughly enjoying herself, the puddles, her wellies and picking up rocks--her newest obsession.
There was not much to do, under the circumstances, so we did what we do best and went to get something to eat a a local pub. The food was delicious and Evie had her first Sunday roast (the plate in front of me is the CHILD's portion. HUGE! I had vegetarian chili and Jim had a Moroccan lamb dish). She loves beef, peas, potatoes, yorkshire pudding and she does not love cabbage. She also loves Sticky Toffee Pudding and vanilla ice cream...as do the rest of us.
Playing in the beer garden was also fun:
On our last morning, we enjoyed a family breakfast of shreddies before heading to the train station. Our cab driver was late and we only made our train by about 2 minutes, but we managed to get back to London and enjoyed the rest of the bank holiday in the comfort of our flat and grumbling about the horrible weather. It was a nice, relaxing weekend of celebrating happy times, but hopefully spring will really be here soon.
