Celebration!

Wednesday
We were on the road again today, heading back down south, to the New Forest, to help celebrate the wedding vow renewal of one of Roger’s cousins Julie and her husband Chris. We were supposed to be taking Roger’s Dad, Bernard, but unfortunately he didn’t feel up to it, the weekend’s celebrations in York having taken it out of him. So he suggested we should take one of the girls with us, as the room and the dinner were already paid for. Laura said she was quite happy to stay behind and let Jen go. Julie and Chris live on Guernsey, but had chosen to celebrate the occasion at a favourite hotel of theirs, the Rhinefield House Hotel, set in an old mansion and its annex, in its own grounds down a forestry road in the New Forest. It was a beautiful place - very upmarket - more than we would usually spend on a hotel! We pulled into the car park at the same time as Roger’s Uncle Barry with his wife Janet and daughter Yvette, who had come over from Guernsey that morning! We had seen them just last year, as they came over to England for Bernard’s 90th birthday celebrations. However, there were other family members, some other cousins, who Roger hadn’t seen for decades! The wedding vow renewal itself was quite short and informal, put together by Julie’s daughters (from her first marriage) - they had also done all the detailed planning and seen to all the decorations - and they did a great job! Afterwards, champagne and appetizers were served out on the terrace, and they had a photographer taking photographs. It was a gorgeous day - quite hot. Then there was a dinner, and they had speeches - one of Julie’s daughters and Chris. Conversation continued over drinks in and around the bar until late - I was amazed at Irene and Dick, Julie’s parents, both quite elderly, but they stayed up as late as most people! The bottom two photos show Julie with her Dad, and Roger with his two uncles, Barry and Dick - I think the others are self explanatory! Such a shame Bernard didn’t feel up to it, but it would definitely have been too much for him, with the long drive, and then the hotel itself was quite large, and there would have been quite a bit of walking for him, which isn’t easy for him these days. So we took lots of photos to share when we got back.