We gained a cousin...

A lovely weekend in Hampshire.  The wedding was very pretty, attended by about 100 friends and family, from all over the world.  It was a well-traveled group.   We always find it strange that only registered places in the UK are allowed to host weddings.  Further, the actual signings of the official register happen at the ceremony.   We also find it nice that at least these civil ceremonies are non-sectarian.  It was joyous with a great amount of wit and humor.

The bride looked magnificent, the groom as handsome as ever. He has now joined our eccentric family.  Fortunately he had lived in the United States so he understands our part of it.  Here's to Maddie and Martin.  

The ales and wines flowed considerably at the party afterward.   Chilean wines to accompany a lovely piece of sea bass, and for the main course a filet mignon.   The dessert was a form of meringue broken into pieces and covered with cream and raspberries, similar to the Oz/Kiwi pavlova.  A tri-level cake of fruit-cake with marzipan, devil's food on the second layer and a yellow cake to top it.  Dancing finished the evening.  Some folk stayed up till 4:30AM; we sensibly went to bed at a reasonable hour.

The English breakfasts are always superb, with meaty bacon, sausages, fried eggs, crispy potatoes, mushrooms and tomatoes.   Baked beans are available.  Fruit selection excellent too.  No chance at a meat pie though.

At Heathrow, to us a painless airport.  Off to Paris.

48 Hours in the UK...even in February it's fun.

We left Washington late Wednesday night on British Airways with a painless, and relatively short trip to London.   Getting to Dulles Airport though was an enormous endeavor. Friends Rainer and Wallis took us, but the 12 in/30 cm of rain that fell as a summer storm in late February flooded underpasses and low lying sections of many freeways and the 14th Street Bridge approaches, so that instead of 45 minutes it took over an hour and a quarter.   Rainer knew back roads so we managed to avoid most of the major traffic jams.

Easy flight, normally inferior food, but very good services.  We ended up with aisle bulkhead seats and no one in the middle so we had room to stretch.

The Elvetham

Through Customs and Immigration in less than 10 minutes and then out to The Elvetham, a huge Victorian pile of a hotel, beautifully of its 1860s time, for the night before the wedding endeavors.  It's our cousin Maddy's wedding to Martin today (Friday), so last night was meeting up with old friends and family in the bar, and many pints, for John.  The food here can be good, particularly the sandwiches, but the fish cakes are a little heavier on potatoes than John's, and the goujons of plaice were a fancy version of fish-sticks.  Nonetheless, the company made up for it.  We fortunately had dinner with old friend James, who has visited us many times in Washington.

In front of the church

We had a walk around the grounds and decided that UKP70,000 spent in 1860 probably multiplied by 100 equal the cost of replacing this huge home.  It's on the site of the old Seymour home where Henry VIII met Jane Seymour.  Queen Elizabeth I came here to hear Shakespearean poetry, among other things, and Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights Dream was first performed here.  It's even mentioned in the Domesday Book!  Almost 1000 years of history here, and it was a manor before the Normans arrived in 1066.  The place even has its own deconsecrated church.

Porte Clochère

This morning we intend to walk the two miles into the local village, Hartley Wintney, and then the wedding will consume the rest of the day.

Central Hall stained glass