The Reason For Going Home aka Big Brothers Wedding Day

Finally the day had arrived for my big brother to become a married man. The bride looked gorgeous in a dress that suited her like it had not only been made for but designed for her as well. My brother scrubbed up not too badly but most importantly they looked so happy and in love anytime they were together. It was an short but emotional ceremony. I was slightly terrified as they asked me to do a reading which in the end I wrote myself. Now I hate public speaking and there were 120 odd people there but this was something I desperately want to do and do right for my brother and his bride. I was so proud of them both and proud to be able to share in their special day. Well I messed up a little but the emotion and feeling were understood I think so I got away with the odd missed word, shaking and very wobbly voice.

Next came the photos where I entertained myself my taking photos of the photos being taken and stealing the odd nip of rum or whisky from the obliging grooms men. Only to help keep me warm you understand, after all it was a chilly day. Eventually the photographer was done and it was my turn. Oh not with the bride and groom, they still had a long way to go with the professionals, I headed back to the venue and got my SLR out to see what I could do with it before dinner.

I had great fun wandering round the venue recording the details of the day, flowers waiting to be gifted, a rather unique ceiling and of course the tables once they were set. Oh of course friends and family who were foolish enough to stand still long enough for me to take a snap. Once we were the wedding party arrived back at the hall and we were all seated it was time for the speeches. Now at least during the grooms speech I had an advantage. I had been allowed a sneak preview that morning when I had gone round for a cup of tea and to collect my flower. I knew who to aim my camera at and I was braced for the mention of Jonathan and who he was missed. Even with preparation I still had to raise my camera when the attention was once more on me as my brother informed the hole gather that I had written the reading I had stumble through earlier that day. I'm sure I looked strange snapping at that moment but when in doubt take a photo is my motto and I'm sticking with it. The same practice save me a few times that night. As happy as I was to be there and as delighted as I was for my brother and his new wife the absence of my love was keenly felt at times. During the second dance when I knew I should have been on the floor I had no-one to dance with, thankfully I was able to get some good arty shots from a hand balcony instead. And during a particular wedding favourite which for some reason the band sing of love lost instead of happily ever, after as I would expect at a celebration of love, I retreated once more. Mostly though I managed to remember that it was night for celebrating what was and joined in, which was rather easier once I swapped my pretty heals for less pretty but infinitely more comfortable flats!  I even managed to steal a quick part-dance each with the bride and groom towards the end of the evening.

I am proud to say that I was among the last to leave. I walked with the bride and groom to the hotel across the road where we met the brides family. I may not have been in the best condition but I did think it would be nice to join them for a quick drink as I knew so little about them. Soon though the day really was over and it was time for bed. It had been an emotional day but I am glad to say mostly for all the right reasons. The day had been a celebration of my brother and his new wife's love and I wouldn't ave missed it for anything. It was without a doubt, a day worth coming home for.

Getting Ready for the Big Day

It seemed like no time at all since my brother and his girlfriend returned from Nepal as my brother and his fiancée. Yet there I was on the bus travelling through the cold Scottish countryside on my way to our home town for their wedding. I was travelling the day before my own parents as I had been gifted some beauty treatments at my preferred beautician across the road from my in-laws house. Since I had no desire to turn up at the wedding with red eyebrows I thought it prudent to travel down on the Thursday allowing me the Friday to be waxed and polished and allowing me Friday evening to recover from the shock of looking properly civilised once more.

I travelled early so I could have lunch with my aunt in-law and catch up with her family. It was great to see them and hear their news not to mention my pleasure at an unexpected conversation with her son about physics and astronomy. He had clearly given a lot of thought to the subject we discussed and asked some difficult question that I did my best answer. After many years away I would have found questions about Australia easier but I found I enjoyed revisiting these topics much in the way I had with my young German friend in Cairns a few months back.

Having been fed and tested I had no sooner been dropped at my in-laws house than I was requesting the groom-to-be aka my brother give me a lift to a local shop to pick up a new laptop as mine had sadly decided that it was too old to travel. I communicated this to me by randomly turning itself off and restarting at the most inconvenient moments. I had thought to keep my brother company as the bride-to-be was staying with her family for the next two nights but he soon informed me that his groomsmen were doing their jobs well and would soon be by. With that in mind I declined the invitation to join them and headed back to wait for my in-laws only to discover they had beaten me home. We had a lovely evening catching up as they filled me in on their not so sunny holiday and I told them about my hunt for shoes. OK they had more to say but that never stops me.

The next day I subject myself to over an hours' worth of beautifying by a lively girl who chatted and made the whole thing rather painless. I left with fabulous purple nails and feeling like I wouldn't disgrace myself in the family photos the following day. That evening I was able to meet up with some childhood friends and the chat swung between our current news and old reminisces with many conversation never actually ending as one of us remembered something else. Such is the joy of meeting up with friends you have know since you were a child and haven't seen in over a year. I do regret the time we lost when we drifted apart but I am glad we are in touch now even though our friendship is very different to what it once was, after all we are no longer children living next door to one another.  Sadly though we talked for hours the evening ended too soon but we all agreed it was time to go our separate ways once more. In my case it was to get an early night as tomorrow was my brother and his fiancées big day.

And Finally Home

Another early start and I was heading back north. It took two trains, two buses and a plane but finally I was back in Glasgow! I even had time for my in-laws to feed and shower me before my generous big brother drove me to my gig. I know that any number of family members would have come with me indeed my brother was rather put out when he found I was going alone. Considering how much time I spend on my own I truly wasn't bothered, also I didn't see the point of any of them wasting money to see a band they weren't interested in just to keep me company. Being the friendly kind of folk I am I soon got chatting to the lady beside me who it turns out was such a fan she had been to every single one of Matchbox Twenty's UK gigs. I was very impressed and glad to know there would be someone more nuts than me close by.

It was a great gig with a mixture of old and new songs. Since their latest album is one of the few I bought whilst in Australia and I have been a fan for almost 14 years I was ecstatic. I sang and cheered so much that my voice was almost gone by the time my brother collected me at 11pm. It almost made up for missing them in Australia the previous year.

As much as I enjoy being back in the town I called home for more years than I care to remember the next day I was off again. Finally I would be heading back to my home base in Aberdeenshire (aka mum & dads house) for almost two weeks. One of the first things we did was to meet up with my cousin and Aunt for a quick catch-up lunch. Sadly again my timing was off as my cousin would be away for most of my visit home and therefore apart for the wedding this was my only change to see her. Having found 'the' dress for the upcomig wedding I was on amission to find the perfect shoes and since we were in town for lunch I htought it would be a great idea to start looking, how hard could it be? You'd think after the dress search I would have known better, who knew that high heeled back patent shoes came in such a variety of styles?!?! Eventually after many more days shopping my mother and I found the right pair, not to high, not to short, not to narrow and not too big. It was smaller than I usually wear but the others I had tried kept sliding off my heels so I thought this would be best since I didn't want them to fall off during my inevitable drunken dancing which has been know to be rather enthusiastic at times....

In between various shopping trips for shoes I did manage to remember that the day wasn't actually about me and my fashion sense. My mother helped me find a wedding rose  for my brother and his new wife's garden as a lifelong reminder of their joy and happiness on their wedding day. I had wanted to find the same rose as the bride had in her bouquet but they weren't garden roses so I hoped this would be an acceptable substitute. Back home we used our time wisely by relaxing. One of my favourite memories from this trip home though will be the afternoon my mum and I made some pancakes which brought back childhood memories of happy carefree days.

It wasn't all sitting about eating goodies though. My parents drove me to St Andrews so I could catch up with an old uni friend. I had hoped for a nice day so we could all enjoy our day out but typically it rained. My parents made the best of it and headed to the nearest pub whilst my friend and I had a great time catching up and walking around in between showers. It was strange to meet him in the place where almost ten years earlier we had graduated together but fun to see what was the same and what had changed both in the town and in our lives. 

So far my visit home was undoubtedly a success but what made it even better was (wonder of wonders) my DSLR arrived fixed and working like it had never had a fit at me all those months ago. This resulted in me going with my mum to her health club and taking many photos whilst she was getting beautified, to much amusement of the staff watching me. I don't know why but the sight of a 30 year old woman placing a small stuffed highland cos all over the place and taking multiple serious shots is apparently not a common one.

I was fortunate enough to have been given my beautifying treatments as a birthday present so before I knew it I was back on a bus and heading to my old home town again. At least for once I was travelling light as my mum had offered to bring my luggage with her the next day when she and my dad would be travelling down for my brother's wedding. Ao it was just me, Zack and an overnight case on our way again.

The Dr Who Experience

I’ve always fancied visiting Wales and since a good friend of mine was currently living there it seemed a shame no to take advantage. Of course I would decide to visit her as the college term was coming to an end with many assignment and exams looming but since I would only be in the UK for a limited time (organised around a certain persons wedding) there weren't too many options for when I could visit. It was great to see her and she did give me a range of options for exploring Swansea and the surrounding area as well as offering the use of her bike. I did walk in to the centre most days and visit a fabulous little cafe for their delicious hot chocolate and cakes but mostly I watched Dr Who. I love Dr Who and only started watching it when it returned to our screen with the 9^th Dr so I was delighted to revisit it by watching her box set from the beginning. It made me a little sad as it was Jonathan who insisted we watch them since he remembered the originals. Of course I was hooked right away so we then had to watch them all. Anyway, it’s a great show and I was happy to wrap myself up n a blanket and watch them only occasionally disturbed by the cat meowing at me as if her food bowl wasn't completely full or doing something incredibly cute.

Despite her heavy college load my friend spent her evenings entertaining me. One night we took a trip to a nearby beach which thought really windy was apparently not as windy as it could be and the views were spectacular. I know I've said it before but I really wish I had my SLR as I am sure I could have managed to take a few decent shots, well with that and a tripod to help battle the wind! The bracing walk was followed by a pub meal in a great little pub that had a surprisingly extensive specials board and made a properly decent burger and chips which I did douse in vinegar and made me feel quite at home.

On the Saturday we had a fairly early start and took the train to Cardiff for yet another attempt at finding a dress but first...... First we went to the Bay area and the Dr Who Experience. It was awesome and fabulous and so very geektastic. The walk through at the start was well thought out with references to many of the 11^th Doctors adventures and enemies which finished with one of my better 3-D experiences. Then we spent a fair while looking round the exhibits at the old costumes and the evolution of some of the more well known enemies. I think I read every plaque and more than ever I’d like to see the original series. The true highlight was one of the staff taking my two stuffed companions and placing them on the TARDIS for me to take their photo. When she asked if I’d like her to do that I could only answer that she had no idea how much I would like it, I really am such a geek.

Finally I had read and photographed all I could and it was on to the shop where I swear if you could think of it they had a Dr Who version of it. I was tempted in to buying some 50^th anniversary commemorative stamps thus probably moving from geek to nerd and my friend bought me a present of a Dr Who note book and pencil which will definitely be coming on my next set of travels with me.

Before tackling the dress shops we took advantage of the beautiful day to have lunch outside Cardiff castle where the food and rest left me almost ready to face the shops once more. Of course by now it was easier as I had a better idea of what would and wouldn't suit me though we still managed to gather quite a collection as we headed for the fitting rooms. Thankfully after only a few dresses we found the one. I didn't even bother trying on the rest as I knew I had found what I had been looking for.  Though technically my friend found it and a great but too expensive pair of shoes. Dress finally conquered we spent the rest of the afternoon window shopping before settling in a pub for a well deserved glass of wine as we discussed our dinner options. We eventually decided on Wagamama’s and were not disappointed though we declined desert in favour of the mini muffins back home. Once home we were greeted by an accusing cat, as if she hadn’t been asleep upstairs all day, she’s a gorgeous cat but she wasn’t fooling anyone.

Before long I was back in my usual place on my friends sofa with wine and cake which felt like a very fitting end to a chilled but too short visit. As much as I would have loved a longer visit I had a gig to go to the next day and she had a house to renovate and a job to work on not to mention a college course to get on with. Makes me tired just thinking about it! It’s a good thing I’m on holiday and I must make to most of it as during my visit I got an e-mail from a boat I’d like to volunteer on saying to keep in touch as they might have space round about the time I’m due back. It’s exciting but if they do as amazing as it would be I am sure I shall earn every dive.

Back in Sunny Scotland

Well the flight home was uneventful which is as much as I ever hope for in a flight. I read watched movies and even managed to sleep for a good 6 hours or so. The sleep meant that on arrival at Glasgow airport I was not the poor exhausted traveller expected but rather an admittedly crumpled but awake and surprisingly articulate traveller eager to talk about her travels. My priority was to get clean. I have been in the same clothes for almost forty hours and sitting in confined spaces for most of that. After the blissful shower and wrapping myself up it was on to the phone to speak to my parents and reassure them that I hadn’t missed either of my planes. Though sentences and word were sometimes difficult I nether the less managed to stay awake until a decent bed time and surprisingly beat the jetlag. I do like my new talent of being able to sleep on planes I feel it will come in very useful from now one.

My first day back in the UK and mostly I felt cold, it was so so very cold! The worst thing was everyone kept telling me it was warming up. It was amazingly good to see everyone but oh did I miss the tropical heat of Northern Queensland. My first four days in the UK were spent dining out mostly. My parents came down with some warmer clothes (thank goodness!) and we caught up over some wine and dinner at their hotel. This was followed by a day of shopping unsuccessfully for a dress but successfully for a new phone and a Pandora bracelet of my own. Now at least for a few tears my family would be able to send me a small present on birthdays and at Christmas that they could be sure I would have room for. Not to mention that the charm s are really cute and some of them quite pretty. Of curse after trying on all those dresses unsuccessfully wine was required, thankfully my dad was soon on hand to oblige before it was back to the hotel to meet with my brother and his fiancée for yet more wine and of course dinner. It was an interesting evening with the talk going between wedding stuff and Australia and diving stuff. Apparently they had gathered from a few of my facebook posts that I was slightly taken with the whole diving malarkey but that didn’t stop me telling them in person how fabulous an experience it is.

Since the dress shopping had been unsuccessful I convinced my brother’s fiancée to meet me for lunch and look at a few possibilities. Lunch was a success, I hadn’t had tapas in years and the food was lovely. Dress shopping was once more a failure as we only found one of the dresses I liked though it was my preferred option and it was given the bride-to-be’s stamp of approval.  Thankfully that was it for the dress for the time being and I was in definite need of an afternoon nap since in the evening both mine and Jonathan’s family were meeting for dinner to belatedly celebrate my 31st birthday. Dinner itself was a quiet but tasty affair followed by a quiet drink in a nearby pub. For me I enjoyed spending time with both my families thought the music in the restaurant made conversation a little difficult. Due to the number of us we had been unable to secure an earlier reservation so by the time we got to the pub it was late and one drink was enough. I wouldn’t have even had bothered but I had said I would go and felt I should though I think if I had been thinking clearly I wouldn’t have bothered as none of the people from my previous life were able to make it anyway.  Thankfully we were all happy to leave quickly and I returned home with my brother and his fiancée to drink their alcohol and watch some daft but highly entertaining films. I even managed to borrow some really comfy warm clothes which made my evening complete.

Finally the time had come to be lazy! I had to pack my bag for my parents to take north but apart from that my only task for the day was to watch as much criminal minds as possible. I did have t get dresses in the evening as my brother had offered to cook for me but the rest of the day was spent occupying my in-laws couch. I seriously cannot remember the last time I ate so well and this night was to be no different. The food and company were both lovely and whilst I was glad to catch up I didn’t stay too long as I was aware that both were working the next day.

Another lazy day followed though this time I did actually get dressed for most of it. More criminal minds and many cups of tea was the order of the day followed by a family meal and an earlyish night as I had an early start the nest day. Yup I was on the move again this time to Swansea in Wales, and I was worried the UK might be boring!