One of the loveliest days ever....The Wedding

It's two months since my darling daughter was married. It's gone by in a flash, and there isn't a day that goes without me smiling or laughing at some memory of the day itself.

We woke to rain. I 'm not just talking about a soft refreshing shower. Or  a steady teeming of rain. Or even a heavy shower. This was an angry, persistent rain which showed no signs of stopping.

And it didn't. The windscreen wipers in my car couldn't keep up with the water and spray as Mama and I made our way to the hairdressers, and again on journey home. I'd also picked up my friend Dimple who was going to make up Lucy, Mama and I. She saw Mama's distress at the rain and told us that in India, when it rained on your wedding day, it was said to be heaven's way of showering you with blessings.

Mama smiled and said " We will be very blessed today indeed!"

And do you know what ?We were. There was one moment at midday when I saw Lucy's face looking through the window, and I nearly cried. How were we to get her to the church, and everyone across the field to the marquee?

I didn't cry but my son Billy did as he saw his big sister in her wedding dress. As did Mr Thinking of the Days too. She looked beautiful, stunningly lovely in her old lace wedding dress.

 

But miraculously, the rain stopped ten minutes before the wedding ceremony, and as planned we were able to walk down to church.



 

 

 

My boys and I 

 

 

At the church gates

 

And I simply adore this picture of Harry and Lucy with their bridesmaids, Ellie, Sarah, Emma and Grace as they walked through the village to the marquee

 

 

And this one is another favourite by the field gate...

 

 

 

 

And that's where I'm going to stop with the photos. There are so many of them, all so well taken by Matt Horan , if I included all of my favourites , this could just become the longest blog in history.

 

 

Instead, I'm going to leave you with a video taken by my gorgeous nephew Ollie. He's a photographer and videographer who made a short video of the highlights of Lucy and Harry's big day.

It captures perfectly the very essence of the day....the anticipation, the emotion, especially when Billy sees his sister in her wedding dress, when Mr Thinking of the days sees Lucy dressed up for the very first time, the fun, the laughter, the love, and some of the shenanigans which occurred later. The dancing...oh the dancing, where we danced all night to a brilliant disco from Alex Wright.And sharing it all with our lovely family and friends who came from far and wide.

 

The video  arrived today, and I've cried and laughed each time I've watched it. And above all, each frame shows off my darling daughter...beautiful, vivacious, unspoilt and so much in love with her new husband.

 

Why not sit down with a cup or glass of something and have a look....

The track "Into the Mystic "by Van Morrison was their first dance, and the other tracks were featured in a wedding soundtrack which were given as favours to all of our friends and family

 

 

http://vimeo.com/101875518

 

 

So thank you Ollie....and here he is, strutting his stuff later....

 

 

Days in the week leading up to THE wedding of the year....

So, at the end of May, my darling daughter got married to the lovely man she met in Australia four years ago.

Within weeks of their romantic engagement in Florance, we were swept up in a whirlwind of wedding planning. Where would it take place? When would it be? What type of wedding? All seemingly big decisions , which were made without fuss and quite quickly.

It would be a wedding from home, in the village church down the lane where brides have been married since the twelfth century, carrying on an ancient tradition.

And the reception would take place in a marquee in the field behind our cottage, thanks to the generosity of Ian and Sharon, our friends and next door neighbours ,who gave us the use of  their field.

At the beginning of the week, the marquee men arrived and quickly set to work in the sunshine

My darling mum,  known to most of us as Mama ,had arrived the day before , so while the marquee went up she had a grandstand seat to watch the proceedings.

And by the first evening , when the bride to be arrived home, in a car
full of important things - the dress, the shoes, the bunting, the orders of service, decorations, etc, she gasped with delight  as we sat in the garden with a bottle of prosecco to look at such an important feature of her wedding day.

What happened during the next few days are a blur. A busy blur of frenzied activity, laughter, frowns, goodwill , hard work , pulling together , and a real sense of friendship as we all went about doing what needed to be done for the big day.

Lucy's brothers Billy and Callum took a few days off from work to help, and Grace and Ellie, two of Lucy's bridesmaids were here for three days, working their socks off, as was Harry the bridegroom . On Friday Sarah and Emma the two other bridesmaids had arrived and they were all in the marquee dressing the tables, stocking up the bar, and doing a hundred and one jobs.

Lucy had already made 108 metres of bunting the week before, and by Friday afternoon, most things were in place.....

And yes, the posh loos had arrived!

 

 

 

Meanwhile Mama and my friend Dot had finished decorating the church with flowers.....

Then back in the kitchen, after making about 600 canapés, I sat down with Mama and my friend Eileen who'd arrived to pitch in to hull 60 pounds of strawberries....

And we found that when you're sitting down , chatting and having a glass of wine at the same time as hulling, the job doesn't seem too bad!

 

By now, we all were tired .It was time to get changed, and go down to the pub in the next village for a meal..and to celebrate my birthday and the wedding anniversary of Mr Thinking of the Days. That's one birthday and anniversary I won't forget in a hurry....being with our extended family - my most favourite and most loved people in the world and with friends, knowing the next day was going to be the biggest day in my daughter's life so far.

But before we made our way home ,, I received an unexpected surprise....a delicious and delightful looking cake made by Grace, who I've known since she was a few months old, and who will always be part of our family.

 

By then I was nearly in tears of love and gratitude, not just for the cake, but for everything. But I was also excited and apprehensive at to what tomorrow would bring . After all, torrential rain was forecast, would I sleep, would everything be ok? Would Lucy and Harry enjoy their big day?


And yes, you'll have to wait for pictures of the bride, the dress and the wedding shenanigans until the next blogpost....!
 

The day of the Summer Solstice when Kasabian came to town



 

There's some lovely parks in Leicester - grand, ornate parks laid out  by the Victorians, so that the masses could get out into the fresh air on their day of rest and relax.

 

Victoria Park  just outside the city centre isn't one of the grand ones, but there's over sixty acres and it's a lovely space to walk, to play tennis, to play football or just relax in any season. I love it in Autumn...



 

 

It's a very open space, where in winter, the icy winds can tear you in two... but during the balmy days of last week , two kilometres of huge, three metre high barriers were erected, enclosing about forty acres of the park...



They were there for this....



Kasabian, the Leicester band with the big attitude, four number one albums and a very loyal following  were back in the city for a party. A very big party - of fifty thousand people who streamed into the park in the blistering heat on a scented tide of sunscream, bodyspray and beer to get their places near the front

 

Support acts were Beardyman, Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe and Australian band Jagwa Ma, who only got together in 2011 in Sydney. Their sound for me just suits the sunshine...especially on "Come Save me" which is a sort of Beach boys on crack tribute...

 

 

 



 

 

As the late afternoon became evening, the temperature cooled but the audience warmed up as Rudimental took to the stage

 

 





 



Then as the sky changed, the spot monkeys climbed up to do their  jobs





And at long last Kasabian took to the stage ..and there was a  genuine sense of anticipation as the

 bright pink backdrop, mimicing the album artwork of 48.13 , electronically counted down to the performance. I was in the middle of the crowd...headphones on , live on BBC 's The Beat with Dean Jackson, describing the mood, the day, and audience reaction.

 

 

 

Tom Meighan, Kasabian's lead singer is not known for his modesty or reticence....and he swaggered around the stage singing his heart out, genuinely seeming so proud of what the band had achieved in getting this event put on in their home city.

 

Serge Pizzorno had previously promised us all that this homecoming show will be "the greatest thing we have ever done"....so was he right? Well yes, it was the best live show I've seen the band perform, and I've seen them about six or seven times.Technically so good, the vocals were as clear as you like, the girls on strings played their hearts out, Serge danced more than I've seen him do before...and the band enjoyed themselves. From the very first song "Bumblebee" , they romped through a large proportion of their back catalogue...treating the audience who were dancing along and singing to their hearts content.

 

 

 

 

Halfway through though, I had another live insert to do...and Dean Jackson asked if Tom Meighan was talking much in between tracks .....all I could say on live radio , was that he was saying a few words . I couldn't have repeated most of them...the f word is Tom's favourite adjective, noun and verb...

But after that , there was time to enjoy the last few tracks at the side of park...

 

 

and have a laugh with BBC Radio 's Ed Stagg....who'd I bumped into earlier....





 

After that, I watched fifty thousand people walk off into the night, singing, shouting, as I sat in my little satellite truck waiting to be allowed out of the production control area and off the park...and marked the end of the summer solstice in a queue.


Today's track just has to be one from Kasabian, doesn't it? So here's "Re Wired" ...and their video makes me chuckle....

 

a day of beauty

I've heard the word "beautiful" used to describe everything from a dress to  a pint of lager in the last week. 

I haven't heard the word "beauty" so often though. So what is beauty? I know it's in the eye of the beholder....but it's defined as a combination of qualities, such as shape, colour, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially sight, or a combination of qualities that pleases the intellect or moral sense.

And last Thursday I was surrounded by real beauty in such different forms.

Early that evening I'd been invited to the launch of the flower festival at Leicester Cathedral. This year's theme was the motto of King Richard III .."Loyalty Binds Me"

 Now, I have a very soft spot for the cathedral...I work about sixty paces away, I've spent much time there, but have never seen a  flower festival there.

In fact, I've never really appreciated or "got" a flower festival before. I prefer to see flowers growing ...in gardens, in parks, in the countryside. Or if they must be inside, I like them  arranged naturally, artlessly in a jug, not dressed up to kill in  contrived designs.

But beauty was all around the cathedral lit up at twilight, with the glow of the patina of polished pews in the candlelight, and flowers everywhere.

There was beauty of the flowers themselves, beauty in the creation of the displays, and such clever interpretations of Richard's motto.

It really was fascinating walking around the cathedral, admiring the regal and moving displays. Richard Buckley, the Director of the University of Leicester archaeological services was guest of honour ad the whole event seemed like a marker for a much more historic event which hopefully will take place next year, when Richard III is interred here.

But it was then on to watch the incredibly talented Kathryn Williams who was appearing at the Musician in Leicester. There was real beauty in her amazingly pure voice which effortlessly and quickly steals my heart again every time I see her perform.

There's beauty to admire in her clever lyrics of love, loss and everyday connumdrums which are so pleasingly partnered with just the right chords.

And I 'm moved by the beauty of the cello playing and arrangements of Ben Trigg...which complement Kathryn's vocals so well, as they performed old favourites such as Jasmine Hoop and Soul to Feet, as well as new songs from her new album "Crown Electric " which is released on 30th September.

So, what a brilliant night, being surprisingly beguiled by beauty all around.

Which means today's track has to be by Kathryn Williams doesn't it? This is the video for her latest single "Heart Shaped Stone"......please watch right until the ending....which made me laugh in sheer delight...

 

Victorious days

Summer wouldn't be the same without a festival or two...and it's always good to visit somewhere different. And Victorious is certainly different to any other music festival around....

First of all, the location....

Well, we do like to be beside the seaside...beside the Warrior

..and listening to music in such a historic, picturesque place was great....

And as well as watching the bands, you could go on board such iconic ships as the Victory, the Mary Rose and the Warrior, or even have a tour of the harbour...all included in the festival entry price of £15 per day.


The music....

The joy of going to a festival is to see favourite bands and to discover new ones...to hear something different - here at Victorious there were 120 bands playing over the weekend...and 90 of them were local ones. It was an eclectic line up to say the least with everyone from Charlotte Church to Level42, from Joy Formidable to the Feeling.

On the main stage, for me, the best performances came from good old Maximo Park and Reef..whose frontman looks more like Jim Carey everyday (it's the smile).What a good festival band Reef are..and I really liked the Milk, who I've not seen before.

At Little Johnny Russell's indoor stage, one of the highlights were Kassassin Street, a Portsmouth band with a charismatic front man Rowan Bastable with a nice line in dancing. Cross Tom Vek, some psychadelic sounds, Primal scream, some great guitar work, more besides, and there you have them.

And at the acoustic stage , there was such a chilled, casual feel...sitting on straw bales listening to the likes of oh so likeable James Walsh,

Mark Morris and Tremain, a local soul band led by Leonie and her sister Amba. Such great voices..and really good songs.

And popping up everywhere around the festival , raising money for charity , singing with gusto and bringing a smile to everyone's faces were the Alternative Southsea Choir,

There was certainly a different crowd of all ages here at this festival..thousands of babies and small children, an army of men who camped out near the real ale, the beautiful people
and some unusual characters too....

But when I say crowd, I mean a multitude...apparently there were 50,000 who visited the festival over the weekend. That's a lot of people, who all need feeding, watering, facilities...and somewhere to sit.

And that's where something needs changing for next year - I'm sure I'm not the only one who spent hours queuing for food, for drinks, for the loos.....and dying for somewhere to sit.

No food or drink was allowed into the festival (similar to many others) ...our bags were searched on arrival and any drinks found were confiscated....but if you're going to do that you have to make sure there's enough food on offer. There was a good choice of food ...Spanish, vegetarian, Mexican, burgers, pizza , pancakes, etc etc...but many of the stalls ran out of food on both days. When you get to the front of the queue and queueing for half an hour only to be told there wasn't left wasn't the best feeling in the world. But luckily there were the Camp Cooks..

..who kept on serving with style and good humour and kept their customers entertained all through the festival.

The real ale festival ran out of many of their ales after the first day..and to get a bottle of water was a mammoth effort in terms of time and being able to find one. And while I'm in battle axe mode....more seating please! Thousands of us had to sit on steps and pavements around the dockyard if we could find a space....you got away with it Victorious this year because it didn't rain....if it had, you'd have been sunk. In the Solent.

However, for sheer entertainment, the chance to meet up with family and friends,

 ..hear some great music and enjoy an invigorating weekend in the shadows of such beautiful buildings and ships, this was a really Victorious weekend.

Today's track is from Kassassin Street ...

 

A day of inspired brilliance, books, tea and cake....

Books, tea and cakes are an award winning combination - especially when Persephone Books are involved.

 

There's no mistaking a Persephone book....paperbacks in a sophisticated dove grey with the most delicious endpapers, and a matching bookmark....the designs chosen  to complement the book with the right historical pedigree.

 

They not only look beautiful, they're very tactile, and there's one hundred and two books so far on the Persephone list......they're reprints of neglected fiction and non-fiction by mid-twentieth century writers, who mainly are women. They're thought -provoking, taking the reader back to a Britain very different to today... with domestic but universal themes and relationships shining out from the pages.

Over 40 of us gathered on Saturday afternoon in the teeny, tiny Kibworth bookshop to meet Nicola Beauman, who heads up Persephone Press. Although a writer of biographies plus a history of the women's novels from 1914-39, in an inspired moment of brilliance, Nicola set up her own publishing house in 1999 because there were so many writers she thought deserved to be heard again.





 

 

 

It's one thing to think about doing something like that, and actually going ahead with the idea. But she did. She also endured several hard years to begin with, and then something rather wonderful happened. One of Nicola's books, "Miss Pettigrew lives for a day" by Winifred Watson – was made into a film, after it surprisingly became a bestseller.

That was the turning point for Persephone Books...and the rest is history. There's a rather cultish sense of belonging when readers meet fellow devotees and many do meet up at the regular teas and events that are held. 

The one on Saturday was very jolly...after a frenzy of book buying, followed by Nicola's talk, tea and cakes were served....the tea cosy was knitted specially in grey by Kerry....

 

who managed to waltz her way through the crowded shop offering tea and some tasty treats.

And then there was time for most to have a word with Nicola..., buy some more books, and scurry home to open one of those dove grey books , sit, sigh with pleasure and begin to read ...

Today's track is from a Texas based band with which I'm rather enamoured. Great voices underpin each track, excellent lyrics and the violin enhance each  melody. The band is called the Good Mad and this song is called "In the grey"...just like all those hundred and two Persephone titles...