Oh to be in England, now that Summer's here...

The weather in England during the week that we've been here, is already being described as a heatwave!  It is cloudless, windless, with temperatures of around 25C.  Wonder how long it will last!

And so... Paddy met us at Ashford International railway station, dressed in the same clothes I last saw him in, in New Zealand  (Paddy sailed around the world in a very small boat named Tessa.  The journey was supposed to be nonstop, but because he was bowled in the Great Australian Bite, he had to stop in Timaru and this is when I last saw him, in 2011.  He did, by the way, complete his journey without further hitch, although God knows how he did it.  He said, "you have to be a little bit mad to know you're not crazy" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD8fXXoja6E)  He hadn’t changed and nor had Shelagh.  Only the dogs were different, ie more of them and a couple of new ones.  It always feels like coming home as I walk into the kitchen with the Aga glowing contentedly in the corner, the table in the middle of the room covered, as ever, with piles of newspapers, a few magazines, condiments, odd books and a variety of items.  'Shelagh in the kitchen' really should be the name of a book because it is here that she effortlessly excels.   

After dinner that evening, a car pulled up at the house and in came Anthony Kelly, a man I had heard a great deal about in the past as his eccentricities were well known to the press.  This was the man who had taken various body parts from a hospital and brought them home to 'cast'.  The story hit the papers some years ago, but I see it is still available online and seems to have made Wikipedia  as well.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony-Noel_Kelly and http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/his-masters-vice-1096981.html

It's the Kelly family that Shelagh's daughter has married into and it is Shelagh's granddaughter's wedding that we are going to.

Saturday, the day of the wedding, was hot, but the old stone church at Smarden was cool and refreshing.  The service was both Anglican and Catholic (the Kellys come from a long line of Catholics), and very long.  Four pages with hymns that went on for verse after verse, including the great "Jerusalem".  The bride looked elfin-like, very thin, with the family tiara and necklace to match.  She could easily have been a bride in the 16^th century.  The groom been in the Scots Guards and his groomsmen were all in Scottish trews; and there was a Scots guard of honour, compete with busbees. 

Bride and groom left the church in an Invictor car, which had been designed by Noel Macklin, Shelagh’s grandfather.  The reception was held at Romden Castle http://www.romdencastle.co.uk/  which is really a kind of folly than a castle, but it has a tower and turret and is named on the map as a castle.  The interior of this rather extraordinary building is an utter shambles.  Rooms look as though they've been tacked on as afterthoughts.  It’s ramshackle, full of "stuff" and piled high with extraneous detritus of everday life.  Oh, and dogs.  Did I mention the dogs?

Bridal party in the Invicta, racing alongside the helicopter
in which the bride and groom arrived at the reception.

The church must have held at least 600 people who all came back to Romden for the reception.  After the bride and groom left in the Invicta, most of the guests left and those who were invited to the dinner (at least 200) all trooped into the huge marquee.  There were tables of 10, each with the name of a tennis player (appropriate, since Murray had just won Wimbledon).  Above each table was a massive helium balloon, held down with ribbons.

It was quite an experience.