It seems that every other time Giao visits the UK, something historic is taking place. On her first visit in 2000, Britain was going through the fuel crisis that brought the country down to a grinding halt (the fuel was not being delivered, and lorry drivers were striking by slowing down traffic on the very congested motorways). This time, wind storms of enormous magnitude, not seen in the UK for over 30 years, swept through and caused many blackouts and even some horrific accidents. Thankfully, everyone we knew safely made it through the weekend and back home after the festivities all in one piece and without incident. We had our second wedding party over here on 26 October, with a blessing ceremony at Biddestone and the reception at a magnificent manor house called Shaw House. The flavor of our time here was very different than that in the States. For one, David's family and friends were absolute Godsends and took care of all arrangements and plans for the ceremony and reception. Grand thanks are owed to Sarah, Jane, Nina, Andie & Richard Ewen, Nick and Wendy, and Nina and Hywel Williams of Bettws. The church at Biddestone is a bit of a tradition in the Williams family, as Jane and Graham were also married there, and several babies were christened there. It's a lovely church of over 1000 years and a grand seating capacity of 60! We spent most of the week hanging out in Bath with the Thomases, the Williamses, and the Duongs, as well as relaxing at the very charactered Eagle House near Bath. Despite the treacherous weather, we had relatively calm weather for a few hours each day, and we did the usual toeing through the town and just plain hanging out with family and friends. It was a wonderful time. The night we all arrived at Shaw, a blackout had hit and we dined by candlelight in the grand old house. Definitely brought to mind many Agatha Christie tales...but we all made it out alive and happy, with power being restored by the time dessert was served. No power issues the day of the reception, and everyone seemed to have a truly rip-roaring good time. It was truly fab for David to be able to catch up with so many old family and school friends and for Giao to finally meet the people who go along with the names from so many of David's fantastic stories. |
BATH, ENGLAND October 21 through October 28, 2002 |
It seems that every other time Giao visits the UK, something historic is taking place. On her first visit in 2000, Britain was going through the fuel crisis that brought the country down to a grinding halt (the fuel was not being delivered, and lorry drivers were striking by slowing down traffic on the very congested motorways). This time, wind storms of enormous magnitude, not seen in the UK for over 30 years, swept through and caused many blackouts and even some horrific accidents. Thankfully, everyone we knew safely made it through the weekend and back home after the festivities all in one piece and without incident. We had our second wedding party over here on 26 October, with a blessing ceremony at Biddestone and the reception at a magnificent manor house called Shaw House. The flavor of our time here was very different than that in the States. For one, David's family and friends were absolute Godsends and took care of all arrangements and plans for the ceremony and reception. Grand thanks are owed to Sarah, Jane, Nina, Andie & Richard Ewen, Nick and Wendy, and Nina and Hywel Williams of Bettws. The church at Biddestone is a bit of a tradition in the Williams family, as Jane and Graham were also married there, and several babies were christened there. It's a lovely church of over 1000 years and a grand seating capacity of 60! We spent most of the week hanging out in Bath with the Thomases, the Williamses, and the Duongs, as well as relaxing at the very charactered Eagle House near Bath. Despite the treacherous weather, we had relatively calm weather for a few hours each day, and we did the usual toeing through the town and just plain hanging out with family and friends. It was a wonderful time. The night we all arrived at Shaw, a blackout had hit and we dined by candlelight in the grand old house. Definitely brought to mind many Agatha Christie tales...but we all made it out alive and happy, with power being restored by the time dessert was served. No power issues the day of the reception, and everyone seemed to have a truly rip-roaring good time. It was truly fab for David to be able to catch up with so many old family and school friends and for Giao to finally meet the people who go along with the names from so many of David's fantastic stories. |
