Earlier this year we had received the fantastic news that Tim and Sian were engaged, but unfortunately for us, when they set the date of the wedding as 7 September, we realised we would not be able to go as we were already due to be back in the UK in early August and also the boys would already be back at school. However, as the date got nearer we realised that there was no way the Hawkridges could not be represented and so I booked my flights for a long weekend in Cardiff.
At 4.40 on Thursday 5 September my alarm woke me and I set off on my 20 hour journey to Heathrow, via Dubai. I decided that, as I was landing at Heathrow at20:30 that evening, instead of heading straight on to Cardiff I would stay at an airport hotel. And so I found my self checking in to the EasyHotel, which as you can imagine was fairly basic. However the bed was very comfortable so I got a good nights sleep, which was not all that surprising given that I had been up for 25 hours. When I woke up I was pleased to see that the extra £2 I had paid to have a window was money well spent...
On Friday morning I got the National Express coach to Cardiff where I was met by Tim, who had decided to pick me up in Sian's MX5 as it was a sunny day, great idea until he realised I was armed with a big suitcase ready to bring back all of the items Lucy had ordered over the Internet, so I wedged my self in with the case as my very own seatbelt come airbag. We headed straight out for lunch with Sian and her father Wynn and then Tim and I went and did some food shopping followed by a coffee to catch up. That evening Tim and I went out for a great meal and a few pints with Tim's friend Leighton, Wynn and Tim's soon to be brother-in-law Gareth. We were very sensible and headed home in good time, which for Tim and I meant heading back to Leighton's bachelor pad.
The previous evening Tim had asked me if I would do a reading, which of course I gladly agreed to, but then established Tim did not have a printed copy. Luckily Leighton had a printer, so on the morning of the wedding, after several electric shocks trying to remove a jam, I finally had a copy to practice. After a full English at the house, Tim and I headed down to the venue to put all the seat covers over the chairs, it was good to see that Tim is still able to find ways to save a bit of money!
The ceremony at Cardiff Civic Hall went off without a hitch, Sian looked stunning, Tim got very emotional and my reading seemed to go ok. The weather was perfect, the sun shining whilst we had photos before we all head to Cardiff Bay for the reception. The meal was excellent and it was great to catch up with some of Tim's friends who I do not see very often and of course Phil and Caroline
After the meal one of Sian's friends suggested we all go on the carousel outside and I think it's safe to say we drew quite a crowd!!!
The evening do was held at a small club, where we were joined by more friends so it was great to see Syd and Kev for the first time in almost 3 years! The drinks kept on flowing and as the DJ cranked things up the only thing left for me and Phil to do was show everyone that we have still got the moves for the dance floor, at least we felt sure we did anyway!
I had a lazy Sunday morning at Tim and Sian's, taking the opportunity to watch Match of the Day, until Mr and Mrs Goodson arrived back from their hotel and we then had a few hours recounting stories from the day and having another full English!
At 2pm Tim and Sian set off for two nights of Glamping in west Wales and I set off on my 27 hour journey home involving a coach to Heathrow, a plane to Dubai (where I managed a spot of breakfast and duty free shopping, including finally finding a 10th anniversary diamond ring for Lucy) and another plane to Shanghai. I eventually flopped into bed at about 00:30 Monday night feeling very tired and not particularly excited about my 9am Tuesday meeting, but it was worth it as it had been a fantastic few days, which I would not have missed for the world.
