The Food
Then, it was time for food, which arrived
over half and hour late. I figure our caterers did this in order to compensate
for the bride being on time. tasty food, too, as it happens.
I think that Moroccan Lamb Tagine was placed firmly on the catering
map last Saturday, that's for sure. slightly spicey, but delishously
full flavoured, I reckon it was pretty much the star of the show.
The rest was nice: A creamy chicken dish, two vegetarian quiche-style
tarts, baked potatoes, cous-cous and roasted vegetables, freshly baked
bread and green salad. I don;t think anyone left the place hungry - and
if you did, please call round here for your complimentary plate of dinner.
The puddings also seemed to hit the right note, with lemon tart and
chocolate something with chocolate sauce. Strangely, those attracted
to the chocolate fountain, were also drawn to the chocolate pudding.
I guess the die-hard chocoholics were out in force.
All
in all, it was a happy room that ate and drank until it was time for
the evening's entertainment. The young people bounced on the bouncy castle
as if their energy were literally limitless. If you have a party to arrange,
you can do little better for kids than supply a bouncy castle. When they
were in the room, they were compliant, due to physical exhaustion, and
when they were outside they were keeping it that way. There is no downside
to this phenomenon.
The Speeches
I plan to do a full transcript of Jason's speech, as I have acquired
the original notes. (cost me £4500 on eBay yesterday) Let's just
say that it was every bit as funny and smashing as I hoped it would be,
and thanks - huge thanks - to Jason for spending so many days working
so very hard on it. It was clear that he had taken the whole business
of speech writing very seriously and hit exactly the right supportive
and encouraging note.
My own speech, though brief, was, at least, short. I've had no complaints.
that's not strictly true, actually. I failed to mention the cake, to
my shame. One of the risks of attempting to speak without notes, I suppose,
but an unintentional error, of course. Which brings me to:
The Cake!
And
what a cake it was. exactly a foot square, un-iced, and made fo the most
delicious moist fruit ever. We are still enjoying it now and please speak
up soon if you didn't manage to get a slice.
My mother supplied the cake and my dear sister, Beth, kindly provided
the sugar-sculpture. this picture is well worth a click to enlarge, as
the quality of the sculture is superb. well done, Beth, the cake was
fantastic.
The Entertainment
I would like to thank everone who came and helped out with the music
on Saturday. It was fantastic when it happened, but I will admit to some
nerves before the night. That said, the dress-rehearsals in the afternoon
ha dgone well, so I should have had more faith.
From Brenda through to Liz, I enjoyed every note. For various reasons.
Liz singing to me at the end was truly something special and, I suspect,
never to be repeated. The recorder-playing genius of the Almondbury Infants
staff will continue to awe me to my dying day. Amazing stuff.
The full line-up was: Almondbury Infants staff members (too many to
list), Brenda Sokell, Ruth Marshall, Christine Curry, Linda & David Todd,
Jason Thompson, Tony Brown, Anita Curry, Liz
Curtis, Andrea DeVere, Nick Gibson, Jac Howard and, I suppose, me.
It was a msuical feast, and one that I wish we had recorded. That said,
maybe better that it fall into the mists of folklore, where it can attain
heights of greatness impossible when an actual recording is available.
The Finish
Many people stayed right to the end, and for that we thank you. We were
tired, but happy as things wound to a close. Regrettably, the hall had
to be packed away and tidied. The staff at Snods Edge Village Hall were
nothing less than wonderful in the way that they assisted us in tidying
up.
Despite all the mess, we were able to leave in relatively good time.
Returning home was a longish weary drive, but with that little buzz of
exciement underneath it all. Back in NBTS, there were five of us in the
front room late that night, busily watching X-Factor. it was a surreal
moment.
All I feel now is thanks, thanks and more thanks. I could not have
wished for a better wedding or for anything to be more perfect. If you
had anything to do with what happened then be sure that i am very grateful
to you - despite the likely tardiness in us getting thank-you letters
out.
For all the interesting, practical and even surprising presents - thanks
again. We had a great time opening them on Sunday. We have so many cards
too - fantastic. thanks to everone for signing the guestbook, it will
be our special momento forever.
I must now return to my more normal life and do some work for Jason.
How quickly normality impinges on the warm glow of not so long ago.
Thanks for reading.
It's great news, isn't it? We're finally moving house.
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